204 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



dation of tlie Wealden area than of the chalk and other cretaceons 

 rocks on the French, or more solid coast. 



Worn by the incessant beating of the waves and nishing of the 

 tides, the narrow isthmus, stretching from Folkestone to Boulogne, 

 that formed the last connecting link was broken through, and the 

 Channel tidal-wave passed on to meet its brother-wave, which, 

 parted from it at the Lizard Point, had swept round the British 

 Isles to face it again in the " narrow sea." The form and direction 

 of this old channel-crack may even now be traced on any nautical 

 map by a pencil line run over the marks of greatest depths, as noted 

 in fathoms for the sailor's guidance ; and the degraded shoal-ridge of 

 the old isthmus may in like manner be perceived by the shaUo^mess 

 of the soundings, noted in Hke manner. 



The first evidences of the former connection of our island with the 

 continent of Europe were suggested by an old author on British 

 antiquities, one Richard Yerstegan. In his fourth chapter Yerstegan 

 treats of the " lie of Albion," and " how it is shown to have beene 

 continent, or firme land with Gallia, now named France, since the 

 floud of Noah." After discussing the various contentions as to the 

 origin of the name Britaine, recapitulating the fabulous narrations 

 about King Brut, and giving his opinions on the ancestry of Britons, 

 he proceeds to the performance of his promise in showing Albion 

 " anciently to have beene firme lande with Galha." 



His notions of the first conditions of land and sea are very pri- 

 mitive, and highly tinctured with the ancient diluvial doctrines, and 

 of com-se Yerstegan goes back to the beginning, as all authors of his 

 age are fond of doing so. Antiquaries of that day attempted to trace 

 pedigrees back to Adam, and have been well characatured by Butler 

 in his "Hudibras" for their pains; and Yerstegan, the incipient 

 geologist, goes back to the first division of the waters from the diy 

 land, and argues as the waters were gathered together in one place, 

 " so consequently there were no islands before the flood of Noah." 



His observations, however, on the ancient connection of the lands 

 on either side of the Channel are acute and perspicuous. 



" That our He of Albion hath bin continent mth GaUia," says he, 

 " hath beene the opinion of divers, as of Antonius Yolscus, Domi- 

 nicus Marius Niger, Servius Honoratus, the French poet Bartas, our 



