85 



ih^ Uloolhopc^ Piiuntlists' 4UU (S[\\\h, 



MEETING AT USK, 



Friday, Sept. 3rd, 1869. 



" A castle there in TJske doth ret remaine, 

 A se ite where kings and princes hare been borne ; 



It stands full on a fondly pleasant plaine ; 

 The walls whereof, and towers are all to tome." 



Churchyard's Worthines of Walu. 



Dismantled and ruinous though they be, the walls of the old castl? are 

 still the glory of Usk. From them and about them the town is sef-n at a glance, 

 the rich and fertile valley it occupies, and the hills on all sides undulated and 

 well wooded. Usk and its neighbourhood never looked more neat, and clean, 

 and pretty, than it did on that lovely day of sunshine and cloud which was 

 spent there by the Woolhope Club. Not for the beauty of its scenery, however, 

 nor yet for the romantic history of the castle that still happily commands it, nor 

 yet again for the excellent salmon fishing its river affords, was the visit made. 

 Usk has great attractions of a geological kind, its rocks abound in fossils, and 

 in one particular layer of shale here — and in one other place only in the wide 

 world, so far as is known — the Somalonotus Johannis is to be found. This inte- 

 resting fossil is not very easily to be got, for the rock in which it is preserved is 

 only to be met with in the bed of the river itself, and cannot be reached unless 

 the water is very low, nor even then without wading for it. Twdce before has 

 the club held a meeting here, but each time in vain ; a wet day and a full river 

 have securely guarded the approach to the Homalonotus bed, and the Naturalists 

 had to fall back on other objects of interest. On this occasion, however, things 

 looked more promising. The river has never been known to be so low for 40 

 years, the weather was beautiful, and he who first made known the discovery of 

 the fossil, and after whom it was named by Mr. Salter — John Edward Lee, Esq., 

 of Caerleon — was in attendance to direct the search of hia brother members of 

 the Club. 



The attendan'-e was as numerous as could be expected, former disappoint- 

 ments and ths commencement of partridge shooting being duly considered. 



