29 



crystals in the leaflets of Trifolium ; that such preparations might 

 afford many agreeable and profitable half hours with the micros 

 cope, and that boiling the part of the plant in a solution of caustic 

 potass exposes the crystals and their cells very plainly. 



In connection -with the paper read by Mr. Hammand, Colonel 

 Horsley teased out from a leaf of the Butcher's Broom (lluscus 

 aculeatus) lying on the table the Eaphides contained in the plant, 

 and found them to be by measurement 1 -533th of an inch in 

 length. 



Captain McDakin illustrated by two diagrams the structure of 

 the sea cliffs at Folkestone, representing the lower chalk resting on 

 the gault clay which being impervious to the water that passes 

 through the upper chalk, and the fissures of the chalk marl, presents 

 a yielding slippery surface over which the immense masses of the 

 superincumbent cliffs slide seaward from time to time, producing 

 landslips and fractures of the lofty escarpment, which have so lately 

 led to the total suspension of traffic on the South-Eastern Eailway 

 between Folkestone and Dover. The water intercepted by the bed 

 of clay is so charged with lime although perfectly bright and clear, 

 that the shingle of the beach is concreted in some places into solid 

 masses by the deposition of part of its lime, a curious reparation that 

 nature here makes for the subterranean denudation that the springs are 

 silently but constantly carrying on. The under cliff gradually 

 forcing its way over the gault to the sea beach has been thrown into 

 such a variety of fantastic forms that the miniature lake and moun- 

 tain scenery it presents has suggested for this beautiful shore the 

 name of "Little Swizerland." 



Relative to subterranean denudation, a subsidence probably 

 arising from this cause has recently presented itself in the neigh- 

 bourhood of "VVingham on a farm occupied by Mr. laslelt, where 

 an opening has taken place near the brow of a gently sloping hill, 

 having a diameter of fifteen yards from east to west, and twelve 

 from north to south, and a depth of about foity-three feet. It is 

 said that three arched cavities were visible near the bottom when 

 first observed, but now are hidden by the accumulated surface water 

 which has partly filled the hole, the tunnels may be the result of 

 subterranean streams or springs which find their way out in the 

 valley leading to VVingham, the soft loamy deposit here covering 

 the chalk readily yielding to their action partly chemical and partly 

 mechanical. 1 cannot find on enquiry that there was a clialk pit 

 here of the kind locally known as a draw well, by which chalk is 

 sometimes drawn to the suriace for agricultural puiposcs. On the 

 return of the dry season when the water shall have subsided, it 

 will prove an interesting object to geologists, if not to the landed 

 proprietor and tenant. 



