ON THE ERRATIC CLOCKS OF EJjGLAND AND WALES. llS 



Cumberland. 



Pi-of. Harkness reports that a boulder of Silurian conglomerate (tlie 

 Queeusbiiry grit of the Geological Survey) occurs at the village of Bothel, in 

 the parish of Sorpenhow, North Cumberland. In length it is about 20 feet, 

 in height feet, in breadth 8 feet. It is beautifully striated on the western 

 side. It is situated between the 400 and 500 feet contour-line, and has been 

 transported from the north-west portion of DumfriesshirCj having travelled 

 about forty miles from N.N.AV. to S.S.E. 



This boulder goes by the name of " Samson." 



Prof. Harkness further reports that some fragments of Shapfell (Wastdale 

 crag) granite occur in a field in the farm of Hindrig, near Duftou, West- 

 moreland, at about 800 feet above the sea-level. These have for the most 

 part been blasted, and many fragments occur in the wall adjoining. Some 

 of the blocks are untouched ; but these are so imbedded in the soil that their 

 size cannot be determined. 



There are also several small blocks of this granite iu gravels, which Prof. 

 Harkness regards as Eskars, in a gravel-hole on the farm of Luhau, in the 

 parish of Edcnhall, about three miles east of this. Near the village of Newton 

 Eeigny, about two and a half miles west from Penrith, large boulders occur. 

 They are so imbedded in the soil that their size cannot be determined. They 

 consist of the Lower Silurian trap of the Lake country. Boulders of the 

 same kind and of a large size are also seen on the cast side of Newton Moss, 

 which is a short distance S.W. of the village. The height of these Newton 

 boulders is about 600 feet above the sea. 



NoKXH Wales. 



Mr. D. Mackintosh contributes the following account of the boulders in 

 North Wales. An account of previous observations will be found in the 

 Quart. Journ. of Geol. Soc, Dec. 1874. 



Between a mile and a mile and a half west of Llan-y-cil, on the north- 

 west side of Bala Lake, the glacial striaj in several places average between 

 45° and 50^ north of geographical west ; and the boulders are of precisely the 

 same kind as would have come from about the north-west or from the neigh- 

 bourhood of Llyn Arenig. Both the direction of the stria) and course of the 

 boulders would cross Bala Lake at nearly right angles to its length ; so that 

 if the basin of the lake had ever been scooped out by land- ice, this ice must 

 have come from the soiith-west before the period of the great boulder trans- 

 portation from the Arenig mountain. 



At the south-west end, and along the south-east side of Bala Lake, many 

 of the boulders are not the same as those from the Arenig mountain, which 

 are chiefly found on the north-west side ; and they decrease in number north- 

 eastwards, suggesting the idea that they came from the south-west. 



Through the gap immediately south of Mocl Ferna, numbers of boulders 

 appear to have found their way into Glyn Ceiriog, and cast as far at least as 

 Chirk. Numerous large boulders have gone nearly duo east along the valley 

 of the Dee, as far at least as Cefn and Buabon. The east and north-cast 

 boundary of the Arenig dispersion may be roughly defined as extending from 

 Chirk by Cefn, Euabon, Wrexham, Caergwrle, Mold, and the east sid« 

 of Halkin mountain to Holywell, and thence in a Avesterly diicction to tlie 

 vale of Clwvd. This lino neurlv coincides with the boundary of the great 



187G. ' " I 



