186 



height of this station he determined by levelling to the Grand Junc- 

 tion Canal, from which, and the known difference of levels of the 

 canals communicating with tliis, he obtained the relative height of 

 this station, compared with the most important objects in North- 

 ampton, Buckingham, and Bedford. Finding the country to the 

 north of Arbury station suddenly fall about 400 feet, and continue 

 thus depressed for nine or ten miles, Mr. Bevan observes that such a 

 defect of matter would probably produce a deflection of the plumb- 

 line to the southward ; and accordingly, on calculating the latitude 

 of Arbury station from that of Blenheim observatory, independent 

 of any astronomical observations made at Arbury, he found it 5" less 

 than shown by the zenith sector, giving countenance to the proba- 

 bility of local attraction by the high land to the south of the station. 

 The author thinks that the observations at Dunnose were affected by 

 the high land to the north of that station giving a latitude less than 

 it should be by 7" or 8", and that Greenwich observatory is not 

 altogether clear of local attraction from the higher land to the south, 

 and defect upon the northern side. Clifton station also, he remarks, 

 may be 2" or 3" in error, from the same cause. 



With such corrections as the face of the country may warrant, not 

 exceeding in the whole 200 miles above 10", the author thinks it 

 probable that the section of the meridian measured in Britain may 

 agree with the different sections measured in other parts of the 

 world. 



Mr. Bevan lastly adverts to the probable errors in the height of the 

 stations in the survey; and assuming the highest points of the Grand 

 Junction Canal to be 408^ feet above the level of the sea at low- 

 water spring tides, he considers the heights of Wendover, Kens- 

 worth, Bowbrick Hill, and Arbury Hill stations, to be about 72 feet 

 in excess, as laid down in the survey. 



On some Fossil Bones discovered in Caverns in the Limestone Quarries 

 of Oreston. By Joseph Whidbey, Esq. F.R.S. In a Letter ad- 

 dressed to John Barrow, Esq. F.R.S. To which is added, a De- 

 scription of the Bones by Mr. William Clift, Conservator of the 

 Museum of the College of Surgeons. Read February 6, 1823. 

 [Phil. Trans. 1823, p. 78.] 



In one of these caverns there was a lining of stalactite, and the 

 bones were lying loosely covered with rubble ; in another, the bones 

 adhered to the walls. 



To this letter is annexed a description of the bones found by Mr. 

 Whidbey, by Mr. Clift, Conservator of the Museum of the Royal 

 College of Surgeons. 



They belong to animals of several distinct genera ; namely, the 

 Bos, the Deer, Hyaena, Horse, Wolf, and Fox. Of these bones, a few 

 are superficially incrusted with stalagmite, but the greater number 

 were firmly imbedded in stiff clay, and exhibit no appearances of 



