South-Western "Part of Somersetshire^ 357 



spar. At Holt farm there Is a vein nearly 18 feet thick^ consisting 

 of several layers so distinct that I at first conceived the mass to be a 

 series of strata, but upon further examination I found that it was 

 inclined at right angles to the dip of the beds of conglomerate. It 

 is stratified not only on the great scale, but also in the internal struc- 

 ture, which consists of a succession of layers, having in many places 

 a' waved appearance similar to that seen in sections of recent cal- 

 careous depositions. Part of this vein consists of a mixture of white, 

 red, and honey-yellow calcareous spar, resembling in some places 

 cellular quartz. The quantity of calcareous matter in this con- 

 glomerate is so great that it is quarried for the purpose of obtaining 

 lime from it. But at Holt farm, the great size of the vein renders 

 it unnecessary for them to use the less pure conglomerate. 



§ 22. In the lane leading from the town of Minehead to the 

 church, which is situated near the eastern termination of North 

 hill, the rock has been cut through to a considerable depth. At 

 the first part of the ascent it is a friable red sandstone distinctly stra- 

 tified, and dipping north-east by north about 15° as it were into 

 the hill. It is almost entirely siliceous, and contains no calcareous 

 matter, nor are there any of those grey patches which generally 

 accompany the marly red sandstone to be afterwards described. It 

 appears to rest upon a conglomerate, that rock just appearing above 

 ground. Continuing to ascend, this red sandstone after a short way 

 is suddenly broken off, and is succeeded by a conglomerate which 

 continues during the remainder of the ascent, till it meets the grau- 

 wacke formation immediately above the church : unfortunately the 

 actual contact is not exposed. This conglomerate consists of rounded 

 fragments of rocks identical with those found in the grauwacke 

 formation, but without any limestone. In different parts of it there 

 are patches of the same red sandstone that occurs in the first part of 



