48 



GIANTS AND PIOMIES. 



179S feet the Greonsand (Lower Cretaceous) saturated with 

 Water was reacheil, the boring rods sunk a few rods, a shock 

 was felt, accompanied by a whizzing sound. A jet of water 

 spouted to the h'ight of 118 feet, and diacharged 600 gallons 

 per minute. Subsecjuently a like well was made at Paasy, 

 having a depth of 1923 feet. It discharges 5,582,000 gallons 

 a day. A plentiful supply of water, having a temperature of 

 82 Fahrenheit, from the Greensand of the basin, was thus 

 secured. We now go to what is called the " London Basin." 

 Formations co-temi)orary with those of Paris, constitute the 

 rock system of this basin. The *' London Clay " here clncHy 

 occupies the place of the Clays, Limestones, Sands and Ores 

 of the other basin to which attention has already been directed. 

 It overlies the Chalk and Greensauds in the same way. The 

 latter occur at from 15 to 30 miles distance from Lon<lon. The 

 clays are therefore considered also to be of Eocene (dawn of 

 the; new) age. London has many Artesian wells, furnishing 

 its chief water supply. I only specify two. One supplies the 

 fountains of Trafalgar-square ; another is in the Horticultural 

 Gardens, South Kensington, supplying the Ponds and other 

 requirements of the Great EKhibitions. The colossal statue 

 of H. K. H. Prince Albert is near this well. These wella 

 penetrate the London Clay : the underlying Chalk is ** riddled " 

 with them. As at Paris the Lower Cretaceous Greensand 

 btlow chiefly supplies the water. The unsurpassed sewer 

 system of the city is under great obligations to the London clay 

 formation, and so i(- the underground (city) Railway. 



The Lsland of Sheppey at the mouth of the Thames is 

 formed of the London Clay. Although I have not had an 

 opportunity of examining this locality it seems quite familiar 

 to me, from conversations with my late lamented friend, Prof. 

 Teunant, and the interesting conversaziones at Highgate in the 

 great museum of the late Dr. Bowerbanks. Here were stored 

 up a large and interesting collection of the fossil " Tropical 

 fruits of Sheppey," which the Doctor delighted in describing 

 to us, his interested listeners. These descriptions are recorded 

 in his book "On the fossil fruits of the London Clay." The 

 same clay has produced the remains of the Corijpliodon eocenus 



