Notes on the Formation of Coal-seams. 289 



3. " On the Ancient Beach and Boulders near Braunton and 

 Croyde in North Devon." By Prof. T. H'Kenny Hughes, M.A., 

 F.GKS. 



The Author observes that amongst the raised beaches of S.W. 

 England we generally find included the sand cliffs of Saunton Down 

 and Middleborough on the coast west of Barnstaple. These de- 

 posits possess a further interest owing to the occurrence at their 

 base of large boulders. In 1866 Mr. Spence Bate, in opposition to 

 the prevailing view, concluded that the so-called raised beach is the 

 undestroyed remnant of an extensive district of wind-borne sand 

 similar to that which now exists on Braunton Burrows. The points 

 to which attention was invited are as follows : — 



(1) Is this deposit on the southern slope of Saunton Down a 

 raised beach ? 



(2) Were the above-mentioned boulders carried to their present 

 position by ice ? 



The paper was fully illustrated by diagrams, showing the relations 

 of the recent deposit, and by figures showing the mode of occurrence 

 of three of the most remarkable boulders. The conclusions were : — 

 (1) That the ancient beach of Saunton Down and Croyde is not a 

 raised beach in the ordinary acceptation of the term. The top is 

 subaerial talus, the middle part is blown sand, the base only marine, 

 and the marine part is not above the reach of the waves of the sea 

 at its present level. (2) The boulders of granite and felsite which 

 occur at the base of the ancient beach were transported to their 

 present position by the waves of the sea. Such as are of local 

 origin could have reached the sea by the ordinary processes of de- 

 nudation ; such as are possibly of northern origin could have been 

 carried down the Irish Channel on bergs, and been thrown up by 

 the sea to their present position at any period subsequent to their 

 transportation southwards by ice ; but their presence does not imply 

 any local glaciation. 



4. " Notes on the Formation of Coal-seams, as suggested by evi- 

 dence collected chiefly in the Leicestershire and South Derbyshire 

 Coal-field." By W. S. Gresley, Esq., F.G.S. 



The Author's principal object in this paper was to bring forward 

 evidence in opposition to the view now generally accepted that coal- 

 seams were formed from vegetation growing on the spot. 



He showed that during a very extensive experience he had only 

 once or twice detected stems passing into a bed of coal and con- 

 nected with the Stigmaria-roots in the underclay. If, as was 

 generally stated, the Stigmarise were the roots of the trees that 

 formed the coal, such instances ought to be common. Not only, 

 however, were they very rare, but the abundance of the Stigmarias was 

 extremely variable, and these roots, instead of becoming more thickly 

 matted together in the uppermost part of the underclay, as they 

 should be if they were roots of the coal-forests, were generally dis- 

 tributed, as a rule, throughout the clay in a manner that snowed 



Phil. Mag. S. 5. Vol. 24. No. 148. Sept. 1887. U 



