12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [NoV. 21, 



« Perabury Road, Clapton, 19th Nov. 1855. 

 " My dear Sir, — Agreeably to your request, I have made as 

 careful an examination of the three specimens from the Kentish Tovm 

 well that the limited time would allow, and my opinion is that no 

 traces of Diatomacea or other siliceous organized matter will be 

 found in any of them. The specimens, Nos. 56 and 102 (str. 33 & 63), 

 appear to contain a considerable quantity of lime, but I was unable 

 to detect any remains of Foraminifera or other shells of which it 

 might be expected to form a component part. 



" Yours very truly, 



" F. S. S. Roper." 

 "J. Prestwich,jun,i Esq.y ^c. ^c." 



If the position of the fossils could be accepted without a doubt, 

 we should feel obliged, however perplexing and exceptionable the 

 mineral characters might be*, to consider these beds as belonging 

 either to the Gault or to the upper part of the Lower Greensand, 

 and there would then still be a reasonable possibility of finding 

 beneath these red clays and sandstones in the one case the yet intact 

 mass of the Lower Greensand, or in the other case a considerable 

 thickness of sands forming a lower division of this group. Otherwise 

 in mineral character these beds closely resemble parts of the New 

 Red Sandstone. The boring tools also seemed to indicate that the 

 strata had a very considerable dip. It is possible, however, that this 

 may arise from the laminae of false stratification as well as from true 

 bedding. This is the more probable, as M. Jus states that for the 

 last few feet the strata seem to be horizontal. 



The object of bringing this paper before the Society is to describe 

 briefly the principal features of this very interesting work, and to elicit 

 some further opinion upon the probable age of these singular red clays 

 and sandstones. As the point involves the important question of 

 an additional source of water-supply, we must necessarily feel much 

 interest in the success of the operation. I have abstained from 

 treating of the difficulties of the undertaking, of the sure and skilful 

 mode of proceeding, and of the rate of progress, in order to confine 

 attention to the more essential considerations involving the probability 

 of its successful termination. Many of these considerations I have 

 but slightly touched upon, for the paper has unavoidably been drawn 

 up at a very short notice, but I trust I have omitted none of the 

 main facts. 



A careful record has been kept of all the strata traversed in the boring. 

 These particulars I annex. As I have not introduced all the subdivisions 

 of the Chalk made in the original document, the numbers of the strata will 

 not agree with those there given. In the beds beneath the mass of the 

 Gault I have, however, given each mineral change as noted in the course 

 of the work. 



* On recently examining one of the few small, well-rounded pebbles of Stra- 

 tum 40, it seemed to me closely to resemble some of the light-brown, waxy, 

 semitransparent chert of the Lower Greensand of Kent and Surrey. If so, it 

 would be a satisfactory proof that this red series was newer than some portions 

 of the Lower Greensand.— [J. P., Jan. 1856.] 



