NOTES AND QUERIES. 



113 



the extent of the forest may have been greatly exaggerated in these traditions, 

 yet that in a former age there were decidedly trees growing there ; and that the 

 sea has encroached, as I believe it still continues to do, on the land. I have 

 no doubt that if search was made peat would be discovered under the sand, as 

 is the case in a similar locality at Vason Bay, Guernsey, which I will speak of 

 hereafter, where filbert-nuts and vegetable remains are found, just as in the peat- 

 deposits in Ireland and other places. 



Prom this spot the rugged cliffs of the northern shore commence extending 

 onward for about twelve miles: they are granitic; but veins of syenite, quartz, 

 felspar, and porphyry everywhere intersect the granite. On this coast there are 

 numerous quarries of the granite already mentioned at Mont Mado ; also some 

 porphyry quarries at a place called Fremont. The stone here looks almost as 

 white as chalk ; but on being broken it is often curiously stained with oxide of 

 iron. If after passing these quarries the road is taken to the left, it will 

 lead over the cliffs to Bowlay Bay, which is a very interesting locality to the 

 geologist. 



Here commences the curious conglomerate, or pudding-stone, which extends 

 along the eastern coast. It consists of fragments of rocks cemented together 

 with an argillaceous paste containing oxide of iron. In this vein it occurs of 

 a beautiful green colour. Here, too, numerous pieces of a compact green 

 felspar are to be found strewed over the beach in various directions. The 

 conglomerate extends along the shore as far as St. Catharine's Bay, where it 

 abruptly ceases, and joins the porphyritic rocks which form the coastline as far 

 as Groutville Bay, where the schistose rocks, forming the southern portion of 

 the island, commence. On the road near Gorey one of those singular Druidical 

 cromlechs will be seen, of which there are several in the island. In these, 

 human bones, and even entire skeletons, amulets, flint-implements, celts, 

 cleavers, ashes, and pieces of pottery, have from time to time been discovered. 



Beds of amygdaloid are found in the island, which is much used for building- 

 purposes. In many of the syenite quarries, on the surface of the stone, slight 

 traces of binoxide of manganese have been found. 



Green porphyry is also quarried in some parts of the island. The following 

 is a list of the principal minerals which have been found in the various parts of 

 the island of Jersey. Iron-pyrites; oxide of iron; binoxide of manganese; 

 copper-pyrites; quartz; epidote; carbonate of lead; felspar; hornblende; 

 titanium, 



The geology of the island of Guernsey is more varied, and consequently more 

 interesting than that of Jersey ; but I can only briefly notice a few of the most 

 striking points in it. The southern part of the island rises to the greatest 

 height, and consists chiefly of gneiss and other similar rocks ; the western 

 side is principally syenitic. Granite makes its appearance at the northern 

 extremity ; then hornblende (both schistose and amorphous) follows on the 

 eastern side ; syenite appearing here and there. The town of St. Peter-Pont 

 is situated in a valley, between the junction of the syenite and gneiss. There 

 serpentine is found ; also talcose schist. A blue grey variety of granite is 

 extensively quarried and much used for building-purposes ; and veins of that 

 curious mineral, "graphic granite," are found in the island. The rocky 

 scenery of the southern cliffs is extremely grand and magnificent ; and there are 

 some curiously shaped rocks at a place called Moulin Huet. These appear to 

 be of a schistose character ; and on account of the decomposition of the rock 

 by the influence of sea and air, numerous minute cones have been formed, and 

 the disturbed portions of stone lying about in every direction give a very 

 picturesque appearance to the scene. In the parish of Torteval trap is found, 

 veining the gneissic rocks, and presenting the usual terrace-like appearance. 

 Small and narrow veins of crystalline carbonate of lime are found in the gneiss,, 



VOL. IV. P 



