Notes on the Caverns of Derbyshire, 8fC. 169 



valley are numerous passages, termed swallows in the language of 

 the country, receiving the waters from the various streams which 

 traverse the marshy valley called Rushop Edge, that lies between 

 Perry Foot and the hills extending towards Tillington, south of 

 Chapel le Frith and the grit range of Lord's Seat and Cowburn 

 Moss Hills ; while on the southern acclivity of the limestone hills, 

 a little to the west of Mam Tor, is that deep and difficultly acces- 

 sible cavern, called Eldon Hole. Between Eldon Clough and Tides- 

 low Top, there are three summits with a tame and rounded out- 

 line, which are continued to the east, and constitute Peak Hill. 



To the south the easterly range comes by Tideswell Lane Head 

 to Litton, and curves round, forming a platform to the east of 

 Tides^vell. Smalldale and Bradwell, the latter celebrated for a 

 cavern remarkably abundant in stalactites, are situated on small 

 masses of limestone to the east of this range, at its northern extre- 

 mity, and are separated by a rich valley from the millstone grit 

 forming the elevated plateau of Abney, Abney Grange, and Great 

 Hucklow. This limestone range is traversed by the veins of lead 

 which are worked from Hucldow over the liill called Tideslow 

 Top. 



Wherever the millstone grit can be examined at its line of junc- 

 tion with the limestone in this part of England, numerous beds of 

 shale are universally found, gradually alternating more and more 

 frequently Avith arenaceous beds, till they are finally succeeded by 

 those extensive deposits accompanying the coal measures, and situ- 

 ated between the old red sandstone and alpine or carboniferous 

 limestone, and the magnesian limestone and red marl, and which 

 we express by the general term of millstone grit. 



Where the inclination of the strata is not great, and in this case 

 they are almost horizontal, it must naturally follow that a great 

 extent of these shales will form the support of the soil between 

 the limestone and the arenaceous deposits. And it will also fol- 

 low, that being strata of little consistency, very friable, and easi- 

 ly decomposed even by the action of air and moisture, as demon- 

 strated in the neighbouring hill Mam Tor, or the Shivering Moun- 

 tain, the influence of streams and water courses will be more re- 

 markable, forming vallies of greater or less extent. In the valley 

 where this junction takes place, the streams of water course doivu 

 from the northern ridge of hills, scoop out for themselves channels 

 in the shale beds, till, meeting with the limestone, they are engaged 

 in the swallows, certainly not formed for their reception, but pro- 

 bably the result of their action in partially overcoming the increas- 

 ed resistance, wherever they could meet -with the smallest chink. 

 And these passages, on minute examination, presented but one con- 

 stant feature, — the evidence of the continued action of water. 



One of the swallows, the most easterly in the valley, is inter- 

 rupted by the hill which we alluded to as advancing towards the 

 southern base of Mam Tor, and penetrates into its very depths. 

 We followed its eccentric course many hundred yards, but left it 



VOL. II. ' y 



