president's address. 187 



on the south side. The little river occupies nearly the whole of 

 the deepest part on the north side, and the narrow road to the 

 upper valley runs along a series of old valley terraces, on the 

 south side, nearly to Lofthouse, before reaching which the Nidd 

 receives an important tributary from the S.W. 



On the Monday, our not very large party started, on the arri- 

 val of the first train, in conveyances along this valley road to 

 Lofthouse, where the narrow public highway terminates. After 

 passing through Ramsgill, we alighted before reaching Loft- 

 house, to inspect the spot where, under ordinary circumstances, 

 in summer, the river Mdd issues, after running under ground a 

 distance of two miles, from a small, limestone cavern. After the 

 unusually dry summer the stream was rather small, not at all 

 comparable in size to the full stream of the Aire, which issues 

 from an underground course at Malham Cove, but after and 

 during heavy rains the surplus water that cannot pass through 

 this subterranean passage travels along the open channel to join 

 the underground current. Shortly after passing this spot the 

 party, led by their guide, diverted to the left, from the main 

 road, to visit the How-Stean Beck. How-Stone or How-Stean 

 Beck is a deep channel or chasm, cut or worn out in some places 

 to the depth of sixty or seventy feet, in the thick Scar-limestone, 

 by a mountain stream, whose branches extend westward to the 

 flanks of Great Whernside. This is the largest tributary of the 

 Nidd,'and must occasionally during heavy rains contribute a 

 large quantity of water to the main stream ; but at the time of 

 our visit we were able to follow some distance up its tortuous, 

 rocky bed, cut out of the grey marble, polished rather too smooth 

 to walk over with safety. Here we could look up, through 

 marble walls overhung and shaded with dense foliage, and now 

 and then gain a glimpse of the further recesses of the dark 

 gloomy channel which this small stream has hewn out for itself. 

 Like the Tees, but more rigidly, it is 



" Condemned to mine a channeled way 

 Through solid sheets of marble grey." 

 The surroundings are laid out, for the benefit of visitors, to the 

 upper part of the dale. Some of the party furnished with candles 



