1$250 Mr. Webster's Reply to Dr. Fitton. 3$ 



Bay, which is perfectly accessible, and which from the remark- 

 able and highly inchned position of the beds, is one of the very 

 best situations for examining the beds immediately below the 

 chalk. 



The map in Plate XXXV is a slight sketch of the SE of 

 England coloured geologically, accordmg to my original view of 

 the subject. 



Dr. Fitton has inserted in his paper, (p. 369, of the Annals for 

 November,) a table of these strata, in which he gives the same 

 name as Mr. Conybeai'e to one of the principal beds, viz. that 

 which he calls green sand, and which was a part of my ferrngi- 

 nons sand group ; but he does not stop to discuss this question ; 

 and by his continuing to call the bed by the name of green sand 

 throughout his paper, I must suppose that he has adopted Mr. 

 Conybeare's view of the subject. 



In order to bring this matter to an issue, it appears to me that 

 we ought first to inquire what were the beds orlginaUy desig- 

 nated by the terms the green sand and the ferruginous sand. 



I am not able at present to say by whom the term green sand 

 was first employed as a name for one of the strata of England ; 

 but that is not necessary. It is sufiicieat if I point out that it 

 had been long in use by the geologists who preceded us. 



The term green sand is to be found in the writings of Mr. 

 William Smith, who, as will be seen by an able sketch of the 

 history of English geology in the Edinburgh Review for 1818, 

 and by Mr. Conybeare's mtroduction to his " Outlines," above- 

 mentioned, has the strongest claims on our gratitude, and who is 

 indeed (I had almost said) the father of modern English 

 geology. 



Another author of great authority, by v.'liom this name has 

 been employed for a long time previous to this discussion, is the. 

 late venerable rector of Pev/sey, the Rev. Joseph Townsend, in 

 his work, entitled " The character of Moses established for 

 veracity as an historian." In the preface to this work, which is 

 replete vv'ith the most valuable i'acts, he informs us, that he was 

 indebted for his knowledge of the succession of the beds of 

 England to Mr. William Smith ; but as he was himself a mosi; 

 assiduous practical geologist, we may consider his account of 

 them as the descriptions of Mr. Smith, verified and extended by 

 himself. 



It appears to me that from these and similar sources, our first 

 ideas respecting the green and iron sands have been derived, 

 either directly or indirectly. 



In the writings of these authors, it will be found that every 

 where on the west escarpment of the chnlk, v/hicli passes through 

 Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, {>ic, the beds 

 immediately below it are seen in succession ; and that they 



