212 Mr. Webster o« /y&^ Strata lying over the Chalk. 



The section of the strata is as follows, beginning at the bottom. 



Feet. 



I. — Blue clay depth unknown 



2.— Sand 50 



3. — A Siliceous limestone called rag 6 



4.— Sand 8 



5. — Siliceous limestone 6 



6._ White shell-marl 10 



7. — Siliceous limestone 16 



8. — Limestone composed of the fragments of freshwater shells . 1 6 



9. — Ditto, the fragments more apparent 2 



10. — Ditto, the fragments still larger 4 



11. — Ditto, fragments still coarser . 2 



12. — Blue Clay, in which are manj large and loose masses which 

 appear to belong to the upper Freshwater formation. 



At East Cowes Lord Henry Seymour had the goodness to point 

 out to me a quarry which he had caused to be opened in his 

 grounds, the strata of which were almost exactly the same as those 

 of Binstead. The rag from this quarry his Lordship had employed 

 in the construction of his mansion ; and also in the fine wall 

 which he has built to keep off the encroachments of the sea. 



In the strata of East Cowes the casts of the shells are frequently 

 entire, and appear to belong to the genus Cyclostoma Lam. 



The fragment stone of Binstead, when examined with a mag- 

 nifier, has a very singular appearance. In some specimens the 

 fragments themselves remain, though in a sparry state ; but in 

 general the substance of the shell has disappeared, leaving a cavity 

 where it formerly existed; so that in fact, instead of being frag- 

 ments cemented together by calcareous spar, the stone consists of 

 the hollow moulds of fragments held together by that matter. It 

 would seem as if the shells themselves had been gradually absorbed 

 into the substance of the cement. 



