95 



great number, containing rich black soil, but vitiated by the 

 accumulation of salts, might frequently be reclaimed under 

 proper scientific guidance (and with small expense considering 

 the value of such lands), but of this our paternal colonial 

 Government is still very impatient, trusting rather to amateurs, 

 who call themselves " practical." 



Returning after this digression touching the origin of clay- 

 pans and salt lagoons to the " Bay of Biscay" soil it will be 

 noted that an attempt has been made to show and prove that 

 its peculiar surf ace configuration is due to denudation, vertically 

 doiomvards, the lateral motion of the waters being retarded or 

 prevented altogether (temporarily, at least) by the nature of 

 the soil ; and, it is hoped, this task has been accomplished 

 satisfactorily. 



The question now arises, "Where and how has this peculiar 

 soil been formed originally ? and to which geological period 

 does it appertain ? 



Replying to this latter question first, for the sake of conve- 

 nience, this soil seems to belong, in the areas examined at least, 

 chiefly to the Tertiary and Post-Tertiaries, extending to the 

 most recent near the sea-coast. 



Whether the former was formed by ice action or atmospheric 

 influences, so much seems sure to an observer of the littoral 

 mudbanks and salt marshes around the head of St. Vincent's 

 Gulf that originally the "Bay of Biscay" soil must have 

 originated in a similar manner and under similar circumstances 

 — that is to say, that in the writer's opinion the present " Bay 

 of Biscay " lands were the mudflats and marshes of former 

 periods. The extensive lowlands around the head of St. 

 Vincent's Gulf, in the neighbourhood of Port "Wakefield, the 

 recent marine origin of which is undoubted, afford a good 

 illustration, and may be called growing " Bay of Biscay " 

 lands, the great unevenness of the former being the exaggerated 

 unfinished form of the latter. 



Studying localities like the above we find that, while slowly 

 rising above the sea-level, irregular low ridges are formed 

 through exceptionally high tides by deposits of seaweeds, sand, 

 mud, &c.j enclosing depressions of various dimensions, fre- 

 quently retaining part of the flood-waters. When permanently 

 established, these depressions, for some time, gradually are 

 filled up by the dense growth and decay of plants like Salicomia 

 arbtiscula, the blowing in of sands, dust, weeds, &c, and the 

 inward pressure of the denser ridges.. The shells decay, their 

 lime is dissolved and removed by the water, charged with car- 

 bonic acid, obtained from decaying vegetable remains. The 

 soil only admitting the downward motion of the water to a 

 certain depth, part of the lime is reprecipitated as tabular or 



