17 



underlying Charleston. From this region the formation was traced 

 along through Charleston County by several exposures. On the 

 Santee at Mazyck's Ferry, the bed corresponds to the stiff blue clay 

 penetrated in the wells at Charleston. It was found on the Ashley 

 near Bee's Ferry, about a quarter of a mile from the river and five 

 feet above tide. It was also investigated on the shores of several 

 inlets just below Charleston and on down to Beaufort; on Stono 

 River; on Abapoola Creek, and elsewhere on John's Island; on 

 Wadmalaw Sound at Simmons Bluff; and at several places around 

 Beaufort. Taking all these exposures from White Point to Beaufort 

 into consideration, Tuomey was evidently right in saying that the 

 fossiliferous beds of the post-Pliocene underlay the sands of the 

 whole South Carolina coast and extended inland eight or ten miles. 



In addition to the discussion of these four formations, the alluvium 

 deposits and the changes along the coast were discussed. Tuomey 

 did not assent to the opinion that the coast region is gradually sub- 

 siding, but rather thought these appearances of subsidence were 

 due to the encroachment of the sea upon the land. 



The plates of fossil forms which were to make a part of this vol- 

 ume were so badly used by the printers that it was decided to dis- 

 pense with them. This defect in the volume, according to Professor 

 Holmes, was the object of common regret to the members of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science, which held 

 its meeting of 1850 at Charleston. At the urgent solicitation of 

 such scientists as Agassiz, Gould and Bache, Tuomey and Holmes 

 undertook a separate publication of these plates, together with 

 descriptions of the fossils figured. The result is their ''Pliocene 

 Fossils of South Carolina," issued at Charleston in 1857. 



In the meantime Professor Holmes had been at work on the 

 geology of Charleston and the immediate region around the city. 

 His work was mainly on the Pleistocene formation. On Ashley 

 River, on Wadmalaw Sound at Simmons Bluff, on Stono River, on 

 Abapoola Creek, and Doctor's Swamp and elsewhere on John's 

 Island, and at other localities, he had made collections of fossils of 

 this formation. As a result of this study we have several papers 

 along from 1849 to T 86o, and in 1860 his "Post-Pliocene Fossils of 

 South Carolina." Holmes did not attempt so much to trace the 

 extent of formations or to correlate beds ; his work was rather that of 

 a paleontologist and serves as a foundation for the man who would 

 endeavor to establish geological correlation and succession and ex- 

 tent of beds. In addition to the usual molluscan fossils, there were 



2 P. D. 



