i6 Mr. William Phillips on [Jan. 



Article II. 



On the Geology of the Malvern Hills. By William Phillips, 

 FLS. MGSX & C. and Hon. Mem. of the Cambridge Philo- 

 sophical Society. 



The Malvem range of hills is pecuHarly interesting as being 

 surrounded by deposits which appear to have little geologicsu 

 connexion with its rocks, as well as from the remarkable com- 

 position of the latter. In the first volume of the Transactions 

 of the Geological Society, there is an interesting communication 

 on the subject, by Leonard Horner, Esq. FRS. &c. ; but having, 

 -as I imagine, observed some circumstances deserving of note 

 which escaped the notice of that gentleman, I venture to sup- 

 pose them worthy of a place in the Aimals of Philosophy ; and 

 as it would be difficult to render these observations intelligible 

 without giving a general account of the range, I am induced to 

 incorporate chem with extracts from the paper above-mentioned, 

 distinguishing such extracts by placing them between inverted 

 commas ; thus affi^rding to the traveller a comprehensive view 

 of this singularly interesting range, but premising that he will 

 find, in the first volume of the Transactions of the Geological 

 Society, many minutiae which do not appear essential to the 

 present object, which is primarily to show that the rocks of this 

 range are occasionally stratified ; and secondly, to do away the 

 too commonly received and erroneous opinion that they partly 

 consist of granite. 



" The Malvern hills are situated in the south-western part of 

 Worcestershire; the boundary which divides the counties of 

 Worcester and Hereford passes along their western side. They 

 consist of an uninterrupted chain of about nine miles in length 

 from north to south, their greatest breadth not exceeding two 

 miles. The several parts of the chain present roundish sum- 

 mits," but the nearly continuous line formed by the summit of 

 the central part of the range forms a remarkably narrow ridge, 

 which, except here and there, is, in common with the rest of 

 these hills, covered with short grass and moss : fern is also seen 

 on the sides, except where the rocks rise from beneath the 

 vegetation. 



" The highest point of the range is the Worcestershire 

 Beacon, which is 1444 feet above the level of the sea; the 

 Jtlerefordshire Beacon, and North Hill, are somewhat lower." 

 ' The range is flanked on the western side by limestone. in 

 remarkably regular strata dipping generally to the north or 

 north-west, at a low angle, and on the east, and the north and 

 south extremities, by the New Red Sandstone or Red Marle^ 

 which is visible beside the road in two or three places on the 

 south ol Great Malvern, at a higher elevation than that place. 



