REVIEWS. 



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Illustrations of the Geologic Scenery of Purleclc. 



Illustrations of the Geologic Scenery of Weymouth, Portland, and Purlech. 

 Illustrated Historical and Picturesque Guide to Su-anage and the Isle of Purheck. 

 By P. Brannon. Sydenham, Poole ; London, Longman & Co. 



The humblest effort deserves commendation and support when it is made in a 

 right spirit. We confess to a weakness for letter-head views and those cheap litho- 

 graphs and en^avings, vrhich provincial booksellers so abundantly chsplay as baits 

 for the small silver superfluities of the stranger's purse. 



Common in execution as many of these are, they are more quickly purchased 

 than sketches could be made even by expert draughtsmen, and they serve years 

 afterwards to remind us of the famous or cherished spots, which we, like other 

 pilgrims on the road of Life, have chanced to visit. 



The above set of brochures which the author has foi-warded to us, are illustrated 

 amply with engTavings of the letter-paper class, but of far better execution 

 than the average of such productions. The " Illustrations of the Geologic Scenery 

 of Weymouth, Portland, and Purbeck," and " Illustrations of the Geologic 

 Scenery of Purbeck," each contain eight such views Avithout any descriptive letter- 

 press ; but they are useful memoranda for the geologist or the visitor to bring away 

 from this most picturesque portion of Dorsetshire. In the latter set is a pretty 

 view of the Haggerstone, or Agglestone, as it is there spelt, a natural mass of 

 rock, with no legitimate claim to the falsely given title of a Draidical remain. 



The famous Lulworth Cove, Durlstone Head, and St. Alban's Head, are 

 among the number of these well-selected views, which thus represent the scenic 

 characters and x)hysical geogTaphy of the Tertiaries, the Chalk, Portland Oolite, 

 and Kimmeridge Clay, besides the Wealden and Purbeck beds. 



The "Illustrated Guide to Swanage" contains more geological and other 

 scientific information than we have ever seen in any work of so unpretending a 

 character. The geological features of the district are undoubtedly worthy of such 

 fidl notice, and the author has well pointed out the conciseness, so to speak, of 

 the display within this limited area of many geological groups of strata. In a 

 subsequent place the author ]3oints out the high commercial value of many of the 

 mineral products of the locality described, the vast beds of fine pottery-clay, the 

 fii'e-clay, the alum- and copperas-shales, pyrites and iron-ore, paving-, building-, 

 cement-, lime-stones, and marble, the bitumuious shales so rich in gas and 

 paraffine. 



The natural divisions of the region are next given, attention being specially 

 drawn to the two gTeat hill-ranges of chalk and oolite, stretching nearly due west 

 from Swanage Bay, dividing the tract into two upland and three valley districts ; 

 the chalk range forming the south-western extremity of the great basin of Hamp- 

 shire and Sussex. 



Mr. Beckle's excavations and researches, his discoveries of mammalian remains, 

 the stone and marble quarries, from sixty to seventy in number, and other points 

 of geological interest, are all successively noticed, and with sufficient accuracy to 

 make the observations of value to the student, as well as to the general reader, 

 or to the mere visitor. 



The shelly-marble of this district is well known fi-om its extensive use in eccle- 

 siastical buildings of the Middle Ages, and Mr, Brannon's account of the Purbeck 

 strata, and the rude manner in which the quarrying work is still carried on, will 

 not only be of interest to our readers, but wiU afford a good example of the style 

 of this very unassuming production : — 



" The true Purbecks, or thin beds of shelly hmestone, alternating with clays 

 and sands, formerly considered as Wealden, now as upper oolite, furnish the great 

 staple of the stone exports from this district. They consist of an immense 

 number of beds from a quarter of an inch to four feet in thickness, mostly very 

 hard and close grained, and separated from each other chiefly by beds of clay, 

 varied with sandy and loamy, gravelly or marly earth. A very great proportion 

 of the stone beds are useless, either on account of their excessive hardness, their 



