﻿318 
  T. 
  P. 
  JAMIESON 
  ON 
  THE 
  LAST 
  STAGE 
  OF 
  

  

  north 
  of 
  it 
  ; 
  in 
  fact 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  nearly 
  open 
  sea 
  between 
  it 
  

   and 
  the 
  North 
  Pole. 
  

  

  Ever 
  since 
  I 
  visited 
  the 
  district 
  of 
  Lochaber 
  and 
  the 
  Parallel 
  

   Roads 
  of 
  Glenroy 
  in 
  1861-62 
  I 
  have 
  inclined 
  to 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  there 
  

   must 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  great 
  development 
  of 
  snow 
  and 
  ice 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  

   after 
  the 
  submergence, 
  or 
  second 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  Glacial 
  period 
  ; 
  and 
  an 
  

   examination 
  of 
  the 
  glens 
  around 
  Ben 
  Nevis 
  impressed 
  me 
  at 
  that 
  

   time 
  with 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  the 
  glacier, 
  and 
  not 
  the 
  sea, 
  was 
  the 
  last 
  

   occupant 
  of 
  the 
  surface. 
  It 
  also 
  seemed 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  recurrence 
  

   of 
  severe 
  glacial 
  conditions 
  on 
  the 
  land 
  after 
  it 
  emerged 
  would 
  ex- 
  

   plain 
  many 
  facts 
  otherwise 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  account 
  for. 
  In 
  sub- 
  

   sequently 
  examining 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  Scotland 
  I 
  have 
  kept 
  this 
  point 
  

   specially 
  in 
  view 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  result 
  has 
  been 
  to 
  force 
  upon 
  me 
  the 
  con- 
  

   viction 
  that 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  snow 
  and 
  ice 
  during 
  this 
  third 
  stage 
  

   of 
  the 
  Glacial 
  period 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  far 
  greater 
  than 
  most 
  geologists 
  

   suppose. 
  

  

  § 
  2. 
  General 
  Features 
  of 
  the 
  Surface. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  districts, 
  

   do 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  correspond 
  with 
  the 
  notion 
  that 
  since 
  the 
  sea 
  

   retired 
  nothing 
  but 
  the 
  ordinary 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  elements 
  has 
  modified 
  

   the 
  surface. 
  In 
  such 
  a 
  case 
  I 
  should 
  expect 
  to 
  find 
  level 
  sheets 
  of 
  

   gravel, 
  sand, 
  and 
  silt, 
  containing 
  some 
  remains 
  of 
  marine 
  fossils 
  in 
  

   a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  perfect 
  state 
  ; 
  also 
  zones 
  of 
  beach-pebbles 
  mixed 
  with 
  

   some 
  littoral 
  shells, 
  and 
  deposits 
  of 
  a 
  similar 
  nature 
  capping 
  emi- 
  

   nences 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  in 
  shoal 
  water 
  ; 
  and, 
  in 
  particular, 
  I 
  should 
  

   look 
  for 
  traces 
  of 
  estuary 
  mud 
  along 
  the 
  curves 
  of 
  the 
  wider 
  valleys, 
  

   where 
  the 
  tide 
  and 
  the 
  river 
  had 
  formerly 
  met. 
  Now 
  in 
  Scotland, 
  

   so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  aware, 
  we 
  have 
  absolutely 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  any 
  such 
  

   estuary 
  beds 
  containing 
  remains 
  of 
  animals 
  peculiar 
  to 
  places 
  of 
  the 
  

   sort, 
  except 
  at 
  levels 
  below 
  thirty 
  feet, 
  and 
  which 
  belong, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  

   elsewhere 
  shown, 
  to 
  a 
  more 
  recent 
  period, 
  when 
  glacial 
  conditions 
  

   had 
  passed 
  away, 
  the 
  shells 
  indicating 
  a 
  climate 
  rather, 
  warmer 
  

   than 
  at 
  present. 
  How 
  could 
  the 
  glacial 
  sea 
  have 
  gradually 
  retired, 
  

   or, 
  rather, 
  how 
  could 
  the 
  land 
  have 
  gradually 
  emerged, 
  without 
  some 
  

   tidal 
  sediment 
  being 
  left 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  along 
  the 
  valleys 
  where 
  a 
  

   pause 
  in 
  the 
  change 
  of 
  level 
  took 
  place? 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  some 
  have 
  

   thought 
  they 
  have 
  discovered 
  traces 
  of 
  ancient 
  sea-margins 
  in 
  certain 
  

   more 
  or 
  less 
  horizontal 
  banks 
  and 
  terraces, 
  which, 
  however, 
  admit 
  

   of 
  a 
  different 
  explanation 
  ; 
  but 
  no 
  one, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  remember, 
  has 
  

   been 
  able 
  to 
  point 
  out 
  any 
  estuary 
  beds, 
  containing 
  estuary 
  fossils, 
  

   along 
  the 
  valleys 
  at 
  high 
  levels. 
  Why, 
  also, 
  should 
  we 
  not 
  see 
  some 
  

   more 
  distinct 
  lines 
  of 
  old 
  sea-cliff 
  and 
  sea-caves 
  at 
  higher 
  altitudes, 
  

   and 
  likewise 
  some 
  heavy 
  masses 
  of 
  blown 
  sand 
  and 
  shells, 
  like 
  

   what 
  we 
  find 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  at 
  present 
  ? 
  The 
  beds 
  of 
  glacial 
  marine 
  

   clay 
  and 
  sand 
  have 
  been 
  destroyed 
  along 
  the 
  valleys 
  to 
  an 
  extent 
  

   inexplicable 
  on 
  the 
  supposition 
  that 
  the 
  sea 
  gradually 
  retired 
  

   and 
  nothing 
  but 
  ordinary 
  subaerial 
  action 
  followed. 
  In 
  certain 
  low 
  

   districts, 
  where 
  this 
  clay 
  has 
  nearly 
  all 
  disappeared, 
  patches 
  of 
  it 
  

   are 
  left 
  on 
  eminences 
  and 
  places 
  just 
  where 
  we 
  might 
  suppose 
  it 
  

  

  