253 



levels of the valleys to some extent present landmarks for 



comparison. 



The waters of these early times in their periodic meltings had 

 their exit by these valleys, and not only so but the grounded ice 

 as in glacical districts of the present day moved more or less slowly 

 down their sides, carrying or pushing before it the disintegrated 

 material of the beds over whose edges it passed, and which is 

 now represented by maris, clays, drifts and gravels in the lower 



levels. 



The hill-side modifications since then have been very little, and 

 where present, may be attributed to local springs or to general 

 atmospheric influences. The beds cut through by the denuding 

 actioas indicated, have been the Great Oolite, the Fuller's Earth, 

 the Fuller's Earth Rock, the Inferior Oolite, the Yellow Sands and 

 Sandstones at their base, the Upper Lias, the Middle Lias, and the 

 upper portion of the Lower Lias, having a thickness of about 



600 feet. 



It is only to the Inferior Oolite and the Upper Lias that I need 

 now refer in connection with the unfortunate landslip on Hedge- 

 mead. When in remote times the chief denuding and atmospheric 

 influences had subsided, there was left exposed a clifiF section, the 

 face of which has an inclination of from 3 to 5 horizontal to 

 vertical, this face be it remembered being composed of the friable 

 surface edges of the lias with very few layers of stone to give it 



support. 



The Hedgemead hill-side is encumbered immediately below the 

 surface with talus composed of great blocks of Oolite and gravgl 

 and with sands and maris derived from the high grounds above, 

 which are probably accumulated in farrows and depressions of 

 varying depths and directions and serve to hold back the surface 

 rainfall of the district. 



The inferior Oolite is well shown in the Jacob's Ladder road 

 immediately above Camden Crescent, where it is much disturbed 

 and large blocks seem ready to be dislodged to travel through 



