1854.] 



AUSTEN LAND-SURFACES BENEATH DRIFT. 



117 



stratified gravel-beds of Brook, which belong to the central valley 

 area, over a terrestrial surface of the same age as that of St. Helens, 

 tends to refer all the gravels spread over the surface of the tertiary 

 series to one and the same group. 



Coast of France. — On the evidence that masses of peat were 

 brought up in trawls from parts of the sea-bed off the French coast 

 (Pas de Calais, Department of the Somme), — and that over the same 

 spots the remains of Elephas primigenius were very frequent as well 

 as perfect, I ventured on the opinion that these parts of the Channel 

 had formed part of the dry-land-surface of the period of that fauna. 

 Some observations by French geologists (Rozet) respecting a toiirbe 

 du Diluvium indicated that they had seen instances of terrestrial 

 surfaces beneath the gravel-drift ; none of them, however, have been 

 particularly indicated. It was therefore with much interest that, in 

 conjunction with several members of this Society, I met with such a 

 case in the course of a geological excursion in the spring of last year. 

 The place at which the section, fig. 2, was taken, is about half-way 

 between Dieppe and the Lighthouse of St. Marguerite. The beds 

 are cut off by the cliff as represented in the sketch. The portion 

 remaining has a slight basin-shaped arrangement, as if the vegetable 

 and sedimentary matter had been collected in some local depression. 

 The underlying beds belong to the lower Eocenes ; and above are thick 

 water-strewn beds of flint-gravel. Mr. D. Sharpe collected in the 

 deposit in question the remains of insects. 



Fig. 2. — Cliff Section exposed near Dieppe. 



1. Gravel. 

 VOL. XI. — PART I. 



2. Peaty layers. 



3. Tertiary beds. 



