This report is 

 not accurate, 



but was lately 

 repeated in a 

 refpc enable 

 newfpaper. 



£(J OBSERVATIONS ON WELLS. 



and meafured the depths of the furface and bottom refpectively 

 of feveral wells in different weeks, and at different hours of 

 the tide ; the refult of which meafurements turned out to be a 

 convincing proof that this traditionary report, though partially 

 founded in fact, has been greatly exaggerated ; but whether 

 or not for the purpofe of entertaining the vifitors of this place, 

 it would be prefumptuous to determine. At the time, how- 

 ever of my vifit, it was not my intention to lay before the phi- 

 lofophical reader any obfervations which were made, but 

 merely to regifter them by way of private amufement ; which 

 intention would have been adhered to, had I not met with a 

 paragraph in the General Evening Pott of Tuefday, Aug. 24, 

 1802, of which the annexed is an exact copy. — " Rotting- 

 dean, four miles from Brighton, oil the road to Newhaven, is 

 remarkable for the lingular variation of its wells, which rife as 

 the tide declines, and are nearly empty at high water ! The re- 

 fearches of philofophy have not as yet been able to affix the 

 caufe of this apparent contradiction in the courfe of nature." 

 This attempt to excite a more general aftoniihment than was 

 excited by the Brighthelmftone guide alone, and confequently 

 to call the attention of the philofopher to investigate the fub- 

 ject before us, has induced me to recur to my notes, and to 

 tranfmit for your Journal the deductions I had made from them, 

 in order to fhow that there is no apparent contradidlion in the 

 phenomenon, as it has been called, of the Brighton Wells. 



The South Downs, which conftitute a ridge of high ground 

 to the north of Brighton, the fummit of which is parallel to 

 the fca coaft, have their gradual (lope inclining towards the 

 fea or fouth fide, and the declivity, which approaches more to 

 a perpendicular line, facing the level country on the north ; 

 and the dip of the itratum of chalk, and confequently of its 

 impermeable bed, is in a direction from the fummit to the fea, 



upon which t"he or from north to fouth ; the rain therefore which falls upon 

 thefe Downs may be expected to run down the bed of the 

 rocks until it arrives at their lower extremity, where, if it 

 meet with any oppoiing clay, or other impermeable fubitance, 

 it will collect into a body of water, and, as it collects, rife 

 through the crevices of the rock and fuperincumbent perme- 



amJ form fprings able earth, till it (hews itfelf in the form of fprings. This rea- 

 foning, if my recollection be perfect, is agreeable to the theory 

 of Mr. Pilkington, whole fuccefs in draining and tapping 



fprings 



The South' 

 Downs lie on a 

 bed of chalk 

 Hoping towards 

 Brighton j 



rains are con 

 veyed j 



at its lower ex 

 treraity j 



