21 
Up to this period the opinion seemed to be unanimous that 
the Cannington Limestone was Devonian, but— 
(5) In 1851 Mr. Baker, of Bridgewater, expressed doubts on 
the point and gave some doubtful proofs of the correctness of 
his views. 
(6) Mr. T. H. Payne followed on the same side; but (7) in 
1867 Mr. Eruerimes contested the views of Messrs. Baxrer and 
Payne, and boldly contended for the ancient faith—namely, 
that the Cannington stone was of Devonian age. 
(8) In 1871 Messrs. Bristow and Woopwarp, in the 
Geological Magazines, contended that it was carboniferous, and 
thus raised the issue again. I ought also to say that there are 
some corals at the Taunton Museum that were said to have 
been found in the Cannington Limestone, but which Mr. 
Erueripecr and many other eminent geologists had great 
doubts about. 
(9) In 1875 Mr. Tawney did much to settle the controversy, 
by the exceedingly valuable paper he read before the Bristol 
Naturalists’ Society, in which he claimed to have found 
Terebratula Hastata and Producta Elegans. 
I was not, however, aware of this valued contribution to the 
settlement of the controversy, when in August last I was 
fortunate enough to be able to secure the companionship of our 
distinguished President, Sir Witt1am Guts, and the learned 
President of the Geological Society, Mr. ErnEripes, in a visit 
to Cannington Park. We paid the visit after the last Field 
Meet at Lansdown, which those who were present will remember 
as having afforded a remarkable illustration of Agneous action. 
We drove over that splendid field for geological investigation 
—the Mendip Hills—through the romantic and deeply interest- 
ing gorge of Cheddar. In visiting Cannington we had the 
advantage of the local guidance of an old Gloucestershire man, 
of rare intellectual culture, Dr. WinrrRBorHaM. 
Up to the date of our visit, Mr. Ernertpcz was strong in his 
belief that the rock we were about to inspect was Devonian, and 
strong in the belief that no true carboniferous fossils had, up 
to that date, been found there—though they had been often 
