﻿702 
  

  

  SEARLES 
  V. 
  WOOD 
  OX 
  THE 
  NEWER 
  

  

  the 
  features 
  in 
  the 
  east 
  ; 
  for 
  not 
  only 
  would 
  it 
  show 
  an 
  emergence 
  

   of 
  near 
  600 
  feet 
  during 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  that 
  clay 
  (the 
  bed 
  h 
  of 
  

   fig. 
  LTI., 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  which 
  succeed 
  

   the 
  upper 
  clay 
  in 
  Lancashire 
  showing 
  that 
  at 
  its 
  close 
  the 
  north- 
  

   west 
  had 
  emerged 
  within 
  20 
  or 
  25 
  feet 
  of 
  its 
  present 
  level), 
  but 
  if 
  

   the 
  evidences 
  of 
  land-surface 
  beneath 
  the 
  middle 
  sand 
  which 
  have 
  

   been 
  offered 
  by 
  geologists 
  are 
  reliable 
  (of 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  satisfied, 
  

   however), 
  it 
  would 
  show 
  a 
  previous 
  r<?submergeuce 
  to 
  such 
  an. 
  extent 
  

   as 
  to 
  have 
  again 
  brought 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  England 
  to 
  an 
  insular 
  state, 
  

   altogether 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  south, 
  for 
  the 
  water-parting 
  between 
  the 
  

   Trent 
  and 
  Weaver 
  systems 
  is 
  below 
  400 
  feet. 
  I 
  therefore 
  think 
  it 
  

   probable 
  that 
  the 
  cases 
  mentioned 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Shone 
  must 
  be 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  Lower 
  Clay, 
  in 
  which 
  some 
  local 
  division 
  by 
  a 
  sand 
  intercalation 
  

   gives 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  the 
  Upper 
  Clay 
  is 
  present. 
  

  

  As 
  regards 
  the 
  evidences 
  of 
  ^depression 
  in 
  the 
  north-west, 
  it 
  does 
  

   not 
  appear 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  those 
  at 
  Oldham 
  offered 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Hollingsworth 
  

   in 
  the 
  37th 
  volume 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  Journal,' 
  p. 
  713, 
  are 
  sufficiently 
  clear 
  to 
  

   justify 
  my 
  quoting 
  them 
  in 
  support 
  of 
  this 
  redepression 
  ; 
  but 
  

   Mr. 
  Mackintosh 
  informs 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  middle 
  sand 
  of 
  the 
  north- 
  

   west 
  is 
  underlain 
  by 
  peat-beds 
  near 
  Crewe, 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  150 
  and 
  200 
  feet. 
  This 
  would 
  well 
  agree 
  with 
  the 
  evidences 
  

   of 
  resubmergence 
  in 
  the 
  north-east, 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  

   very 
  great 
  increment 
  in 
  that 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  submergence 
  

   described 
  in 
  Stage 
  II. 
  may 
  have 
  left 
  the 
  north-west 
  still 
  submerged 
  

   at 
  low 
  levels 
  when 
  the 
  de] 
  ression 
  of 
  the 
  stage 
  I 
  am 
  now 
  examining 
  

   commenced 
  ; 
  but 
  Mr. 
  Kendall, 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  volume 
  (p. 
  38), 
  gives 
  

   several 
  instances 
  of 
  beds 
  of 
  peat 
  reached 
  in 
  borings 
  in 
  West 
  Cumber- 
  

   land 
  and 
  North 
  Lancashire, 
  which, 
  if 
  connected 
  with 
  this 
  redepression, 
  

   would, 
  as 
  they 
  occur 
  beneath 
  the 
  present 
  sea-level, 
  indicate 
  a 
  com- 
  

   plete 
  emergence 
  of 
  the 
  north-west 
  previous 
  to 
  this 
  stage. 
  ' 
  They, 
  

   however, 
  appear 
  to 
  me, 
  from 
  his 
  maps 
  and 
  figures, 
  to 
  be 
  ail 
  posterior 
  

   to 
  the 
  Upper 
  Clay, 
  except 
  the 
  instance 
  at 
  Lindal, 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  

   occur 
  beneath 
  near 
  100 
  feet 
  of 
  glacial 
  clay, 
  and 
  to 
  occupy 
  an 
  eleva- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  about 
  150 
  feet, 
  thus 
  agreeing 
  with 
  Crewe. 
  I, 
  however, 
  agree 
  

   with 
  Mr. 
  Kendall 
  that 
  we 
  cannot 
  be 
  sure 
  that 
  this 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  due 
  

   to 
  transport 
  during 
  the 
  major 
  glaciation, 
  rather 
  than 
  evidence 
  of 
  a 
  

   land-surface 
  in 
  situ 
  ; 
  for 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  beds 
  of 
  peat 
  some 
  feet 
  in 
  thick- 
  

   ness 
  and 
  of 
  considerable 
  length 
  interstratified 
  in 
  the 
  marine 
  Till 
  of 
  

   Cromer 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  100 
  feet 
  of 
  clay 
  which 
  overlies 
  it 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  

   consonant 
  with 
  the 
  normal 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Clay 
  in 
  Lanca- 
  

   shire. 
  

  

  Having 
  now 
  traced 
  the 
  redepression 
  of 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  England 
  

   as 
  having 
  brought 
  the 
  sea-level 
  in 
  Suffolk 
  to 
  between 
  40 
  and 
  50 
  

   feet, 
  and 
  in 
  Essex 
  to 
  at 
  least 
  30 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  present, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   country 
  around 
  the 
  Wash 
  to 
  a 
  similar 
  elevation, 
  from 
  whence 
  north- 
  

   wards 
  the 
  depression 
  increased 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  bring 
  this 
  level 
  up 
  to 
  

   nearly 
  100 
  feet, 
  the 
  question 
  presents 
  itself, 
  how 
  is 
  the 
  volume 
  of 
  

   water 
  which 
  under 
  such 
  circumstances 
  occupied 
  the 
  Thames 
  valley 
  

   reconcilable 
  with 
  this, 
  if 
  such 
  water 
  was 
  fresh 
  ? 
  In 
  that 
  con- 
  

   nexion 
  I 
  would 
  first 
  observe 
  that, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  aware, 
  there 
  is 
  

  

  