The River Smithford to Lyell 



examined in the neighbourhood of Seaview. In front 

 of us, as we faced towards the north, we saw that the 

 hills rose somewhat abruptly from this sea of sand, and 

 the white appearance of their rocks led us to suppose 

 that they consisted of chalk. 



On a nearer approach this proved to be the case, 

 and the surface of the chalk was found to be curiously 

 grooved and polished (Plate IV.), and even the hard 

 flint nodules which it contained possessed a peculiar glazed 

 surface, all their sharp angles having been rounded off. 



There was a strong wind blowing from the south- 

 west, and clouds of sand were flying before it, making 

 travelling very unpleasant. We saw that the grains of 

 sand were being hurled by the wind against the surface 

 of the chalk, and doubtless it was to this action that the 

 polishing of the surface was due. 



The few loose stones which were lying in the sand 

 had acquired a glaze similar to that on the chalk surfaces, 

 and here and there streams of sand grains could be seen 

 travelling up deep grooves in the latter, polishing the 

 sides as they went. 



Having made our way back to the river, we again 

 steamed up-stream until we reached the foot of the range 

 of hills. Here we found that the valley narrowed 

 suddenly, and that its banks became precipitous. The 

 river now ran in a straight course, and was very rapid, 

 and here and there flecks of foam were to be seen upon 

 its surface. 



The floor of the valley to our right was sufficiently 

 wide to allow of the passage of a road between the river 

 and the cliff, but the railway had been carried through 

 a tunnel. 



109 



