was seen in one or two quarries by the roadside and was 

 pointed out by Mr. Mackeson. The Excursionists next 

 passed through Sandling Park, where from the lower beds of 

 the Green-sand, were many Springs much impregnated with 

 Iron. Specimens of Asplenium Filix Fcemina or Lady Fern 

 were here abundant. The Oak and Ash flourished in this soil. 

 Mr. Mackeson pointed out a mass of Drift upon the green-sand 

 and accounted for this by the Glacial Hypothesis. Passing 

 on through the Wood, the Excursionists arrived at a deep val- 

 ley with ponds, and around magnificent specimens of the 

 Ash ; this valley is in the Atherfield Clay, it was shewn by 

 the presence of Rushes in the soil, these being on this formation 

 a sign of the presence of these Atherfield beds. From this 

 point the party passed on to the Wealden Clay, which appears 

 a little beyond the Park. It was explained that this, although 

 inferior or anterior to the latter formation, (which was of 

 Marine origin and deposited in the bed of an Ocean through 

 vast cycles of time), was a fresh-water deposit, as had been 

 shewn by Dr. Mantel, and more recently by Dr. Tritton. 

 The Wealden beds were most probably formed by the deposits 

 of a large fresh-water estuary, and the Shells found were 

 mostly all of fresh water, the characteristic, in this formation, 

 being the Paludinae and Cyprides, the former constituting 

 the Sussex Marble, so extensively used in our ancient ecclesi- 

 astical edifices — as in Canterbury Cathedral. It was noticed 

 by Dr. Tritton that some of the lower Wealden beds contained 

 deposits of Oyster Shells, and he, (Mr. Mackeson), had dis- 

 covered the same to occur in the upper series here represented, 

 and had pointed out their appearance in this locality to Dr. 

 Tritton. The explanation given of these Marine Shells, 

 associated with those of a fresh-water character, was, that the 

 sea had at different times encroached upon these fresh-water 

 deposits, and that sand banks or other causes had driven it 

 back, so that we had at one time Marine and at another 

 Fresh-water deposits ; the Oyster found in these beds was of 

 diminutive growth and often distorted. Leaving the green 

 fields the party soon crossed the hill above Hythe, where 



