364 



the head of one of those romantic combes running southwards into the 

 main valley which carries off the drainage from the northern slopes of 

 the Mendips, is a spot called Lamb's Bottom, where these caves have 

 been discovered. Nothing on the surface indicates their presence, but 

 marks of past human industry abound in the trace of old miners' 

 workings with which the surface is honey-combed. The history of this 

 hill country, Mr. Mc^NIurtrie said, was well worthy of attention. In 

 illustration of the geological features of the district an Ordnance 

 section, running from Compton Martin through the Mountain Lime- 

 stone of Lamb's Bottom to the level country around Wells, was 

 exhibited, and it was shown that these caves occupy the same position 

 on the north side of the hills that the Cheddar Pass and caves do on 

 the South. The earliest record of these caves dates back to " The 

 Philosophical Transactions and Collections to the end of the year 

 1700" (p. 369), where a Mr. Beaumont is said to have visited them in 

 1660. No subsequent mention has been made of them since then, and 

 their re-discovery was due, as was their first discovery, to the recent 

 revival of mining enterprise in those parts. Diagrams, prepared from 

 an actual survey, with a ground plan and vertical section, were 

 exhibited ; and by aid of these Mr. McMurtrie gave a graphic descrip- 

 tion of the difficulties attending his underground researches, differing 

 little from those described so graphically by Beaumont 200 years ago. 

 Tn conclusion the probable origin of these caverns was discussed. 

 Quotations from Sir Charles Lyell's " Principles and Elements of 

 Geology" were given as a summary of the various theories of their 

 formation, and the writer ventured to suggest a theory of his own. It 

 was very common in all anticliuals to find V shaped fissures — was it 

 not possible that in synclinals, such as those drawn in the section 

 before them, the same thing may exist in a reversed form, the fissures 

 assuming the form of a V turned upside down (thus a), the openings 

 being wider beneath and thinning out upwards — may not caves be 

 accounted for in this way ? 



Mr. NichoUs, the captain of the mines in those parts, and to 

 whose perseverance the re-discovery of these caves was mainly 

 due, contributed to the discussion which followed, and exhibited a 

 section made in the passage leading from the Beeliive to the Great 

 Cavern. From this it appeared that the stalagmitic floor was one 



