XV111 PREFACE, 



It rests on a rock, which, from its decayed surface, and from 

 being almost always covered with the sea, it is difficult to 

 name, but which has all the appearance of a porphyry, or, at 

 all events, of a trap rock. This conglomerate is composed of 

 rolled masses, generally of a considerable size, and from the 

 neighbouring rocks, cemented by calcareous spar. From the 

 appearances at one or two parts of this headland, it would 

 seem that this immense bed is to be considered as the rudi* 

 ments of the old red sandstone formation, there being in 

 these parts several rude, but distinct, attempts at stratifica- 

 tion, the rock being there of a much smaller texture ; and we 

 believe that a coarse conglomerate of this nature is almost al- 

 ways found accompanying the first formation of old red sand- 

 stone. 



" This projecting mass forms one side of the small Bay of 

 Eyemouth, which has evidently been formed by the river Eye, 

 which here empties itself into the sea. On the opposite or 

 eastern side of this bay, the greywacke and greywacke slate 

 again commence, and continue several miles, till we reach the 

 fishing-station of Burnmouth. The greywacke, we may re- 

 mark, is here very fine grained, being almost entirely felspar. 

 Trap, we may also remark, is here rare, never occurring in 

 greater abundance than as an occasional vein, or thin dike, in- 

 tersecting the strata ; and wherever this takes place, we almost 

 invariably behold either a distortion or dislocation of these 

 strata. 



" From Burnmouth to Berwick, the sea-banks exhibit a 

 very different set of rocks from any we have hitherto ex- 

 amined. These are the rocks which form the Second or New 

 Bed Sandstone Formation, which here present themselves very 



