1 854.] GEOLOGY. 39* 



Mr. Searle [?] at St. Helena), for it has often struck me as very 

 odd that the cracks did not die out oftener upwards. I can 

 think of hardly any news to tell you, as I have seen no one 

 since being in London, when I was delighted to see Forbes 

 looking so well, quite big and burly. I saw at the Museum 

 some of the surprisingly rich gold ore from North Wales. 

 Ramsay also told me that he has lately turned a good deal of 

 New Red Sandstone into Permian, together with the Laby- 

 rinthodon. No doubt you see newspapers, and know that 

 E. de Beaumont is perpetual Secretary, and will, I suppose, 

 be more powerful than ever ; and Le Verrier has Arago's 

 place in the Observatory. There was a meeting lately at the 

 Geological Society, at which Prestwich (judging from what 

 R. Jones told me) brought forward your exact theory, viz. 

 that the whole red clay and flints over the chalk plateau 

 hereabouts is the residuum from the slow dissolution of the 

 chalk ! 



As regards ourselves, we have no news, and are all well. 

 The Hookers, sometime ago, stayed a fortnight with us, and, 

 to our extreme delight, Henslow came down, and was most 

 quiet and comfortable here. It does one good to see so com- 

 posed, benevolent, and intellectual a countenance. There 

 have been great fears that his heart is affected ; but, I hope to 

 God, without foundation. Hooker's book * is out, and most 

 beautifully got up. He has honoured me beyond measure by 

 dedicating it to me ! As for myself, I am got to the page 1 1 2 

 of the Barnacles, and that is the sum total of my history. 

 By-the-way, as you care so much about North America, I 

 may mention that I had a long letter from a ship-mate in 

 Australia, who says the Colony is getting decidedly repub- 

 lican from the influx of Americans, and that all the great and 

 novel schemes for working the gold are planned and executed 

 by these men. What a go-a-head nation it is ! Give my 

 kindest remembrances to Lady Lyell, and to Mrs, Bunbury, 

 * Sir J, Hooker's ' Himalayan Journal.' 



