322 



Suffolk and Norfolk, in the vicinity of the hypothetical 

 former river-bed, then doubtless an important argument, 

 if not defînite évidence would be hit upon. The reader 

 may judge for himself the value of what I as a botanist 

 hâve to say hereunder on the problem, which interests 

 us hère, basing myself amongst others specially on the 

 information, which Prof. À. G. Tansley of Cambridge, 

 Englands wellknown plant-geographer, has been so kind 

 as to furnish me. 



In order to make the foiiowing quite clear, I intend 

 first of ail to say a few words about the geological aspect 

 of the problem. H armer has found between Walton and 

 Cromer, in a soil which in other respects does not show 

 much variety, a broad and winding strip of river-clay 

 and in its neighbourhood a peculiar kind of small white 

 pebbies, such as are found also in the southern parts of 

 our country. In this way he -became an advocate of the 

 idea, that the Rhine might at one time hâve flowed 

 through the eastern counties of England. Van der Sleen 

 fînds back the river-bed near Walton as well as near 

 Cromer. According to hira, its position is fairly high near 

 Walton, which is possible, as the soil may hâve raised 

 itself in course of time, and it is based on an under- 

 ground, which, as appears from the fossils it contains, is 

 evidently of late tertiary, late pliocen origin. Near 

 Cromer its position is lower and hère especially it is 

 buried under the deposits of the ice-age. Van der Sleen 

 concluded, that doubtless during the transition-period from 

 the tertiary to the ice-age the Rhine took its course 

 through England, being enabled to do so by the circum- 

 stance, that the North Sea, which formerly already ex- 

 tended more to the south, was then dry tiU far to the north. 



Let it be borne in mind, that it will be difRcult to find 

 botanicaî arguments in favour of the Rhine having taken 

 its course through England during the period mentioned 



