356 Dr. Mitchell on the Beds immediately above 



limestones, or the manner and circumstances under which they 

 have been produced, as that has been done in so masterly a 

 style by Dr. Hibbert, in his memoir on the Biudiehouse lime- 

 stones : and the fact of the occurrence of freshwater lime- 

 stones in the carboniferous group has become so firmly esta- 

 blished, that what remains to be done is a careful investiga- 

 tion of the districts where the coal measures are exposed, in 

 order to trace how far they extend, and what varieties of re- 

 mains of animal life they present. The ultimate result, I have 

 no doubt, will be a vast mass of evidence respecting the cir- 

 cumstances under which the coal measures generally have 

 been deposited, and a considerable additional light will thus 

 be thrown upon the origin and formation of the coal itself. 

 Thus, as the small mountain rivulet, receiving new force and 

 power from the most insignificant sources, gradually rolling 

 on towards the wide ocean, becomes the broad and noble river, 

 so each new fact, however trifling in itself, will give a slight 

 but additional impetus to the stream of knowledge which is 

 fast bearing us forward to the ocean of some grand theory of 

 geology: the collection of facts thus slowly accumulated will 

 one day be grasped by some comprehensive and master mind, 

 — a new Newton will arise and place in our hands one universal 

 outline of the laws that have auided and still suide natui'e in 

 her unvarying progress. 



W. C. Williamson. 



Hall of Manchester Natural History Society, 

 August 12th, 1836. 



LXIX. On the Beds immediately above the Chalk in the 

 Counties near London. By James Mitchell, LL.D., 

 F.G.S.* 



T^HERE is a description of flints found in beds immediately 

 over the chalk, and below the sand, in all the places 

 where these strata are seen to meet, in the counties of Surrey, 

 Kent, Essex and Hertford, and may very probably also be 

 found in other counties, also in similar situations. 



There are sixteen localities in which I have seen this flint 

 on the south side of the Thames, and five on the north side. 



The pits on the south side are : 



Pit close to Croydon in Coomb Lane. 



Road to Tunbridge beyond Farnborough. 



Pit on the right of the road from Bromley to Chiselhurst. 



PiWn a vale on the south side of Elmstead near Chisel- 

 hiu'st. ■ 



• Coniniunicatcd hv the Aullior. 



