92 Correspondence — Searles V. Wood, jun. 



area. Amongst other facts stated in this paper was the important 

 one that Coal-seams occurred in Permian strata in the neighbourhood 

 of Ifton. — The President remarked upon the enormous time required 

 for the production of the phenomena described by Mr. Davies. — Prof. 

 Morris explained the geological and physical features of the district, 

 and spoke of the high value of the paper, "Eeport of the Proceed- 

 ings of the Geological Section of the British Association at Edinburgh, 

 1871," by John Hopkinson, F.Gr.S., etc., one of the deputation from 

 the Geologists' Association. In this communication the author suc- 

 cinctly stated the more important features of the opening address of 

 the President, Prof. Geikie, and of the many papers read before 

 Section C, at the meeting at Edinburgh last year, and gave interest- 

 ing accounts of the two geological excursions under the direction of 

 Prof. Geikie. — J. J. B. Ives, Esq., F.G.S., communicated the interest- 

 ing fact of an extensive bed of peat occurring under gravel between 

 Finchley and Whetstone. — Fossils from the Glacial deposits of Isling- 

 ton Cemetery were exhibited by Caleb Evans, F.G.S. — At the next 

 ordinary meeting, 2nd February, a paper will be read by the Kev. T. 

 G. Bonney, M.A., F.G.S., " On the Chloritic Marl Deposits of Cam- 

 bridge." 



co:R:R:HisjpoisrjD:Hii<r(o:Ei. 



THE EAISED BEACH ON PORTSDOWN HILL. 



SlE, — ^Having been prevented by ill-health from attending the 

 meetings of the Geological Society this winter, I missed the discus- 

 sion of the President's paper on the above subject, read Dec. 6th, 

 and crave your permission for a brief remark about it. 



In my paper on the Weald, in the 27th volume of the Society's 

 Journal, I endeavoured to show that the denudation of the Weald 

 was brought about by a greater upcast of the western or Hampshire 

 area over that of the eastern or Kentish area ; the intensity of the 

 forces producing this preponderating western upcast having given 

 rise to the two rectilinear ridges of the Hogsback and Portsdown 

 Hill. I also endeavoured to show, both by description and restora- 

 tion maps, the way in which, as it appeared to me, the sea was pushed 

 off eastwardly, and confined within an irregular trough, that, under 

 the peculiar geographical conditions of the time, received the drain- 

 age of the Thames area in the reversed direction of its present flow, 

 by means of which the Weald valley was denuded. 



Although gravels occur at far higher elevations than that occupied 

 by this raised beach, yet objections to the marine origin of such 

 gravels — objections which cannot be settled one way or the other, by 

 reason of the absence of organic remains — are always raised in 

 opposition to the argument for the marine denudation of the south- 

 east of England and Weald valley. Here, however, we have what 

 seems to be admitted as a marine bed, at 300 feet elevation, on one 

 of these two rectilinear ridges whose origin I thus have endeavoured 

 to trace, and connect with the general marine denudation of the 



