THE GEOLOGICAL STRtJCTTTRE OF SOUTH CORmVALL. 83 



In both these statements he is wrong, as will be shewn in a 

 joint paper by myself and my son, which I offer to the Eoyal 

 Institution with these remarks — and in which we discuss more 

 in detail than has hitherto been done the geological age of 

 these rocks. Our conclusions are quite different to those 

 of Mr. S. 



4. — The unconformalilities. — I infer the presence of uncon- 

 formabilities of strata in many places on stratigraphical grounds, 

 and I mention in my jpaper 5 or 6 places in which I have seen 

 them. Mr. S. says that he has visited all these places and has 

 failed to find them. I regret this, but re-assert that they exist 

 nevertheless. I will now try to guide Mr. S. (or any other 

 enquiring student) to 07ie of these unconformities in such a 

 manner that he cannot fail to find it if he looks once more. We 

 will select as an example the unconformity * near the Nare 

 Point in Meneage, of which I have given a diagrammatic 

 sketch in fig. 2, plate A, and fig .5 plate B, of my paper. 



Mr. Somervail says there is no such unconf ormability . His 

 words are — (p. 266) It is distinctly interstratified and inclines at 

 the same angle and in the same direction as the other beds. . . . 

 its relations with the other strata are seen to be strictly 

 conformable, forming along with other beds of conglomerate 

 and slates an unbroken and consecutive series of beds. 



Now let any one start from the Nare Point at low water, 

 and examine the rocks between low and high water mark — and 

 the low cliffs for half-a-mile to the eastward. By that time 

 every geologist will be convinced of the existence of beds of 

 conglomerate resting unconf ormably upon highly inclined slates. 



I will not attempt to foUow up what I consider to be all 

 Mr. Somervail's minor objections to my paper, but I cannot help 

 remarking that, having come to reside quite recently in West 

 Cornwall, he has been over-hasty to conclude that what was not 

 obvious to him in its geology had no existence — notwithstanding 

 the statements of those who had made the district in question 

 a special study for several years. 



He also appears to have constantly ignored the important 

 stratigraphical evidence derivable from "strike" and "dip," 



* My paper should have said " near " instead of "at," but it may be seen 

 very near the point. 



