The Geology of the Cluden Basin. 129 



Without doubi. the valley of the Cluden has as much power to 

 excite our admiration and imagination to-day as had the famous 

 sylvan Wye at Tintern Abbey in Wordsworth's time. A brief 

 survey of the various forces engaged in the shaping of this valley 

 — of Nature's ceaseless work of building up and pulling down — 

 will help us to a better appreciation of the beauty of its scenery ; 

 but a close and sustained examination of the vast eras, epochs, 

 and ages required for the various deposits and upheavals brings 

 us to the threshold of a new world of thought ; a realm of truth, 

 which, if explored in the spirit of reverence, may create in us a 

 longing for that seer or poet to arise who shall sing to us in verse 

 of that great and illimitable Past ; who shall unfold the astound- 

 ing story of Creation in its full significance, and thus invest our 

 straths and glens with another halo of glory — pre-human in its 

 origin, and superhuman in its nature. 



We shall limit the term Cluden basin in this paper to the 

 lower reaches of the river — from the confluence ol the Auld 

 Water at Routen Bridge down to Lincluden Abbey, a distance of 

 about five miles; and also to the drainage system of that area. 

 The topographical features of this basin are peculiar, and have 

 little in common with those of neighbouring streams. At Routen 

 Bridge the valley is U shaped — the hills rising to 1000 feet above 

 the stream on either side. As we descend the river the highlands 

 on the north side abruptly retreat, and they finally terminate on 

 both sides near Steilston and Ingleston respectively. We now 

 emerge from the valley or gorge into the open. The hills on 

 either side are replaced by long smooth-flowing ridges from 10 to 

 30 feet high, covering the whole plain to the north and south of 

 the river, and running parallel with it; while in the centre the 

 water assume^ a winding course as it traverses the flat marshy 

 lands. Towards Woodlands and Kilness these drums or winding 

 ridges diverge. They proceed on the left bank past Holy wood 

 Church, on to Gillyhill, in the form of gentle swellings. On the 

 right bank these parallel ridges are deflected towards the south 

 near Midnunnery. At Newton their number is augmented by 

 others from the Terregles valley, the whole continuing south- 

 ward past Babbington Loch, where they coalesce with those of 

 the Nith valley. We shall consider first the underlying rocks of 

 tTie whole basin, and then the surface formations, which play such 

 an important part in the evolution of scenery. 



