Reports and Proceedings. 371 
‘This mass,’ he observes, ‘cannot extend far inland, as the chalk 
comes, at places, to or near the surface, along a line about ten to 
fifteen mile distant from the coast. From this line, as the chalk 
dips eastward, the Eocene strata may probably set in, and, dipping 
also eastward, pass out under the bed of the adjacent German 
Ocean.’ From this it is evident that the dip of the chalk at Yar- 
mouth is unconnected with the formation of the present estuary or 
valley. The recent estuarine deposit, however, does belong to it, as 
appears from the escarpments of the Crag and glacial Drift on 
either side at a higher level. These, it seems most probable, ex- 
tended over from side to side; and the post-glacial valley-formations 
have cut through them and scooped out the bed of the river and the 
estuary at a comparatively recent geological period. It appears that 
the formation of the present valley and estuary did not commence 
until after the partial emergence of the land from a glacial sea, and 
has no relation at all to the dip of the chalk. Many places may be 
pointed out where the dip of the chalk does not exceed five yards 
per mile—as, for instance, at Weybourne and Runton—and the ob- 
servation of these may have led to the conclusion that such is its 
average dip in this county; but it must be estimated by the general 
result on an extended scale, and without reference to partial vari- 
ations arising from the causes which have operated locally. The 
very interesting contortions in the chalk, pointed out by Mr. Taylor, 
at Whitlingham, prove that the dip may be varied in a very limited 
area by subterranean forces; but the line of the chalk from the 
extremities of the county, Hunstanton and Yarmouth, maintains a 
uniform dip notwithstanding. It has always been a difficult pro- 
blem to solve as to the period when the chalk assumed its present 
inclination from the west eastward. ‘This discovery of Mr. Taylor 
bears importantly upon it, because the chalk must have been ina 
very soft and plastic condition when these contortions were thus 
caused, and therefore they, probably, took place soon after the 
deposition of the chalk; and it seems that the basin in which the 
. London Clay and Lower Tertiaries were deposited, was formed by 
the upheaval of the chalk to the west. These Eocene deposits fol- 
lowed so closely upon the Upper Cretaceous beds as not to allow a 
very long geological-period to intervene between their deposition 
and that of the chalk.—Norwich Mercury. 
CortEswoLp Naturauists’ Firip-cLus.—The First Field-meeting 
of the Club for the present season was held at Stroud, on 24th May. 
The Members assembled at the Midland Railway Station, at Stone- 
house, shortly before 11 A.m., and first proceeded to inspect some 
objects of interest at Stonehouse Court, where Mr. Henry Marling 
met them, and afforded every information. The party then sepa- 
rated, some of the geologists, headed by Mr. Witchell, taking their 
course to the quarries on Doverow Hill, where the sections disclose 
the Cynocephala stage of Dr. Lycett. 
The other detachment made their way across the fields to Stanley 
St, Leonards, and spent two hours very pleasantly in inspecting the 
BB2 
