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THE GEOLOGY OF SELBORNE. 



By WILLIAM CURTIS, Esq. 



The village of Selborne stands just upon the junction of the 

 Chalk Marl with the Upper Greensand. The bed of Chloritic 

 Marl, probably not ten feet thick, though rarely distinctly 

 visible, exactly marks the line of junction. It may be seen 

 at each extremity of the village where the road leaves it for 

 Newton Valence at one end, and Empshott at the other. It 

 passes through the village, giving a darker appearance to the 

 soil in some of the gardens, and is called by Gilbert White the 

 " Black Malm," in contradistinction to " White Malm," the 

 term applied to the soil generally over the Upper Greensand. 



The springs mentioned by Gilbert White as arising at the 

 extremities of the village issue from the Chloritic Marl, or 

 sand, as it might more appropriately be called. That to the 

 south-east, called Well Head, works a small flour-mill, with 

 an overshot-Avheel eighteen feet in diameter. The mill stands 

 in a little deep gully, excavated by the action of water in the 

 Malm rock; and, opening into the Priory valley at Dort on, the 

 rivulet meets the little stream from the north-west end of the 

 village. 



The high Chalk ridge coming off from Newton Valence 

 terminates abruptly on the south-west side of the village, and 

 there forms the beautiful beech-covered " hano-er " known as 

 Selborne Hill. From this one may look clown upon the quiet 

 village, its church and great yew tree, the parsonage-house 

 and plestor, and in the foreground, just at the foot of the hill, 

 the unpretending residence and pretty garden and grounds 

 formerly of Gilbert White, now of his worthy admirer Mr. 

 Bell. May this sweet spot never be spoiled by improvements ! 



The narrow strip of land between the foot of the hill and 

 the village street consists of the Chalk Marl. The north- 



