128 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



change has been effected in the condition of some garden-plots, wliich were pre- 

 viously inclined towards the sea, at an angle of about forty-five degrees, but now 

 dip in the opposite direction ; the plane of this portion of land having traversed 

 ninety degrees, or one-fourth of a circle. The entire gi'ound, from the beach > 

 upwards, is rent with innumerable cracks, from a few inches to several feet in 

 width, and in lines parallel to the coast, rising in a series of steps or terraces. On 

 reaching the summit, other effects are visible, especially to those familiar with the 

 locahty. For many years past the waste material of the neighbouring quarries 

 has been here thrown from trucks over the cliff", and had formed there a kind of 

 causeway, extending about forty feet ; all this has sunk bodily down into basin- 

 shaped cavities, carrying with it portions of the main cliff". Either from the sudden 

 withdrawal of this enormous mass, or the undermining below, a partial severance 

 of a large part of the solid cliff" has been eff'ected. At present, the crack is but a 

 few inches in width, and the opinion among the more experienced quarrymen is, 

 that at present there will be no further displacement beyond a slight settlement. 

 Should this ever be detached, the crash would be tremendous, and be attended 

 with danger both to life and property. The east side of the island has in past 

 years been the scene of many extensive landslips, some of which are recorded in 

 Hutchins' ' History of Dorset.' On the 2d February, 1615, the pier was demolished, 

 blocks that lay forty yards off" in the sea were raised above the water, and the ways 

 leading from the pier to the quarries were turned upside down. The earth for one 

 hundred yards sank into the sea. It was conjectured that this, too, was caused by 

 the weight of rubbish thrown over the cliff" upon a foundation of clay. After an 

 exceedingly wet season, in December, 1734, another landslip occurred, when one 

 hundred and fifty yards of the north-east end of the island sank into the sea, by 

 which a pier and road were destroyed ; the damage being computed at £46,000. 

 A still more destructive one occurred in February, 1792, w^hen the extent of ground 

 moved was a mile and a quarter in length, and six hundred yards in width. One 

 eff"ect of these slips on the east side of the island has been to bring down the old 

 burying-gTound from the level of the land above to within a few feet of the sea. 

 The insulated condition of large portions of cliff" near Pensylvania Castle, are due 

 to the same cause. The whole offers a good illustration of the wasting process of 

 land-springs, when acting on formations such as the Oolitic, in which the stony 

 beds are interspersed with bands of clay and sand." 



REVIEWS. 



The Earth and the Word; or, Geology for BiUe-Studerds. By S. R. Pattison, 



F.G.S. London : Longman and Co. 1858. 

 Tlie Primeval World : a Treatise on the relations of Geology to Theology. By Rev, 



Paton J. Gloag. Edinburgh : T. and T. Clark. London : Hamilton, Adams 



and Co. 1859. 



These are two charming little books upon subjects to which, of late years, the 

 Christian public have looked with great interest, and upon which some of our best 

 geologists and theologians have spent much study and labour. Every eff"ort to 

 bnng about a reconciliation of the biblical account of creation with the truths of 

 geology IS to be praised and not condemned ; at all events, a thorough and con- 

 stant discussion of all the points of coincidence or diff"erence must be productive of 

 beneficial effects. 



j\Liny, indeed, of the Protestant clergymen of our own land are those who have 

 not feared to become geologists, nor have hesitated to believe that neither the' 

 testimony of the Bible in its proper or moral aspect could be invalidated, nor the 

 stability of true religion shaken, by the teachings of science. 



To Mr. Gloag is particularly due the praise of having dared to view every subject 

 —and we say it sincerely, whether we concur in all his views or not— in a bold and 



