268 Notices of Memoirs — Mr. J. H. Blalce's Address — 



that by 4 feet or more of laminated grey and reddish-brown clay, 

 ferruginons in places and containing concretions, and also curious 

 contortions in the lower part at the southern end, the total thickness 

 not being shown. This laminated grey clay, with curious contortions 

 in it, is precisely similar to that at the north end of Covehithe Cliff' ; 

 and after going backwards and forwards from one clitf to the other, 

 on several different occasions, I could not resist the conclusion that 

 it was the extension of the same formation, designated the Chiilesford 

 beds. These Chiilesford beds, consisting of laminated grey micaceous 

 clay and buff-coloiu-ed sand, occur beneath the rootlet-bed in several 

 places at the base of the cliff at Kessingiand, and are exposed also 

 on the foreshore after a scour of the beach. I had previously felt 

 inclined to refer these laminated beds to the same age as those to be 

 seen in the next cliff (Covehithe) to the south of it, but was deter- 

 min(-d to make a thorough investigation, and exhaust the evidence, 

 as far as circumstances would permit, before stating my convictions. 

 When these laminated beds are traced further south to Easton Bavent 

 cliff, it is well known still lower beds come up, viz. the "Norwich 

 Crag," underlying the Chiilesford clay, and forming a slight anticlinal. 

 Had a Porest-bed existed at the base of the Chiilesford clay, as has 

 sometimes been supposed, we should have anticipated seeing it come 

 up here, but what we see is the " Norwich Crag." 



Now we will go to the Weybourne end, and see what is revealed to 

 us there. At about 300 yards to the east of the flagstaff, the follow- 

 ing section was seen by myself and my colleague, Mr. Eeid, who first 

 pointed it out to me (I having previously requested him to keep a 

 sharp look-out for rootlets along a certain horizon between the 

 Chalk and Cromer Till). The section was a very clear exposure of 

 a lenticular patch of the rootlet-bed immediately underlying the 

 Contorted Drift or Lower Boulder-clay. I minutely examined the 

 deposit, which measured 3 feet in thickness, and found it consisted of 

 its usual character, being an unstratified greenish-grey clay, with 

 numerous small black flints dispersed throughout its mass, and it 

 contained rootlets in a vertical position as they grew. The lenticular 

 patch rested on laminated grey clay, which was 4 or 5 feet thick ; 

 beneath which was a Jittle buff-coloured sand, and then 3 feet of 

 Norwich Crag, consisting of a mass of shells resting on the Chalk, 

 the surface of which is very irregular here. 



Thus, it will be seen, that the relation of the rootlet-bed to the beds 

 beneath it, coincides at the extreme ends ; and there is nothing to be 

 seen anywhere between these two points to interfere with this relation 

 of the beds ; but, as they frequently occur on a lower horizon, the 

 lowest beds are seldom well exposed 



It is time now to inquire, where is the Porest-bed ? I reply, I know 

 of no other land- surface anywhere round the Norfolk and Suffolk 

 coast, except the one I have described under the designation of the 

 Rootlet-bed, on account of the rootlets in situ marking the boundary- 

 line, and having been the means of tracing the line. 



During five years I have searched in vain for a stool of a tree 

 in situ ; and the members of this Society are well aware of the result 

 of the investigations of my colleague Mr. Reid, in the same direction, 



