31 



" Upon the whole I perceive, from the Admiralty Chart of the 

 "North Sea, that the largest and deepest valleys are off the coast 

 "of Norway. In one place is a drop of from 60 fathoms in three 

 "miles to a large valley with a mean level of 200 fathoms. The 

 *' Dogger Bank, a vast dome-shaped mass, almost an island, with 

 "all its bordering valleys, is a very conspicuous object. It seems 

 "to me that the general direction of the sea valleys off this coast 

 "is from west to east, or at right angles to the flow of the tide, 

 "which is from north to south. The opinion of intelligent 

 "mariners is — that the bed of the North Sea strongly resembles 

 "the surface of the land over England, in its general features ; 

 "and that in storms the sea exerts a great wearing influence to 

 "the depth of 100 fathoms, or even more. One of the most 

 "striking proofs of this is brought home to us in the wintry crop 

 "of Liassic boulder stones strewed upon the coast, more especially 

 "upon the Tertiary coast of Holderness, 40 miles in length, 

 "Upper, Middle, and Lower Lias, and Kimmeridge Clay blocks 

 "occur with all their characteristic fossils; and it is a notable 

 "fact, indicative of their different origin, that the Lower Lias 

 ^'fossils thus obtained are much better preserved than those 

 "obtaiaed from the cliffs and scars to the northward of Whitby. 

 "There can be no doubt, therefore, of the denuding action that 

 "is going on upon the submarine Liassic beds. The Holderness 

 "Ammonites are very remarkable, often weighing one hundred 

 "weight, encased in blocks of large size : thus every Spring the 

 "fossil dealers at Bridlington have a new stock of Liassic and- 

 "other fossils upon sale." 



Whilst this information is very interesting, as shewing the 

 power of the sea to carry on the work of denudation, yet it is 

 probable that such marine forces must act rather to remove 

 strata from the higher parts of the bed of the ocean, than fi-om 

 those parts situate at greater depths ; and thus the tendency of 

 this denudation must be to produce a level surface. In passing, 

 it is well to mention that the present conflguration of the bed 

 of the North Sea is regarded by subaerialists as due to the 

 submersion of hills and valleys, which in former ages existed, as 

 such, above the level of the ocean. 



