184 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [Mar. 10, 



controversy which has prevailed between the eloquent Woodwardian 

 Professor and myself has not for a moment interrupted our strong 

 personal friendship. I am indeed confident we shall slide down the 

 hill of life with the same mutual regard which animated us formerly 

 when climbing together many a mountain both at home and abroad. 



March 10, 1852. 



The following communications were read :— - 



1. On the Upper Tertiaries at Copford, Essex. 

 By John Brown, Esq., F.G.S. 



Of the geological features of the county of Essex, none are more in- 

 teresting than its various freshwater deposits, especially those of 

 Grays, Clacton, and Copford. Notices of these deposits have appeared 

 at various times *, and a general description of the freshwater beds and 

 erratic tertiaries of the last-named place forms the subject of the 

 present paper. 



The Copford freshwater beds have been for several years exten- 

 sively excavated to obtain brick-earth, and an idea of the relative 

 position of the beds exposed by these excavations is given by the ac- 

 companying section. The clay or '* earth " is obtained from three 

 extensive workings, hereafter referred to as the western, eastern f, and 

 southern sections respectively. Other sections of these beds have 

 also been obtained by casual excavations and by borings, to the west 

 and south of the brick-field. This brick-field is about half a mile 

 N.W. of Stanway Church, and hes between the railway and the high 

 road, occupying about five acres. The ground slopes from the 

 high-road northward to the flat marshy ground which is crossed by 

 the railway embankment. 



Although the Copford deposit cannot boast of such a long and 

 varied list of fossil Mammalia as those of Grays and Clacton, it is 

 richer in land and freshwater MoUusca ; that of Clacton having pro- 

 duced about fifty species, and Grays about forty-five species, while 

 Copford has afforded sixty-nine species, as far as investigations in 

 these deposits have hitherto gone. 



In describing the series of beds forming this deposit, we shall begin 

 at the bottom of the section. 



* Grays, Loudon's Mag. Nat. Hist. 1836, vol. ix. p. 261 ; Mag. Nat. Hist. N.S. 

 1838, vol. ii. p. 546. 



Clacton, Mag. Nat. Hist. N.S. 1838, vol. ii. p. 163, and 1840, vol. iv. p. 197 ; Proc. 

 Geol. Soc. 1845, vol. iv. p. 523, and Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. i. p. 341. 



Copford, Loudon's Mag. Nat. Hist. 1834, vol. vii. p. 436, and 1836, vol. ix. 

 p. 429 ; Proc. Geol. Soc. 1843, vol. iv. p. 164. 



The above together with Brentford, Mag. Nat. Hist. N.S. 1838, vol.ii. p. 539. 



Stutton {Suffolk), Loudon's Mag. Nat. Hist. 1834, vol. vii. p. 274. 



t The distance iDetween the east and vs'est excavation is about 250 vards. 



