'M2 The overliewg of Red Marl or Red Rock 



Mr. Snlith was from the first aware of, and always taught, tlie 

 correctness of Mr. Strachey's representations (with w hich he first 

 made me acquainted) in the pluces described by that Genilfmav, 

 but Mr. Smith knew a great deal more tlian was kuowu to Mr. 

 Strachey, viz, that the coal-seams which near their hassets were 

 highly inclined to the Red Marl, which lay upon their ediics, hy 

 degrees became more flat an<l parallel to the Marl, as Steam- 

 engines enabled them to follow these seams into tiie deep, and 

 the inference seemed a natural one, that still further eastward, 

 -they would be found parallel tn the Red Md-rl and f.ias upon it. 



In addition to these new facts, adverse to the generalization 

 of ?vlr, Strachey's local observations on unconformable Marl, &;c. 

 the pudding-stoves* which were generally mentioned, as con- 

 tained in these overlieing strata, not as continuous and regular 

 strata, but varying considerably in thickness and being often 

 wanting altogether, appeared to me so very like lo alluvial 

 matters^ that, never having had the opportunity of minutely ex- 

 amining any place in tlie district myself, / always doubted, and 

 r.o have uniformly expressed myself, that Mr. Strachey's really 

 did form a case oi' unco?i forma ble regular or rmdisttir bed strata f, 

 until the same was rendered more probable, by an able pupil 

 of Mr. Smith's, Mr. Bevan, having brought to light a case (see 

 vol. xliii. p. 330) admitting of no doubt, as I happen sufliciently 

 to know, from having myself been upon and examined the sur- 

 face with him, several years before, when on Canal business near 

 Bcdworth, but at which time, the slight inquiries we made, as 

 to the coal strata and works below, did not bring out tt/e least 

 hint of any unconformablevess, or other deviation there from 

 what is common in Coal Pits, everywhere! — in p. 174, 1 have 

 alluded to similar, although apparently accidental difficulties, in 

 gaining correct, or rather, perhaps, suificiently full information, 



* Some of tliese are by Mr. Gilhy called " limestone breccia," and seem 

 to me now reftrublc, to tlie iniconfornuibte cmiglomcrute Yellow Liwestoite, 

 vliich I have since iDentioiied at Albeibtirv, Barnby,&c. page 108 of your 

 r.larch number: and liad I when writiniif thit pa<;c, iiappened to ha\c 

 turne<l to and reconsidered Mr. Gilby's description of these Limestone beds, 

 ill p. y4G, 1 certainly should have referred thereto. 



t These ditliculties may very well be supposed to have prevented ]\Tr. 

 Towmend from so decidedly mentioning the nnconformabltncss of the Red 

 "Marl, as a general and unruri/ing fact, as Mr. G. apparently wonid have 

 Jiad him done, and tias himself done, in contradiction to the ascertained 

 iHcts aliove mentioned, and in defiance of the reasoning which I have ad- 

 duced, m the middle of pai;e 170, to show that tlie unamformahlencss of the 

 Marl or any other stratum, cu7i (inh/ sluno itself in the very few spots, com- 

 parati\cly, where edges of strata are covered bt/ it, and not where the over- 

 iicing stratum covers t fie plane of' a previously deposited stratum, (sec Notef 

 on pa^c 170). 



respecting 



