136 GEOLOGICAL RESULTS. 



3. — The layer under the blown sand is hard but not 

 cemented (B), the grains of sand being easily separated from 

 each other with a trowel or knife and it is permeable to water, 

 but it is of a black colour and contains 15% of organic 

 matter. This is, however, quite without clay and organisms, 

 for these although originally present have been destroyed by 

 age and have been carried away by percolating water leaving 

 amorphous carbonaceous matter behind. There is therefore 

 no indication of age from the previous organic life. We 

 have, however, an indication in that the position of the bed 

 resting, as it does, on the 25-ft. beach, its horizontal position 

 and its evident distinctness from the other strata which taken 

 together go to prove that it is an old land surface which 

 followed, probably after a long interval, for it is less 

 consolidated, the 25-ft. beach period. 



This is without doubt the same deposit as at LTslet 

 where it also lies over the 25-ft. beach. 



4. — The 25-ft. beach (C) deserves a word or two in this 

 report because there are points of difference between its 

 detail at Rousse and at other places. Here although the 

 upper portions of the beach are where we expect to find them 

 and thus match the deposits in other parts of the coasts, we 

 have the peculiarity of an almost constant exposure below the 

 recent beach of the older one to half-tide mark. Beginning 

 at half-tide are rock masses (D) in a very broken-up con- 

 dition and in among the detached boulders (E) can be 

 seen the yellow sand, yellow clay and the conglomerated 

 beach. 



The 25-ft. beach (C) is here quite solid and in the form 

 of a conglomerated beach. The clay (F) underlying it is 

 indurated and cuts with difficulty, but in places the old 

 accompanying sand (H) is still friable and loose grained, 

 probably for want of a cementing material. 



We have therefore in this spot the unusual sight of an 

 extension of the 25-ft. beach to half-tide and the visible 

 erosion of the old beach which is yielding its material to 

 supply the present beach (I). 



5. — One other feature is to be noticed, I think for the 

 first time, that is the relation of the detached boulders (E) 

 on the shore to the 25-ft. beach. 



I think I may safely say that these have been taken to 

 have been detached by the present sea at its present level, but 

 this is now disproved for the large boulders are found at 

 Rousse imbedded in the old beach, and we must now look upon 

 these as loosened and detached during or before the 25-ft. 



