in Scotland and Parts of England. 239 



passages, shewing the hugeness of the deposit. I regret that 

 I did not examine this mass very carefully ; but I am satis- 

 fied that it is a different kind of detritus from the brown 

 moraine matter already described, most probably the blue 

 boulder clay. It is very remarkable to find a different detri- 

 tus in a situation obviously out of the reach of the glaciers 

 of the valley system here described. 



Dr Buckland, in 1840, announced objects in the vicinity of 

 the lake country, which he believed to be moraines connected 

 with its valleys. Thus he traced the spoils of the Patterdale 

 and Ulleswater valley in " extensive moraines loaded with 

 enormous blocks of porphyry and slate," in the vicinity of 

 Penrith. At the vomitories of Long. Sleddale and the Kent- 

 mere valley, he found " large and lofty piles of gravel." The 

 districts of Furness, Ulverstone, and Dalton, to the south of 

 the lake region, he described as " extensively covered with 

 deep deposits of glacier origin." Dr Buckland had not been 

 able to examine the western outskirts of the districts ; but 

 he believed that many hillocks laid down there in masses 

 were remains of moraines. Seeing that the learned geolo- 

 gist, in the novelty of the investigation, mistook some alluvial 

 accumulations in Scotland for ancient moraines, I cannot 

 bring forward these observations as conclusive upon the sub- 

 ject ; and I must regret that I have not been able to con- 

 tribute any of my own. Now, however, that the valleys are 

 known to have been filled by glaciers, it may be hoped that 

 some local observers will institute an inquiry to ascertain 

 whether their detrital spoils remain in definite forms at their 

 vomitories, or have been carried away and dissipated over 

 the neighbouring country. 



From the whole phenomena, I infer that the lake country 

 | has at one time been the seat of a radiating system of gla- 

 ciers. I regard it as a complete and well-defined example of 

 glacial action in a limited mountainous district, where the 

 direction and slope of the valleys clearly determine the ice- 

 streams. It is easy to see how the spacious basins of ele- 

 vated ground embosomed amongst the heights of Scafell and 

 Bowfell on the one hand, and Helvellyn, Bydal Head, and 



Kirkstonefell on the other, formed the berceaux of the vari- 



r2 



