THE CHEESEWEING, CORNWALL, AND ITS TEACHINGS. 151 



but, I think I am right in saying, the presence of the vapour of 

 water. It evidently must have been brought about under pressure, 

 or it would not have been granite at all. 



Eev. F. A. Walker, D.D. — On one page of the paper the learned 

 lecturer states, " More solid masses would be left as isolated pillars, or 

 sea-stacks, to the action of the atmospheric agents, whether frost, rain 

 or wind." I suppose we have plenty of examples in the Scilly Isles 

 and portions of Land's End of those pillars as the result of centuries 

 of atmospheric action and corrosion, and I would ask Professor Hull 

 if he regards the brine as a potent agent in the decomposition of 

 granite; because I know in very distant ages we have an old 

 authority as to the decomposition of granite by brine. It occurs in 



Herodotus — a\/u)ju errxvOeovaxv u^trre icni rav Trvpajxlda^ BrjXeeaOxi. 



Herodotus, Euterpe, Lib. II, chap. 12, "efflorescence of brine causing 

 the very pyramids themselves to be corroded," — and he refers to 

 the variegated Ethiopian stone (red granite) which forms a portion 

 of the casing of the second and the whole of that of the third 

 pyramid. I would say that I noticed some curious effects of that 

 corrosion by brine in several objects I brought with me from 

 Upper and Lower Egypt years after. The saltpetre crops up, and 

 in the specimens I have brought this saltpetre was at work for a 

 long time after, rendering the labels illegible and reducing the trays 

 in which the geological specimens are placed to pulp, and it is 

 indicated in this ancient massive monument by the Father of 

 History. 



A Visitor. — May I ask if there is any law or regulation for the 

 preservation of geological relics like these at all 1 



Professor Hull. — I should hope that the local County Council 

 will have the preservation of the natural and artificial monuments 

 under their care. That is all I can say. Of course we know that 

 Stonehenge has now, after many centuries of neglect, been put into 

 a state of safety. 



The Chairman. — Before calling on Professor Hull to answer these 

 questions, may I ask a question myself 1 May I ask whether a 

 stone is made of exactly the same material as the ground underneath 

 — i.e., as to a stone not brought from a distance — and are the planes 

 of cooling in the Cheese wring parallel with those in the granite rock 

 beneath it 1 



[The Chairman illustrated his meaning on the blackboard.] 



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