Cambridge Philosophical Society. 67 



in that county give a definiteness to the stratification which makes 

 it impossible for any false generalizations to stand for an instant the 

 test of close examination. It soon became evident to Mr. H. that 

 Farey's views on this subject were totally untenable, leading in some 

 cases to absolute geometrical impossibilities ; and in many cases to 

 results which, it was conceived, ought to be regarded as geologically 

 impossible. The mode of investigation adopted by Mr. H. for the 

 purpose of ascertaining the exact disposition of the toadstone beds, 

 was the obvious one of tracing their basseting edges, which he was 

 able to do with clearness and certainty, and thus to arrive immedi- 

 ately at demonstrable results with respect to all the important points 

 of the subject. One of these is furnished by the well known hill, 

 Masson Lowe, near Matlock. There is decisive proof that the 

 toadstone capping this hill belongs to the second or lower bed ob- 

 servable in the High Tor; and the above mode of investigation 

 proved that that which is found at the village of Bonsai, many hun- 

 dred feet lower than the top of the hill, and close at its foot, belongs 

 to the first or upper bed in the High Tor, the basseting edge of 

 this bed being distinctly continuous from the Tor round the northern 

 side of the Lowe to Bonsai. It afterwards skirts the Via Gellia Dale, 

 and passes by Ible and Grange Mill, being, in fact, the bed 

 which Farey, and it is believed every other geologist, has regarded 

 as the third toadstone. Masson Lowe must consequently have 

 been elevated by an enormous fault, of which indeed there is direct 

 evidence to be found in Bonsai Dale. 



The same mode of investigation showed immediately that the 

 toadstone near the top of PriestclifF Lowe (stated by Farey to be 

 the second bed) belongs to the same bed as the zipper toadstone in 

 Fin Copt Hill, which is unquestionably the first ; and that that which 

 is observed at the foot of the Lowe, in the road from Taddington to 

 Miller's Dale and Tideswell, (considered by Farey as the third 

 bed,) belongs to the same bed as that which is found nearly at the 

 top of the hill. The whole of the toadstone from Taddington, 

 Blackwell, &c, to the Wye, is thus shown to belong to the first or 

 upper bed. Its basseting edge extends southerly by Chelmerton, 

 and northward by Wormhill towards Castleton, being in fact that 

 which Farey has described as that of the third bed. This result 

 exactly harmonizes with that obtained at Masson Lowe as above 

 described. 



The short time which Mr. H. was able to devote to these inves- 

 tigations last autumn, prevented his entering into a detailed exami- 

 nation of other parts of this limestone district. After the deter- 

 mination of the points above mentioned, however, he did not con- 

 ceive that the investigation of others necessarily subordinate to 

 them could present the slightest difficulty. 



It is manifest from the above statement, that the western portion 

 of this district, instead of being composed of the fourth limestone, 

 as described by Farey, is composed of the second. Hence it ap- 

 pears how much smaller in elevation any faults along the westerr 



K 2 



