﻿118 
  proceedings 
  of 
  the 
  geological 
  society. 
  [jail. 
  6, 
  

  

  January 
  6, 
  1864. 
  

  

  Nelson 
  Boyd, 
  Esq., 
  Mining 
  Engineer, 
  2 
  Great 
  George 
  Street, 
  West- 
  

   minster 
  ; 
  Henry 
  Hakewill, 
  Esq.,C.E., 
  38 
  Harrington 
  Square, 
  London 
  ; 
  

   John 
  Kobinson 
  M'Clean, 
  Esq., 
  V.P.Inst.C.E., 
  23 
  Great 
  George 
  Street, 
  

   Westminster 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  Eev. 
  Frederick 
  Silver, 
  M.A. 
  (Oxon), 
  F.R.A.S., 
  

   Norton-in-Hales, 
  Salop, 
  were 
  elected 
  Fellows. 
  

  

  M. 
  Charles 
  Gaudin, 
  of 
  Berne 
  ; 
  Bergmeister 
  Giimbel, 
  of 
  Munich 
  ; 
  

   Dr. 
  Steenstrup, 
  of 
  Copenhagen 
  ; 
  M. 
  Paul 
  Gervais, 
  of 
  Montpellier 
  ; 
  

   Dr. 
  George 
  F. 
  Jager, 
  of 
  Stuttgart 
  ; 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  Oppel, 
  of 
  Munich 
  ; 
  Dr. 
  

   Hitchcock, 
  Sen., 
  of 
  Amherst; 
  M. 
  E. 
  Desor, 
  of 
  Neufehatel 
  ; 
  and 
  Dr. 
  

   T. 
  Kjerulf, 
  of 
  Christiania, 
  were 
  elected 
  Foreign 
  Correspondents. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  communications 
  were 
  read 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  1. 
  On 
  the 
  Recent 
  Geological 
  Changes 
  in 
  Somerset, 
  and 
  their 
  Date 
  

   relatively 
  to 
  the 
  Existence 
  of 
  Man 
  and 
  of 
  certain 
  of 
  the 
  Extinct 
  

   Mammalia. 
  By 
  G. 
  S. 
  Poole, 
  Esq. 
  

  

  [Communicated 
  by 
  Sir 
  C 
  Lyell, 
  V.P.G.S.] 
  

   (Abstract.) 
  

  

  Commencing 
  with 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  between 
  Clevedon 
  and 
  

   Taunton, 
  the 
  author 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  district 
  consisted 
  of 
  three 
  

   basins, 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  " 
  North 
  Marsh," 
  the 
  " 
  South 
  Marsh," 
  and 
  the 
  

   " 
  Bridgwater 
  Level," 
  and 
  drained 
  by 
  the 
  River 
  Yeo, 
  the 
  Rivers 
  Axe 
  

   and 
  Brue, 
  and 
  the 
  River 
  Parrett, 
  respectively. 
  This 
  district, 
  which 
  

   is 
  composed 
  of 
  alluvium 
  near 
  the 
  coast, 
  with 
  peat-mosses 
  further 
  

   inland, 
  would 
  be 
  subject 
  to 
  occasional 
  inundations 
  by 
  the 
  sea, 
  were 
  

   it 
  not 
  protected 
  by 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  embankments, 
  composed 
  of 
  masonry 
  

   at 
  the 
  most 
  exposed 
  points, 
  but 
  elsewhere 
  of 
  earth, 
  slightly 
  con- 
  

   structed, 
  but 
  of 
  immense 
  extent. 
  These 
  embankments 
  were 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Poole 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Romans 
  for 
  the 
  pur- 
  

   pose 
  of 
  a 
  double 
  defence 
  — 
  against 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  against 
  the 
  natives. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  under 
  consideration 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  

   land 
  dips 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  rivers 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  land 
  

   slopes, 
  so 
  the 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  alluvium 
  decreases, 
  until 
  at 
  last 
  it 
  

   ceases 
  altogether, 
  when 
  the 
  surface 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  peat-moors, 
  or 
  

   " 
  turbaries 
  " 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  locally 
  termed. 
  These 
  turbaries 
  are 
  of 
  

   two 
  kinds, 
  — 
  the 
  peat 
  of 
  one 
  kind, 
  occurring 
  in 
  Bridgwater 
  Level, 
  

   being 
  a 
  black 
  vegetable 
  mould 
  with 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  coherence, 
  and 
  easily 
  

   convertible 
  into 
  good 
  pasture 
  or 
  arable 
  land 
  ; 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  other, 
  on 
  

   the 
  contrary, 
  making 
  a 
  good 
  fuel. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Marsh 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Bridgwater 
  Level 
  

   are 
  extensive 
  sand-banks, 
  in 
  which 
  marine 
  Shells 
  occur. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Poole 
  then 
  endeavoured 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  district 
  above 
  

   described 
  has 
  been 
  subject 
  to 
  considerable 
  changes 
  of 
  level 
  in 
  recent 
  

   geological 
  periods, 
  giving 
  data 
  towards 
  the 
  elucidation 
  of 
  the 
  ques- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  such 
  changes 
  ; 
  also 
  that 
  Man 
  existed 
  in 
  the 
  

   district 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  these 
  changes, 
  and 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  extinct 
  

   Mammalia 
  have 
  existed 
  there 
  since 
  that 
  event. 
  

  

  Respecting 
  the 
  first-named 
  hypothesis, 
  the 
  author 
  described 
  the 
  

   submarine 
  forests 
  in 
  Bridgwater 
  Bay, 
  referring 
  frequently 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  