55 



The presence of ladies placidly seated within a few feet of the chasm before 

 referred to reassured us-for here some ladies met the party, as also one of our 

 members, Sir Herbert Croft, and a party of visitors. These landslips are not due 

 to volcanic agency ; they are not the result of earthquakes, but are due, either to 

 the powerful hydraulic pressure of water which has penetrated into fissures in the 

 rocks and soils, or perhaps in some cases to the expansive power of water when 

 transformed into ice, but are chiefly attributable to water acting upon an 

 unctuous clay-Walker's earth-lying between adjacent rocks which have a dip of 

 inclination upon each other. Bands of impure Fuller's earth frequently occur in 

 these formations, and are calculated to lead to unfortunate results. 



Mr. Piper now delivered his address, and by his familiarity with this-by 

 him-well-trodden and examined ground, together with the aid of diagrams which 

 he supplied to the members, supplemented by his clear explanations, rendered the 

 subject so interesting to his hearers as to teach them that geology consisted in 

 something more than collecting fossils to put upon their shelves, for he led them 

 to observe the wonderful processes of Nature in forming the hills and valleys 

 and soils upon which we had been treading, and of which we now saw such a 

 charming landscape. Pointing to Haugh Wood [ho, hoo, how, ha ugh hemg 

 Scandinavian for a hill or barrow) and Broadmoor Common, Mr. Piper explained 

 how the upheaval of the Upper Llandovery beds, now on the surface there, had 

 disturbed the previously existing continuous surface of overlying formations by 

 being protruded through these latter, and forcing them aside at various dips, and 

 in their regular stratification as accepted by geologists, had produced this almost 

 circular ridge, of which we had so favourable a view, whilst the existence of the 

 valley was accounted for by the denudation of the softer shales and material, an 

 outlet being left between the hills by means of the great geological fault above 

 the village of Mordiford, where, may be-as our President not very seriously 

 suggested-the last representative Saurian monster, on the gradual conversion 

 of the beds, drying up of lakes and river, now represented only by the small 

 brook, the Pentaloe, came down to quench his thirst in the ancient and 

 greater river Wye, thus giving foundation to the tradition of the Dragon 

 of the locality. Mr. Henry Wilson, President of the Malvern Naturalists 

 Field Club, proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Piper, which was a«3orded by 



the members. -c i, lu f 



Before leaving this position, a plan, upon a large scale, of St. Ethelberts 

 Camp was exhibited by Mr. H. C. Moore, showing the camp to have been doubly 

 entrenched upon the north side, and oblong rather than circular m shape; the 

 landslip has occurred upon its southern side, and at the south-easterly angle, 

 whilst the area of the camp is about four acres, it being at the present tune about 

 145 yards from north to south, and 145 yards from east to west. Tradition has it 

 that Ethelbert, King of the East Angles, proceeded from this camp to that of 

 "OSa the Terrible," King of Mercia, at Sutton Walls, when courting his 

 daughter, Etheldritha, he was murdered, A. d. 792, by his queen, Quendritha. 



The members now made their descent by various routes, and in their 

 difierent pursuits, towards the Church at Mordiford, where the President read a 



