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name of the Devil’s Causeway, and which has left traces in other parts by the 
names Tugford, Hungerford, Roman Bank, &. Nordy Bank then was a chief 
permanent camp intended to keep the peace among the conquered. 
The shape is a rounded parallelogram, from east to west 210 paces, from 
north to south 144. 
After a time a peaceful and prosperous population sprang up around. 
Thus the origin of the village just below, still often called The Clee*, watered by 
an unfailing brook, sheltered by the hills, and protected by this encampment. 
After the departure of the Romans from Britain the village remained ; and when 
the Templars brought the legend of Saint Margaret from the east, the then Lord 
of Holgate founded the church there under the name of that saint. 
ALBERT CLOWES, Vicar of Clee 8. Margaret. 
ON THE FORMATION OF SOILS.—BY JAMES RANKIN, Esa. 
At the outset of this inquiry it will be necessary for us to remember that 
our earth, in the beginning, was formed of a variety of substances which we call 
elements, and which elements are capable of entering into a countless variety of 
combinations to give rise to the different forms we find on the earth, and that 
under the influence of various agents, whose action has been unceasingly in force 
for innumerable ages,"the earth has assumed its present configuration,—that is to 
say, it is now as we find it composed of hills and valleys, lakes and rivers and seas, 
and the land is, for the most part, covered with some description of vegetation. 
Tt will be well now to consider what those agents are and what is their 
manner of action. 
The chief agents connected with the formation of soils are the air, wind, 
and rain, frost, snow, and water. These six are the most important in the forma- 
tion of soils ; although not all chemically distinct, yet their physical action is so, 
and therefore I prefer to speak of them as different forces. 
The action of these forces is so constant and at the same time so apparently 
trifling that many are apt to think that they can have but little influence in 
changing the external form of the globe; that such, however, is not the case 
becomes evident to those who are in the habit of closely observing the mysterious 
workings of the forces which pervade our universe. 
The air of our atmosphere is composed of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbonic 
acid gases. Oxygen gas enters into combination with a great many of the common 
constituents of the earth, such as iron, aluminium, sodium, sulphur, and others, 
and forms with them substances known to chemists as oxides, It is this process 
of oxidation which has such an effect in wearing away and loosening the outer 
surface of rocks, and in this condition the loosened material is washed down by 
rains and goes to fill wp some deposit elsewhere, while a new and clean surface of 
*® Clee is the Latin clivus, a hill, so that the usual expression ‘ Clee Hill’ is really tautology. 
