ON KENT’S CAVERN, DEVONSHIRE. 11 
Of the foregoing names, No. 10 may perhaps be that of Mr. J. A. 
DELUO, F.R.S. &. He visited Torquay in October 1805, but, as the 
following passage in his ‘Geological Travels’ shows, does not appear to 
have entered the Cavern at that time. Speaking of the “ lime-stone strata,” 
between Babbicombe and Tor Bays, he says, “There is, as I was told, a 
succession of caverns within this mass, resembling those of the Mendip hills, 
which I shall hereafter describe: the Caverns here have the name of Kent's 
Cave”*, This appears to be the only mention he makes of the Cavern. The 
inscription is in comparatively small capitals, which, though no great pains 
appear to have been bestowed on them, are very distinct, and stand imme- 
diately above the parallelogram containing the inscription No. 1. 
The name of Champernowne (No. 9) is that of a well-known Devonshire 
family, now represented by A. Champernowne, Esq., F.G.8., of Dartington 
House, near Totnes, the seat of his ancestors for many generations. It is 
worthy of remark, perhaps, that the mother of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, born 
near Torquay, the half-brother of Sir Walter Raleigh, was a Champernowne. 
In the inscription, however, the name is Gilbart, not Gilbert. Whether 
“Staplyn,” also in No. 9, is the name of a person or of a place, there seems 
to be no mode of determining; but it may be observed that “Staple” is the 
name of a hamlet in the parish of Dartington. 
Some of the names inscribed on the boss are no doubt those of persons of 
the immediate neighbourhood. “W. Wish” (No. 13) was the name of one 
of the principal builders at Torquay when Mr. MacEnery’s Cavern researches 
were in progress, and he had a nephew named ‘James Wish” (No. 14). 
The name of ‘‘ Lear” (No. 15) is yery prevalent in the adjoining parish of 
St. Mary Church. 
It must be unnecessary to add that every care has been taken to preserve 
this Boss with its inscriptions uninjured. , 
The Cave of Inscriptions—Though the principal entrance to Clinnick’s 
Gallery is between the Inscribed Boss of Stalagmite and the right wall of the 
Long Arcade, a second, but smaller one, opens out of the Cave of Inscriptions 
immediately beyond the Boss; in fact the original entrance was partially filled, 
and thus converted into two, by the Boss. As the smaller of the two 
entrances was the more convenient for excavating the Gallery, it was 
decided to complete the exploration of the Cave of Inscriptions so far as to 
render this entrance available, that is up to 16 feet from its commencement. 
Mr. MacEnery had not broken ground in any part of this area, and the 
Granular Stalagmitic Floor was everywhere intact and continuous from the 
slopes of the Inscribed Boss. The Crystalline Stalagmitic Floor lay beneath 
it, and, as already stated, formed the base of the Boss without any inter- 
mediate deposit ; but towards the left or remote wall of the Cavern there 
was a space between them filled with a wedge-like layer of Cave-earth. 
Not unfrequently, however, the lower or older Stalagmite had been broken. 
In some instances the severed portions were not dislodged, whilst in others 
considerable masses had been removed by some natural agency, and were 
not always traceable. 
In this commencement of the Cave of Inscriptions the Caye-earth yielded 
20 teeth, of which 11 were those of Bear, 5 of Elephant, 3 of Hyena, and 
lof Horse. There were also several bones, of which 6 had been burnt and a 
few gnawed; and a considerable quantity of coprolitic matter was met with 
in 14 distinct “ finds.” 
* ‘Geological Travels,’ by J. A. De Lue, F.B.S., vol. ii. 1814, p. 300, 
