296 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY REORGANISED CHAP, ix 



law which is the Lion of the North, and the bulwark 

 of the Hammerers' faith. 



I think I have now expressed myself in clear 

 scientific language, and therefore you will dine with 

 us on Thursday at half-past six. Yours ever sincerely, 



ANDW. C. RAMSAY. 



KIRKBY LONSDALE, ^rd July 1867. 



MY DEAR GEIKIE Yours received. Papers glanced 

 at, but not yet fairly read. 



The rule here is out at 9 A.M. ; no letters written 

 before breakfast, except in cases of fire, murder, rape, 

 and robbery. Home to dinner, and the post just going 

 (as now), and too lazy to write after dinner, except in 

 cases of abduction, stabbing, perjury, and earthquakes. 



To-day we have been in a river, the Greta, from 

 ten till five. When too deep for skipping and missing 

 the stones skipped at, Tiddeman carried us across on 

 his back (Hughes and me), because Tiddeman wears 

 knickerbockers. I understood these villain Carbonifer- 

 ous rocks (Upper, Middle, and Lower Coal-measures ; 

 Gannister beds and Millstone grit) better than I ever 

 did before, and so did all of us. When you don't see 

 a rock for miles except in a river, and that river is 

 generally full to the brim and more, then there is 

 usually Tartarus and Thomas to pay, without coin in 

 your pocket. To make sure to-day, we all plunged 

 into a pool to see what was in the bottom, but as we 

 never got there, heaven only knows whether it is shale 

 or Millstone grit. 



If I get to the Railway Hotel, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 

 by Saturday (which is on the cards), then I'll spend 

 part of Sunday reading your brief. Ever sincerely, 



ANDW. C. RAMSAY. 



