116 MR. A. J. JUKES-BROWXE OX THE AGE AND [May I907, 



removed much of the Permian conglomerate as well. ■ The outlier 

 north of Comnswell, however, on the uppermost slope between 400 

 and 500 feet, goes far to prove that the further continuation of this 

 slope to the south-east was similarly covered by Eocene deposits. 



Again, it is noticeable that the base of these gravels emerges from 

 the southern end of the basin near Kingskerswell, and trends to the 

 south-east, climbing at the same time up to a level of about 300 

 feet, where it is cut off by a fault. Partner south, however, at 

 Eluder, and on the other side of the same fault, there is another 

 small patch of gravel, engraved but not coloured on the published 

 geological map. Mr. Ussher has kindly informed me that this is 

 either Eocene gravel in situ, or material which has been directly 

 derived therefrom. As it lies on the northern slope of the 

 Barton-Hall ridge it is probably a more or less slipped and down- 

 washed relic of the original Eocene covering of that ridge, and is 

 consequently an important link in the chain of evidence which I am 

 trying to put together. 



This outlier reaches to the contour of 300 feet, and the summit 

 of the ridge close by is very little higher ; but eastward it rises 

 gradually to 400 feet. South-eastward the ground falls away into 

 the Hatch combe valley, whence it rises again into the Barton and 

 Lummaton plateau. It is, therefore, easy to imagine the base of 

 the trough as originally passing over the Barton-Hall ridge, and as 

 flattening out to merge into the plane of the Barton, Lummaton, 

 and St. Marychurch plateaus. 



Lastly, there is some indication of such a flattening-out of the 

 trough within the Aller basin itself. The base of the Eocene does 

 not rise westward out of Aller Vale with anything like the steep 

 incline of the eastern side. From the hamlet of Aller in a west- 

 north-westerly direction the basal boundary only rises to a little over" 

 300 feet in the distance of a mile, and falls again at "Wolborough 

 to 200 feet ; while from Aller eastward it rises steadily to 420 feet 

 in three-quarters of a mile. 



The country south and south-west of the Aller basin has been 

 dissected by watercourses and much lowered by the detritive action 

 of rain, so that the sub-Eocene surface has been entirely destroyed ; 

 but it is noteworthy that the ground nowhere reaches a level of 

 300 feet within a mile of KingskerswelL either to the west or to the 

 south-west, and only just reaches that height about three-quarters 

 of a mile to the south. Thus, although the drainage of the whole 

 district is northward, its average inclination is a very gentle one, 

 and we may infer that the north-westerly inclination of the sub- 

 Eocene surface was proportionately slight. 



I am, therefore, strongly inclined to refer the formation of the 

 plateau-area around Torquay to the epoch of the Eocene planation, 

 and to consider its lower level, when compared with the Haldon 

 plateau, as the result of subsequent flexuring. Moreover, as there 

 seems good reason for assuming that there was direct connexion 

 between the Aller basin and the plateau-area, I conclude that the 

 Eocene deposits originally passed from one to the other, that is, from 



