﻿450 
  PKOCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [JllllC 
  22, 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  therefore 
  of 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  existing 
  bed 
  of 
  clay 
  is 
  merely 
  

   the 
  remnant 
  of 
  a 
  once 
  more 
  extensive 
  deposit, 
  not 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   sent, 
  or 
  formerly 
  existing, 
  river- 
  valley, 
  its 
  irregular 
  thickness 
  having 
  

   been 
  produced 
  by 
  denudation, 
  — 
  a 
  supposition 
  which 
  appears 
  sup- 
  

   ported 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  superficial 
  gravel 
  following 
  its 
  varying 
  

   outline. 
  

  

  I 
  failed 
  to 
  detect 
  any 
  Shells 
  or 
  other 
  organic 
  remains 
  in 
  the 
  

   gravel-bed 
  at 
  the 
  Fremington 
  railway-cutting 
  or 
  elsewhere, 
  and 
  the 
  

   men 
  who 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  digging 
  and 
  working 
  the 
  clay 
  

   assured 
  me 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  never 
  noticed 
  any 
  Shells 
  in 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  neighbouring 
  raised 
  beach 
  at 
  Croyd, 
  at 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  

   Barnstaple 
  Bay, 
  described 
  in 
  papers 
  read 
  before 
  the 
  Society 
  in 
  1 
  836 
  

   by 
  Messrs. 
  Sedgwick 
  and 
  Murchison, 
  and 
  the 
  Rev. 
  D. 
  Williams, 
  is 
  

   distinct 
  in 
  character 
  from 
  the 
  Fremington 
  raised 
  shingle-beds, 
  and 
  

   would, 
  from 
  the 
  following 
  facts, 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  more 
  recent 
  for- 
  

   mation. 
  

  

  1. 
  Both 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  Raised 
  Beach 
  at 
  Hope's 
  Nose, 
  near 
  Torquay, 
  

   which 
  it 
  somewhat 
  resembles, 
  are 
  composed 
  of 
  hard 
  laminated 
  beds 
  

   of 
  concreted 
  sand, 
  interstratified 
  with 
  layers 
  of 
  pebbles 
  and 
  Shells, 
  

   including 
  Ostrea, 
  Cardium, 
  Balanus, 
  Patella, 
  &c, 
  none 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  

   a 
  more 
  northern 
  character 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  seas. 
  

  

  2. 
  Similar 
  sandy 
  concretion 
  is 
  still 
  going 
  on 
  in 
  several 
  places 
  on 
  

   Braunton 
  Burrows, 
  where 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  isolated 
  slabs, 
  in 
  situ 
  amongst 
  

   the 
  loose 
  sand, 
  quite 
  as 
  hard 
  and 
  compact 
  as 
  the 
  layers 
  of 
  the 
  neigh- 
  

   bouring 
  Croyd 
  Beach. 
  

  

  3. 
  The 
  Fremington 
  Raised 
  Beaches 
  described 
  by 
  Sir 
  Henry 
  De 
  

   la 
  Beche, 
  and 
  the 
  corresponding 
  bed 
  of 
  loose 
  shingle, 
  forming 
  the 
  

   base 
  of 
  the 
  clay-deposit, 
  are 
  entirely 
  different 
  in 
  aspect 
  from 
  the 
  

   Croyd 
  beach, 
  and 
  also 
  contrast 
  with 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  Hope's 
  Nose 
  beach 
  in 
  

   being 
  devoid 
  of 
  Shells, 
  a 
  feature 
  which, 
  although 
  of 
  a 
  negative 
  cha- 
  

   racter, 
  is 
  common 
  to 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  glacial 
  drift. 
  

  

  4. 
  In 
  Mr. 
  Williams's 
  paper 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  Croyd 
  Raised 
  Beach 
  " 
  he 
  de- 
  

   scribes 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  block 
  of 
  supposed 
  Cumberland 
  

   granite 
  imbedded 
  in 
  the 
  beach 
  at 
  its 
  very 
  base, 
  resting 
  directly 
  on 
  

   the 
  fundamental 
  slate-rock. 
  As 
  its 
  exposed 
  portion 
  is 
  6 
  feet 
  long 
  

   and 
  3 
  feet 
  deep, 
  it 
  must 
  weigh 
  several 
  tons, 
  and 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  

   a 
  true 
  erratic 
  block. 
  

  

  The 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  erratic 
  blocks 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  deposits 
  

   would 
  favour 
  the 
  probability 
  of 
  a 
  distinct 
  period 
  of 
  deposition, 
  and 
  

   of 
  the 
  Fremington 
  beds 
  being 
  the 
  more 
  ancient. 
  

  

  At 
  Fremington 
  the 
  blocks 
  occur 
  either 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  

   top 
  of 
  the 
  clay-bed 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  superficial 
  gravel, 
  whereas 
  the 
  Croyd 
  

   Bay 
  boulder 
  had 
  been 
  evidently 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  slate-rock 
  before 
  the 
  

   raised 
  beach 
  of 
  concreted 
  sand 
  had 
  begun 
  to 
  be 
  deposited 
  over 
  it, 
  

   with 
  which 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  no 
  necessary 
  connexion. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  boulders 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  localities 
  were 
  of 
  contemporary 
  deposi- 
  

   tion, 
  the 
  Croyd 
  Beach 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  formed 
  subsequently 
  to 
  the 
  

   Fremington 
  shingle-beds, 
  and 
  separated 
  by 
  at 
  least 
  the 
  interval 
  in 
  

   which 
  most, 
  if 
  not 
  all, 
  of 
  the 
  Fremington 
  clay-bed 
  was 
  deposited. 
  

  

  In 
  Messrs. 
  Pengelly 
  and 
  Hccr's 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  Bovey 
  Tracey 
  Lig- 
  

  

  