Rev, P. Mearns on the Kaim at Wark, 225 



intersected by two roads leading to different parts of the 

 village. 



From the Castle to Gilly's Nick the original form of the 

 summit is preserved ; but the road from Cornhill to Kelso 

 gradually ascends the south side of the kaim from the village 

 till it reaches the top at Gilly's Nick, where the top is 

 lowered and widened to allow space for the road, and after 

 traversing it for a short distance it gradually descends on the 

 north side towards the plain on which the village of Carham 

 stands. This road, which was here formerly curved and 

 uneven, was straightened and levelled twenty-eight years ago, 

 under the superintendence of Mr. James Cunningham, sur- 

 veyor, Coldstream, It might have been made perfectly level 

 by skirting the kaim, but the land is valuable, and, unfortu- 

 nately, for purposes of economy this interesting natural 

 object was interfered with. 



From the plan of the Ordnance Survey I observe that the 

 road at the gravel pit (nearly on a level with the bottom of 

 the pit) is 101 feet above the level of the sea, and at Gilly's 

 Nick 111 feet. To this we add the height above the road, 

 and find the summit of the kaim 125 feet above the sea. 

 The relation of these remarkable ridges to the present ocean 

 is always an important circumstance to be noted,* The 

 kaims at Dunse Castle and Bedshiel are about 700 feet above 

 the sea. 



About twelve years ago the gravel pit was opened in the 

 south side of the kaim at Wark, which affords a good 

 opportunity of examining its internal structure. The soil 

 is three feet in depth, and under it is one foot of small gravel, 

 of a whitish appearance, evidently argillo-calcareous, with 

 angular blocks of chert limestone, too large to be enclosed 

 and therefore projecting above it. Beneath this is one foot, 

 of small gravel, and under it one foot four inches of arena- 

 ceous clay, extending sixty feet in length, in which I observed 

 a well-rounded boulder of dark porphyry two feet three 

 inches in girth. This hard and heavy boulder seems out of 

 place, as it could be lodged here only by a strong current ; 

 while the clay in which it is embedded, with its soft sand, 

 implies still water. I presume it belonged to the upper 

 stratum, and sank into the clay by its own weight. The 

 next layer consists of three feet of larger stones, both square 

 and rounded, amid which are small and short strata of sandy 



* Dr. R. Chambers, in his 8ea Margins^ finds a beach at 125 or 126, p, 28. 



