AND ITS SURROUNDINGS. 123 



claimed, when the same is delivered over, deducting only 

 what has been paid the salvors."* 



It is traditional that in the old days of persecution, the 

 Nonconformists took advantage of the fact of this rock 

 being a sort of "no man's land," and accordingly resorted 

 thither at low water, in order to hold their meetings, 

 seeing that the "justices" could not legally interfere with 

 them there; not that these justices were always very par- 

 ticular as to the lawfulness of their proceedings. These 

 meetings appear to have been associated with the name 

 of Flavel rather more than that of John Hicks. 



The Salt-stone is mentioned by Colonel Montagu in his 

 "Testacea Britannica," as the locality in which he procured 

 several marine animals ; amongst others, the Amphitrite 

 infundibundum, one of the molluscous tribe, which he 

 describes in the Transactions of the Linnsean Society; and 

 amongst the Crustacea he particularises Cancer astacus sub- 

 terraneus (we give the Colonel's own nomenclature, though 

 many changes have taken place in this respect since his 

 time). "This crab," he says, "is a new and curious 

 species, discovered in digging for Solen vagina." Of the 

 Solen vagina he remarks, "this shell has been usually 

 considered as rare in a living or recent state, but we have 

 lately had the good fortune to discover it in its native bed. 

 In a sand bank, near the Salt-stone, in the Estuary of 

 Kingsbridge, it is by no means uncommon at the depth 

 of two feet or more beneath the surface." Montagu also 

 says, that by far the finest specimens he ever saw of Bulla 

 hydatis were found on the south side of the Salt-stone. 

 The Turbo clathrus is found in the same locality. He 



* Hawkins. 



