﻿120 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [Jan. 
  6, 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  two 
  sections 
  the 
  strata 
  are 
  nearly 
  the 
  same, 
  the 
  peat 
  being 
  

   at 
  the 
  same 
  level 
  in 
  each, 
  but 
  a 
  little 
  thicker 
  in 
  that 
  just 
  given. 
  

  

  The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  roots 
  of 
  Plants 
  in 
  the 
  blue 
  clay 
  of 
  the 
  Hunt- 
  

   worth 
  section, 
  and 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  a 
  stratum 
  of 
  peat 
  in 
  both, 
  were 
  

   considered 
  by 
  the 
  author 
  to 
  be 
  good 
  evidence 
  of 
  two 
  former 
  land- 
  

   surfaces, 
  and, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  indicate 
  two 
  successive 
  subsidences. 
  If 
  

   this 
  be 
  so, 
  it 
  proves 
  the 
  author's 
  second 
  conclusion, 
  namely, 
  that 
  

   Man 
  existed 
  in 
  the 
  district 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  subsidence, 
  pottery 
  

   and 
  human 
  bones 
  having 
  been 
  found, 
  as 
  just 
  stated, 
  28 
  or 
  29 
  feet 
  

   below 
  the 
  surface. 
  

  

  The 
  third 
  point 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Poole 
  endeavoured 
  to 
  establish 
  was 
  

   then 
  discussed, 
  namely, 
  that 
  since 
  the 
  last 
  subsidence, 
  and, 
  con- 
  

   sequently, 
  long 
  since 
  the 
  human 
  bones 
  and 
  the 
  pottery 
  were 
  depo- 
  

   sited 
  below 
  the 
  stratum 
  of 
  peat, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  Mammalia, 
  now 
  

   extinct, 
  were 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  district. 
  

  

  The 
  coast 
  at 
  St. 
  Audries 
  is 
  bounded 
  at 
  high 
  water 
  by 
  a 
  Lias- 
  cliff 
  

   some 
  40 
  or 
  50 
  feet 
  high 
  ; 
  and, 
  from 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  cliffs, 
  there 
  run 
  

   out 
  seaward 
  several 
  parallel 
  reefs 
  of 
  Lias, 
  with 
  their 
  northern 
  edges 
  

   tilted 
  up, 
  the 
  spaces 
  between 
  the 
  tilted 
  edges 
  being 
  filled 
  with 
  a 
  

   deposit 
  of 
  clay 
  and 
  gravel, 
  and, 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  this, 
  with 
  coarse 
  pebbles 
  

   or 
  shingle. 
  In 
  the 
  deposit 
  between 
  two 
  of 
  these 
  reefs, 
  the 
  tusks 
  and 
  

   teeth 
  of 
  Elephas 
  primigenius 
  were 
  found 
  ; 
  but 
  originally 
  the 
  whole 
  

   skull 
  was 
  there, 
  having 
  been 
  seen 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Webb 
  protruding 
  through 
  

   the 
  shingle. 
  The 
  small 
  and 
  large 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  tusks 
  are 
  decayed 
  and 
  

   gone 
  ; 
  at 
  the 
  smaller 
  end 
  they 
  are 
  about 
  4 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  at 
  

   the. 
  larger 
  8. 
  They 
  are 
  about 
  4 
  feet 
  6 
  inches 
  long, 
  but 
  were 
  pro- 
  

   bably 
  much 
  longer, 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  so 
  considerable 
  a 
  curve 
  that 
  they 
  

   form 
  almost 
  a 
  semicircle. 
  There 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  this 
  deposit 
  

   of 
  clay, 
  gravel, 
  and 
  shingle 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  since 
  the 
  subsidence 
  of 
  

   the 
  submarine 
  forest 
  lying 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  this 
  spot. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Baker 
  mentions* 
  that 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  humerus 
  of 
  a 
  

   young 
  Mammoth 
  had 
  been 
  found 
  at 
  Chedzoy, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  sand-banks 
  

   in 
  the 
  Bridgwater 
  Level 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  Rev. 
  W, 
  A. 
  Jones, 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

   Journal, 
  narrates 
  the 
  finding 
  of 
  several 
  bones 
  of 
  a 
  young 
  Rhinoceros 
  

   in 
  the 
  alluvium 
  at 
  Taunton, 
  considered 
  by 
  Professor 
  Quekett 
  to 
  be 
  

   R. 
  tichorMnus, 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  series 
  of 
  bones, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  deposits 
  

   in 
  which 
  they 
  occur 
  (the 
  sand-bank 
  and 
  the 
  alluvium), 
  the 
  author 
  

   considered 
  of 
  later 
  date 
  than 
  the 
  submerged 
  peat. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Poole 
  concluded 
  with 
  certain 
  speculations 
  respecting 
  the 
  date 
  

   of 
  the 
  last 
  subsidence 
  relatively 
  to 
  the 
  historic 
  period, 
  basing 
  his 
  

   argument 
  upon 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  Roman 
  coins 
  at 
  Burnham, 
  4 
  feet 
  

   below 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  endeavouring 
  to 
  calculate 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  

   required 
  for 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  that 
  thickness 
  of 
  alluvium, 
  thus 
  coming 
  

   to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  subsidence 
  was 
  about 
  

   800 
  b.c. 
  Finally, 
  he 
  alluded 
  to 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  gold 
  

   Phoenician 
  ring-money 
  at 
  Bridgwater, 
  7 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  

   made 
  some 
  observations 
  upon 
  the 
  probable 
  extent 
  of 
  surface 
  affected 
  

   by 
  the 
  last 
  submergence. 
  

  

  * 
  Trans. 
  Somerset. 
  Arch. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  i. 
  p. 
  136. 
  

  

  