170 Remarks upon the inferior Strata of the Earth 



the bluestonc) district : although there be no rock of this 

 species that I know of in the country*. They have the ap- 

 pearniicc of having had iheir edges broken awav, and round-' 

 td bv attrition, like the smaller pebbles. 



This mass of limestone runs away to the north, as far a» 

 Kendal, and eastward by Farltoa-Knot, Hutton Roof, and 

 Kirkby-Lonsdaie, towards Settle and Skipton in Yorkshire, 

 and skirling Lancasliire, conies into it again about Chipping- 

 and Clitheroc. 



III. This limestone district ceases about five miles north 

 of Lancaster, and gives way to another arrangement, viz. of 

 :ik(ile {or iliiuer^) a.vi] ficeit(^7}c. But as freestone is an 

 ambiguous tern), arising merely from the facility with 

 which a stone can be wrought bv the tool, and is applicable 

 to stones of verv different qualities, it will perhaps be better 

 to distinguish the particular kind occurring here by Mr. 

 Whitehursl's denomination oi' millstone grit; bein<;f, like 

 that which he notices in Derbyshire and other places, com- 

 posed piincipally of quartz pebbles (a species of flint) and 

 mica. 



From this part of the country a!)out Kellet, to as far south 

 as a line d; .An from the vicinity of Colne towards Black- 

 burne ond Chorlcv, and so on to the westward, the base of 

 the country is miUsloiw grit, mostly incumbent on shale. 



In some places, (such as Grassyard woods and Ravenscar, 

 about five miles from Lancaster,) and near Catshaw Factory 

 in Wvrcsdale, this arrangement of the gritstone resting on 

 inuDcnse beds of shale is evident. In other places it is not 

 so e.isv to be ascertained, as,- the mcumbent stratum of grit- 

 stone having been destroyed, the shale appears on the sur- 

 face of the earth, or the grit rock has not been penetrated 

 deep enough to arrive at the shale. Finally, the beds ot 

 siiale difl'cr in thickness, and are in some instances, par- 

 haps, totally wanting. 



IV. After proceeding ns farsou'.h as Chorley and Burn- 

 ley, the primitive strata change to a soft argillaceous sandy 

 stone, containing no quartz pebbles. Such are the inferior 

 straia which form the base of the country in each of these 

 districts; and which have considerable influence on the 

 incumbent soil, and its productions; which we shall pro- 

 ceed to noti,:e. 



J. The district of Sc/fistw;, or Bh/e Rock. 

 The sininT)ils of the highest mountains of Furness must, 



* The nearest grnnite rock is «a the west side of the road from Kendal t» 

 Slinn, near :he twelfth niih -stone. 



* Skalt (orsAu'rt) appears to cojiMst of indurated clay, mica, and a little 

 •and. frOUf 



