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DILUVIUM. 279 



The wells in the lower part of the town pass through the calcareous 

 bed, shingle, and sand, in succession ; upon reaching the chalk, springs of 

 good water burst forth, and these are said to be influenced by the tides *. 



Such are the leading features of these remarkable beds, in the im- 

 mediate vicinity of Brighton ; in their course eastward, towards Eot- 

 tingdean, other characters are exhibited, which we shall now proceed to 

 examine. 



About a mile to the east of Brighton, vertical veins of tabular flint 

 traverse the chalk in an obhque direction, and terminate with the chalk, 

 immediately beneath the shingle bed (vide Tab. iv. fig. 2). To avoid 

 repetition, it may be proper in this place to remark, that the veins of 

 flint, so numerously distributed both horizontally and vertically through- 

 out the chalk, are invariably conjined to that formation, and in no instance, 

 whatever appear either in the shingle bed, or in the calcareous bed above 

 it-\. The shingle bed is perfectly horizontal, and contains boulders of 

 chalk, druid sandstone, and ferruginous breccia. In the Coombe I'ock, the 

 proportion of chalk is so great, that the cliff at a distance assumes the 

 appearance of a regular stratum ; but upon closer examination, it is 

 evident that the chalk at some remote period has been broken, and dis- 

 placed ; and having fallen upon the shingle, previously to the formation 

 of the calcareous bed, has subsequently been covered by that deposit. 



In Tab. iv. fig. 2, the chalk traversed by oblique veins of flint, is seen 



The teeth are rounded by attrition, but in other respects have suffered no material 

 change. 



The story of human bones having been found in the " calcareous bed," is too apocryphal 

 to require notice. 



* " Some wells at Tetney (a village on the coast of Lincolnshire), that are sunk in the chalk, 

 are also affected by the tide ; the wells overflowing with a greater flux at the time of high 

 water, and particularly at spring tides ; shewing that the water in the chalk communicates 

 with the sea." Geolog. Trans. Vol. iii. p. 394. 



■f An opinion having been expressed (by a gentleman well known in the scientific world), 

 that the flint veins traverse not only the shingle bed, but also the calcareous deposit; and have 

 been formed " subsequently to the accumulation of an alluvial bed, by the attrition of agitated 

 water;" and that the cliffs at Brighton are to be regarded as " two very distinct chalk forma- 

 tions*;" I carefully repeated my examination of the strata in question; but could not discover 

 any appearance to support such an hypothesis. 



* Vide Royal InsiUution Journal, No. 8^, pp. 227, et seq. Phillips' Outlines, Edit. 1823, p. 106. 



