and on the Transmutation of L'lmc to Silex. 37 



which, excepting the want of proportion in his horizontal 

 distances and some few mistakes, into which he was led by 

 too great a dependence on his favourite theories, are by far 

 the best views of the structure of the crust of the earth 

 which I have any where seen. The romantic valley in which 

 Matlock baths are situated, was one which Mr. White- 

 hurst examined ; and he has given a section crossing the 

 same at the High Tor, a stupendous rock, rising almost 

 perpendicularly from the river Derwent, which hurrits along 

 at its foot. Mr. W., as will be seen by the copy of his 

 seclkin in the upper part of the drawing which accompanies 

 this (Plate 11.) considered the strata under the Derwenl 

 in this place to have been broken, and those on the west 

 side as sunk down ; thereby occasioning that great difference 

 in the height of the rock, on the east and west sides of th« 

 river, which strikes every beholder with astonishment. On 

 extending my examination of the strata of Derbyshire into 

 this neighbourhood, I saw abundant reasons for concluding, 

 that the rocks facing Matlock High Tor are not materially 

 disturbed from their original position, (except thai the dip of 

 the whole is much greater than formerly,) by the violent 

 action from above, which has torn up, and completely car- 

 ried away, the superficial strata, and denudated all the strata 

 now to be seen in this part of Derbyshire, and part of Staf- 

 fordshire adjoining, a fact which did not escape the sagacity 

 of Mr. Whitehurst — (pige 193 and others of his Inquiry)— 

 had he but hit on a cause more adequate than the one he 

 mentions, for the removal and disappearance of such vast 

 masses of matter, as are here wanting, to complete the 

 known order and arrangement of the British strata ; which 

 1 hope in due time to be able to show to be as regular and 

 certain, in this dislocated and brokeo country, as in any 

 other part of England. 



Messrs. John and George Nuttall, land-surveyors of this 

 place, to whose extensive and minute acquaintance with the 

 soils and circumstances of the county I have been much 

 indebted, having furnished me with the exact horizontal di- 

 fUacci across tins extraordinary valley, in a stiaij^lu line, 

 ^ 3 from 



