﻿Corresjjondence — Mr. J. S. Gardner. 377 



and tlie author thinks that probably masses of Cambrian rocks were 

 forced hj disturbances into the Cambro-Silurians, and then the whole 

 were metamorphosed together. 



N.E. Wexford. The area commences on the east coast near Cour- 

 town Harbour, extends S. to and beyond Wexford, and then S.W. 

 to the coast near Bannow Bay. The rocks are generally submeta- 

 morphic, with many large protrusions of quartz-rock, generally 

 changed by metapepsis into quartzite. Eooney's Eocks, S. of Poul- 

 shore, consist of two protrusions of quartz-rock, between and N. of 

 which are green and purplish Cambrian shales, in which Oldhamia 

 antiqua has been found, as also in a green bed further south at 

 Cahore. On the coast of Haggard and Bannow the Cambrian and 

 Cambro-Silurian rocks are mixed up very irregularly by means of 

 numerous faults. At Bannow Oldhamia is not uncommon. The 

 most continuous sections are seen in this area in the valley of the 

 river Slaney, where the rocks generally dip to the N. at angles of 

 10°-60^ or 80°, and are going from N. to S. :— 



1. Massive grits with some shalybeds, underlain by more or less altered Feet 



grits and shales; average dip 30", giving a thickness of about 3000 



2. Schists with quartzites (metamorphosed grits), dip 60"; about 4000 



3. Schists with masses of quartzite (altered quartz rock), dip 40° ; about 4000 



Total about 11,000 



but the numerous faults under the numbers uncertain. 



S.E. Wexford. The rocks are more or less metamorphosed, gra- 

 duating from schist through gneiss into granite near Carnsore. 



coI^I^:ESI=o^^^D:H]l^^o:E]. 



THE RED CLAY OF THE DEEP-SEA AND THE GAULT DEPOSITS. 



Sir, — In the May number of the Monthly Microscopical Journal, 

 a portion of the address to the Eoyal Society in November last has 

 been printed, in which the President mentioned the endeavour of 

 'My. Sorby, to determine the nature of the Eed Clays of the ocean- 

 bottom, and stated that Mr. Sorby had informed him that many 

 specimens of the Eed Clay are so entirely analogous to what the 

 Gault must originally have been, that those specimens might almost 

 be looked upon as being as truily modern Gault as the Glohigerina- 

 ooze is modern Chalk. This opinion it appears is derived from the 

 similarity of the Gault deposits to those of the Eed Clays of the 

 ocean-bottom ; but this passage of the address as reported is 

 somewhat obscure. We can hardly, however, suppose that it is 

 intended to convey that the Gault was deposited under conditions at 

 all similar to those in which the Eed Clay is now being deposited, 

 as the former, especially as shown in its earlier beds, was a littoral 

 and shallow-water deposit. This is abundantly shown hy the 

 common occurrence of wood, twigs, and cones of Sequoia and Pinus, 

 hy turtles' eggs, and by its mollusca, many of which belong to genera 

 now confined to shallow water. The Gault in all parts of Europe 

 has been proved to have been deposited in a sinking area, its fossil 



