S?* Mr. Robberds on the former Level of' the German Ocean, 



nists, and that they form a part of that connected chain of 

 facts, which attests the former residence of the sea in these 

 valleys, and illustrates the cause of its gradual retreat. 



I have thus far restricted my observations to those points, 

 on which Mr. Taylor has touched, within the range of histo- 

 rical evidence ; there are some other comments of minor im- 

 portance, which I have omitted to notice, thinkingr it unnecessary 

 to show how far they are from having in the least degree invali- 

 dated my statements. I shall now proceed to the considera- 

 tion of his remarks upon the earlier phaenomena which this 

 district presents. Mr. Taylor's object is to make it appear, 

 that these " belong to an antediluvian formation ; and there- 

 fore cannot be admitted as evidence of supposed changes 

 or of events that have occurred subsequently to the deluge." 

 Here again a favourite dogma of the modern geological school 

 is advanced as certain and infallible. It is not necessary that 

 I should stop now to explain the grounds of my dissent. In 

 a future stage of this inquiry, I shall not shrink from avowing 

 and defending my own opinions, or from pointing out the 

 errors of those who, under the mistaken idea of serving the 

 cause of religion, are so anxious to square the oeconomy of 

 nature with the early traditions of the East and the imper- 

 fect philosophy of an ignorant age. The beds of sand and 

 gravel, which Mr. Taylor's orthodox creed calls diluvium, be- 

 long of course to an older formation than the alluvial deposits 

 of the valleys. I wish to avoid all idle disputes about mere 

 words ; and therefore admit at once, that if the upper layers 

 of marine shells on the sides of the hills can be proved either 

 to have preceded, or to be part of the foi'mer, instead of being, 

 as I regard them, the first and earliest portion of the latter, 

 they would in that case afford no evidence of the height to 

 which the waters of the ancient aestuary once flowed. But I 

 deny that Mr. Taylor has adduced a single satisfactory proof 

 in support of his position, — that these shells belong to the C7ag 

 stratum, or that early formation which he calls antediluvian. 

 According to his hypothesis, as explained by his Section, No. 'J, 

 a bed of crag, surmounted by diluvium, is uniformly spread 

 over the chalk through the whole of this district; and the 

 Valley of the Yare is an excavation produced by some power- 

 ful stream, which, by acting upon the upper beds after they 

 were complete, intersected them in such a manner, as to dis- 

 play their series in the escarpment on either side. In opposi- 

 tion to this theory I have already shown. 



First, that although the chalk rises on each side considera- 

 bly above the surface of this valley ; yet in no instance has it 



ever 



