170 



NATURE 



{June 28, 1877 



arrangements, witnessed on board the Cavibridgc. The 

 science of war has by no means stood still since then. 

 The botany of the locality presents some peculiar features, 

 and the algology is very rich. 



In the domain of natural science special interest how- 

 ever attaches to the local geology. Plymouth rivals 

 Torquay in its development of the great Devon hmestone, 

 which lines the northern borders of the twin estuaries of 

 the Tamar and the Plym, along which the Three Towns 

 are built, and trending southward and eastward, occupies 

 the northern shores of Cattewater, and after a break re- 

 appears in mass at Yealnipton. The Hoe is limestone — 

 a natural esplanade, an ancient plateau of denudation, 

 with occasional alluvial deposits of sand and clay in 

 pockets and fissures, remains of raised beaches, and a 

 few ossiferous cavities. The limestone abounds in fossils, 

 coralline in the more massive portions as a rule, but with 

 areas crowded with molluscs of the ordinary Devonian 

 type. Its chief pateontological interest lies, however, in 

 its bone caves. The ossiferous caverns of Oreston, a 

 little village on the southern bank of Cattewater, which 

 were discovered originally in the course of quarrying the 

 stone for the breakwater, whilst other members of the 

 series have been opened from time to time since, are well 

 known by description at least to geologists. Those of 

 Yealmpton have hardly attracted so much attention. The 

 fauna differs in both series in some important particulars 

 from that of Kent's Cavern, though including in each case 

 the ordinary cavern carnivora. The whole literature of 

 the Oreston and Yealmpton caverns will be found in the 

 Transactions of the Devonshire Association, compiled by 

 Mr. Pengelly. And if the pakeontologist should then feel 

 special interest in a locality which has yielded so much 

 to his branch of science, the stratigraphical geologist will 

 find some notable materials for the study of the " still- 

 ve.'ied Devonian question" in the sections along the 

 eastern shore of the Sound and elsewhere. The cliff sec- 

 tion from Mount Batten, by Staddon Heights and Bovi- 

 sand to the mouth of the Yealm has been described by 

 Sedgwick, Murchison, de la Beche, Phillips, Holl, Pen- 

 gelly, Jukes, and other eminent geologists, and interpreted 

 very diversely, though the balance of opinion still remains 

 that its shales and sandstones overlie the limestone. The 

 contortions and plications are, however, in some parts 

 very remarkable, and should be studied in situ. 



There is nothing very noteworthy in the immediate 

 mineralogy of Plymouth, but the mining districts of 

 Cornwall and Devon, within easy reach, are the richest 

 mineralogical field in the kingdom, and in the barrows 

 circles, cromlechs, pounds, dolmens, and menhirion, 

 still scattered in prolusion over the wild flanks of 

 Dartmoor, and along many a Cornish moorland, the 

 anthropologist will find plenty to delight him. Upon 

 the importance of the contributions of Kent's Cavern 

 to the early history of man we need not dilate. The 

 results of the explorations there, with the literature of 

 the cavern, prepared by the indefatigable pen of Mr. 

 Pengelly, will be found in the Devonshire Association 

 Transactions. 



The Plymouth Institution, with which is amalgamated 

 the Devon and Cornwall Natural History Society, and 

 which fittingly took the initiative in proposing the invi- 

 tation of the Association, is the centre of the scientific 

 life and work of the neighbourhood. It is a society of 

 some standing, for it was founded so far back as the year 

 18:2, and its members have done much to elucidate 

 science in its connections with the district, and to culti- 

 vate literature and the fine arts. The natural history 

 section of its museum is rich in local ichthyology, and 

 fair in some other departments of its fauna. There are 

 some very valuable antiquities ; and the mineralogical 

 and geological collections, though far from complete, are 

 by no means wanting in interest. Bones from the 

 ossiferous fissures on the Hoe, the caverns at Oreston 



and Yealmpton, and from Kent's Hole, form a prominent 

 feature of its palaeontology ; and there are a few specimens 

 which have a special value in having been presented by 

 the Rev. Richard Hennah, who first established the 

 fossiliferous character of the Plymouth limestone. The 

 Institution issues Transactions, and has published some 

 valuable papers bearing alike on science and upon local 

 history, topography, and literature, from the " Law of 

 Electrical Accumulations," by Sir W. Snow Harris, 

 F.R.S. ; to a paper "On the Letter R," by R. F. 

 Weymouth, D.Lit. It will be evident, therefore, that 

 the institution has been doing good work. 



But now for some particulars concerning the local 

 arrangements. These are in the hands of a large and 

 influential executive committee, with sub- committees for 

 the chief departments — finance, reception, sectional, ex- 

 cursion, fine art, &c. The mayor is the chairman of the 

 executive ; the secretaries being Messrs. W. Adams, W. 

 Square, and H. Whiteford, while Mr. F. Hicks is the 

 treasurer. 



In one respect, and that a most important one, Ply- 

 mouth will distance almost every town the Association 

 has visited. We allude to the convenience of its sec- 

 tional accommodation. The great hall of the Plymouth 

 Guildhall, with its royal statues and magnificent historic 

 v.indows, is the noblest hall in the whole south and west 

 of England. Here the president will deliver his address 

 and the evening meetings be held. In the law courts 

 adjoining, and the spacious rooms of the municipal 

 offices, some of the sections will be accommodated. 

 Others will meet at the Mechanics' Institute, the Athen- 

 ffium, and the Royal Hotel, the whole of which are 

 within less than five minutes' walk of the Guildhall and 

 each other. Since one or two of the other section rooms 

 were decided on, it has been suggested that the sections 

 to which they were appropriated may also be accommo- 

 dated within the limits first indicated ; but whether that 

 be so or not, in the most remote case the most distantly 

 located sections will only be six or seven minutes' walk 

 apart. The members of the Association will know how 

 to appreciate this. 



Close by the Guildhall is St. Andrew's Hall, a large 

 building recently erected as a ska'ing rink. This will be 

 utilised in connection with the Association for an exhibi- 

 tion of the fine arts. Plymouth is the artistic centre of 

 Devon and Cornwall, which have given birth to many 

 famous painters, and the exhibition is intended to be 

 specially representative of western art. The Qjeen is 

 among the contributors, and leading residents throughout 

 the two counties. Living artists will be well represented ; 

 but the staple of the exhibition will consist of examples 

 of Reynolds, Opie, Eastlake, Prout, with Haydon, North- 

 cote, and other artists of note. With the exception of 

 Opie, who was a Cornishman, and Reynolds, who was 

 born at Plympton, four miles off, the artists here named 

 are Plymothians. 



Every effort is being made to get up an enjoyable and 

 scientifically interesting series of excursions. It is perhaps 

 rather a disadvantage in one way that the neighbourhood 

 of Plymouth should be so beautiful, for therein lies a 

 strong temptation to let fine scenery get the better of 

 hard science. However, it so happens that there is very 

 little difficulty in combining both. In 1841 there was but 

 one excursion — to Tavistock and Wheal Friendship. This 

 year there are six proposed — three for the Saturday and 

 three for the Thursday following, in addition to which 

 the Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe has most kindly consented 

 to open his magnificent park on the Saturday to the 

 members. The botanists will need no excuse for visiting 

 Mount-Edgcumbe; if the geologists do they may find it 

 in the interesting intrusive rocks at Cawsand, referred to 

 in De la Beche's Report. One of the excursions pro- 

 posed for Saturday is by steamer to the breakwater, and 

 Smeaton's famous work, the Eddystone Lighthouse, 



