in the Isle of PurbecJc. 591 



perfectly horizontal, and not as in fig. 38., and as alleged in 

 the text. 



In one place, nearly half way between Ballard Point and 

 Old Harry, is a rock about 100 ft. high, with mould and 

 grass on the top. It is at the bottom a square of, say, 1 1 

 yards; and there are 49 tiers of horizontal flint. I was 

 informed that some very old men recollect that, about seventy 

 years ago, they could creep along a narrow path out to this 

 rock ; but, about fifty years ago, it was disjoined, but scarcely 

 any other change has taken place. The chalk is, in fact, so 

 exceedingly hard, that the waves must make very little pro- 

 gress in wearing it away. 



The boatmen who took me out said that they had ascertained 

 Old Harry to be about 70 ft. high, by looking at the mast 

 of an Indiaman, which came very near to him. 



I shall conclude this paper by endeavouring to remove an 

 error which has appeared in Sir Henry Englefield's work, 

 and is also in that of Messrs. Conybeare and Phillips. It is 

 asserted that the flints in the perpendicular lines are shivered 

 into pieces, and only held together by the surrounding chalk. 

 Such is the case with the perpendicular flint in the Isle of 

 Wight, but it is not so here. I landed from the boat at 

 several points, and found it was not so. Often, indeed, some 

 of the external flints, which had been grazed by the lumps of 

 the chalk, which is here excessively hard, bore this appear- 

 ance ; but many flints were not so broken ; and, on getting at 

 flints still protected in the chalk, I found they were as entire 

 as in any other cliffs. The first appearance, together with 

 the recollection of the flints at the Needles and Freshwater 

 Gate, must have led to the error. It is stated to be difficult 

 to get to examine this part of the coast ; but there really is no 

 difficulty but what a boat from Swanwich will enable a geolo- 

 gist easily to overcome ; and, if any of your geological readers, 

 who may take up their abode in that delightful habitation, the 

 hotel at Swanwich, will survey carefully this part of the coast 

 from Durlstone Head to Standfast Point, they will derive 

 much gratification, and will escape the errors of those who 

 have only had occasional peeps from the tops of the steep cliffs 

 on shore. 



The whole of this coast, and onwards to Weymouth, is a 

 rich study for the geologist; but, if he keep the eyes of his 

 understanding open, he will not be able to find such a con- 

 centration of strata as imaginative theorists have persuaded 

 themselves are there. 



London, August 18. 1837. 



