38 PROCEEDINGS OE THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [DoC. 6, 



advancement of geological knowledge placed at their disposal by 

 their late distinguished Fellow. 



Mr. J. GwTN Jeeekets seconded this proposition, which was car- 

 ried unanimously. 



The following communications were read : — 



1. On the PEESENCE of a Raised Beach on Portsdown Hill, 7iear 

 PoETSMOUTH, and on the occurrence of a Flint Implement on 

 a high level at Downton. By Joseph Prestwich, Esq., F.R.S. &c.. 

 President. 



A EEW years ago* I traced the well-known old beach of Brighton 

 past Arundel to Chichester and Bourne Common — a distance of 42 

 miles. At Brighton it is only from 8 to 12 feet above the level of 

 the present beach ; near Arundel it attains a height of 100 feet, near 

 Chichester possibly of 130 feet, and at Bourne Common of 140 feet. 

 Westward of this point it had been found on the east coast of the 

 Isle of Wight ; but I failed to detect it at any point inland, or at 

 any considerable elevation. 



I now beg to call attention to an interesting section which I have 

 more recently observed at a spot 10 miles westward of Bourne Com- 

 mon, and 5 miles inland. It is a mile and a half E.N.E. from Fare- 

 ham, on the right-hand side of the lane leading from East Cams to 

 Nelson's Monument, which stands on the western extremity of 

 Portsdown Hill. This hill, as is weU known, is a bare narrow chalk 

 ridge, running 6 miles from east to west, and rising in the midst of 

 a lower surrounding Tertiary area to a height of from 300 to 

 400 feet. The subangular flint-gravel of Chichester, Havant, and 

 Portmouth ranges up to the southern foot of the hill, to a height of 

 about 40 feet above the sea-level. It may be seen in a pit by the 

 side of the railway half a mile west of Porchester station. 



Above this lower level the slope of the hill here consists of bare 

 chalk, with the exception of this one spot, on the north side of East 

 Cams Wood. Although the pit is close by the road, it is not readily 

 seen. It is situated at a height of 125 feet above the sea, or of 

 85 feet above the ochreous flint- gravel at its base— whence the latter 

 stretches westward, forming the great plains of gravel extending past 

 Havant and Southampton to Poole, which have been so well described 

 by Mr. .Codrington f. 



The pit is a shallow arc, and presents the following section : — 



a. Grey earth and sand, with angular and rolled flints, to 2 feet. 



b. Light-coloured laminated sands, with seams of shingle, 1 4. + at 



c. Light-coloured coarse flint-shingle, with a few whole flints, J 



d. Chalk rubble, patches of. 



The beds h and c constitute a true shore-shingle, composed of 

 rolled and imperfectly rounded flints, imbedded in a matrix of light- 

 coloured sand and loam, very different from the ochreous subangular 



* Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. 1859, vol. xv. p. 215. 

 t Ibid. 1870, vol. xxvi. p. 528. 



