ROOM III. FLUVIATILE ORIGIN OF THE WEALDEX. 207 



Cretaceous formation ; these were arranged in separate drawers 

 according to their respective localities. In the course of a few 

 months after my first visit to the quarry at Cuckfield, I had 

 obtained from the Weald, specimens of the rocks and organic 

 remains in sufficient number to fill a cabinet of moderate 

 size ; and I soon became aware of the important difference 

 between these fossils and the characteristic species from the 

 chalk deposited in my other drawers : and by degrees the 

 fluviatile origin of the strata spread over the Wealds of the 

 South-East of England suggested itself to my mind. 



The absence of ammonites, echinites, corals, terebratulae, 

 and other marine organisms, which constituted so large a 

 proportion of my cretaceous collection, was the first striking 

 anomaly that forced itself on my attention ; and many a long 

 and weary journey have I undertaken, to examine the mate- 

 rials thrown up from a newly-made well, or the section 

 exposed by recent cuttings on the road-side, in the hope of 

 obtaining data by which the problem might be solved ; but it 

 was many years ere the validity of my arguments received 

 general assent. By reference to the various . works on the 

 Geology of the South-East of England 1 the reader interested 

 in the history of the Wealden, may form some idea of the 

 difficulties encountered, the mass of evidence required, and 

 the prejudices of long cherished opinions to be overcome, 

 and the able assistance and warm encouragement I received 

 from my distinguished friend Sir Charles Lyell, and subse- 

 quently from other eminent British geologists, ere the 

 fluviatile origin of the strata composing the Wealden was 

 established. 



As a considerable number of the organic remains that will 

 come under our notice in Room V. of the Gallery of the 

 British Museum, were obtained from the cretaceous and 

 tertiary deposits of the South-East of England, it will be 

 convenient to review the geological phenomena of the whole 

 district in the present section of this work, which is in a great 

 measure restricted to the consideration of the characters 



1 See " Wonders of Geology," 6th edit, lecture iv. p. 366, for a con- 

 densed exposition of the geology and fossil remains of the Wealds of 

 Sussex, Kent, and Surrey. For the history of the character and rela- 

 tions of the strata below the chalk, consult the able Memoirs by Dr. . 

 Fitton in the " Geological Transactions." 



