vineyards; regular rotations unheard of; potato only cultivated for 

 the European residents ; and the land is held conditionally on the 

 payment of one-half the produce. 



Sir Thomas Tancred exhibited to the meeting a collection of 

 insects, presented to the Agricultural College by P. J. Selby, Esq., 

 of Twizell House, Northumberland. The collection consists of 372 

 named species of beetles, and 13 species of moths, including many 

 of thoso which are most injurious to farming. 



The next communication was made by Mr. "Woodward, at the 

 request of Sir Thomas Tancred — " On the Geology of the district 

 explored by the Cotteswolds Club, and more particularly the Clay 

 subsoil of the College Farm." On account of the local interest 

 attaching to this paper, we insert it at full length — 



" The Cotteswold hills form an elevated tract nearly in the centre 

 of England, which extends in a N.E and S."W. direction through the 

 county of Gloucester, from Campden to "Wootton-under-Edge, a 

 distance of 30 miles, and occupies an average breadth of 10 miles. 



" The surface of this district has a general inclination to the S.E., 

 its eastern borders having an elevation of about 400 to 500 feet 

 above the sea ; whilst the Western ranges from 600 to 800 feet, and 

 the culminating point, Cleeve Cloud, is 1134 feet high, 



The Thames and Severn canal passing through the centre of the 

 district, affords an excellent datum line, for estimating the elevations 

 of various points ; from Siddington to Sapperton it preserves the 

 same level, but beyond each of these points numerous locks indicate 

 a rapid fall of the general level of the country towards Swindon, and 

 of the valley towards Stroud and Gloucester. The branch of the 

 Great "Western Eailway from Swindon to Gloucester passing through 

 the same line of country, has given the key of its geological structure. 



" The Hills are entirely composed of two strata of Oolitic limestone, 

 separated by a bed of clay known to geologists as the " Fuller's 

 Earth." These strata are inclined to the S.E., at the rate of about 

 1 in 130, or less than half a degree; yet this inclination is greater 

 than that of the general surface, and sufficient to carry the hill strata 

 beneath formations of later date on the S.E., whilst on the N."W. 

 boundary they terminate in steep escarpments, broken and indented 

 by numerous deep and picturesque valleys, which pursue a winding 

 course among the hills. Such are the valleys of the Coin at 

 Withington, and the " Golden Yalley " of Sapperton. During the 

 winter, small streams wander through these western valleys to the 

 Severn ; in summer many of the springs fail, and the streams are 

 concealed by reeds and rushes ; for owing to the inclination of the 

 strata, almost all the rain which falls on the Cotteswolds supplies 

 streams which flow in an opposite direction. The Severn Wells, 

 near Cubberly, and the Thames Head both supply tributaries of 

 the Isis. 



The water in these streams and in neighbouring wells is prevented 

 from sinking to a lower level by beds of marl or clay, which, when 

 removed from atmospheric influence, are impervious to water ; above 



