144 ^''' GiBBEs'j Account of a Cavern in Somerfeifm-e, 



ftone. I had an opportunity of examining the procefs in every part. 

 Had the cavern not been difcovered, and thefe depofited fubftances 

 not been removed, I do not doubt that the whole excavation would, 

 in no great length of time, have been completely filled up. The 

 water was ftill bringing freili quantities of calcareous earth, and the 

 bones were in fome places completely incorporated with the folid 

 rock. Every degree of intermediate folidity was plainly difcerniblc^ 

 There were feveral nodules of ftone, each of which contained a 

 perfe£l human fkull. The fubftance which is depofited from the- 

 water efFervefces with acids, and has, in (hort, every charadler of 

 limefi:one. At the farther end of this very curious cavern, where 

 the height is about fifteen feet, there depends a moft beautiful 

 flalactite, perfeftly conical, which, when the cavern was firfl: dif- 

 covered, reached within an inch of a cone of the fame kind which 

 rifes from the floor. By fome accident a fmall part of the ftaladlite 

 was broken off; but Nature is now bufy in repairing an injury 

 which had been done to one of the prettieft productions of her 

 mineral kingdom. Had thefe two cones met, a moft beautiful 

 column would have been formed, of nearly fifteen feet in height. 

 On flriking this {lala6lite, a found is produced fimilar to that of a 

 bell, which may be heard at a conliderablc diftance beyond the 

 mouth of the cavern. 



I examined the bones with conCderable attention, and I found 

 that there was adhering to the furface of many of thenv, a fubftance 

 which refembled the fpermaceti I have before defcribed, in the Phi- 

 lofophical Tranfaftions for the years 1794 and 1795. 



I have to add, that this cavern was difcovcred about two years ago 

 by accident, and that no fatisfaftory reafon has been given for this 

 fingular accumulation of human bones. 



XV. Re^ 



