358 LIFE AT DOWN. ^TAT. 3 3-45- [185* 



Cordillera being often struck with the greater abruptness of 

 the strata in the low extreme outermost ranges, compared 

 with the great mass of inner mountains. I dare say you will 

 have thought of measuring exactly the width of any dikes 

 at the top and bottom of any great cliff (which was done by 

 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 Labyrinthodon. 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 carne 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 meas- 

 ure by dedicating it to me ! As for myself, I am got to the 

 page 112 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 



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



