ELLIOTT — HUMAN REMAINS NEAE STANHOPE. 



35 



cause of a cavern must have beeu a fracture in the limestone rock, 

 consequent on the upheaval of the strata, and that water then finding 

 access to the crack, would wear it out to its present dimensions. 

 Fractures in this case would most probably take pLace when the 



Eed Ye in " was formed, 



North. 



stanhope Burn. South. 

 Fig. 1. — Ground plan of cavern district, 

 a Mouth of Cave, b Bone Deposit, c Red Vein. 

 d Where the water issues from the cave, e e Trees and 

 brushwood before the quarry was worked, on hill-side ; 

 angle of slope 45 degrees. 



which is only between two hundred and 

 three hundred yards distant 

 from the cave, and crosses 

 the ravine nearly at right- 

 angles. This vein, which con- 

 tains lead-ore, iron - stone, 

 etc., is a wide one, requiring 

 a wide fissure, and the force 

 necessary to produce such a 

 fissure would be sufficient to 

 cause rents and small dislo- 

 cations in the rocks at con- 

 siderable distances. Besides 

 this there are two other veins 

 crossing the ravine at lesser 

 distances from tiie cave, and 

 these would still further in- 



crease the probability of an original fissure. 



The cave must be very old if we suppose it to have been formed 

 by the water running dovvii the ravine when on a level with its 



mouth or opening, seeing that 

 the watercourse is now worn 

 down ten or twelve feet below 

 the cave's bottom. Again, if 

 we suppose it to have beeu ex- 

 cavated by the attrition of the 

 waves of the sea during some re- 

 mote period, when the waters of 

 the ocean stood on a level with 

 the cave, it must still have a very 



Fig. 2.— Transverse section of cave. aucieut Origin, for the CaVO is 



o Level of the Burn. 6 Level of cave (from a to situated Urjwards of thirty milcS 

 0 10 feet), c Osseous remains in the cave, (irom ^ , ^ , it? 



6toci4yards), cave without remains, (from irOm the SCa, and UpwarOS 01 

 base of d to ground-line/ 7 ft), e Limestone. hundred fcot above its pre- 



sent level. This locality must have been submerged during the glacial 

 period, as we have evidence of by the deposits of boulder clay ; and if 

 the sea on receding should have remained on a level M ith the limestone 

 for a great length of time, the result would have beeu the wearing 

 down of the rock, or the hollowing out of crevices and caves in the 

 exposed strata. 



In a certain place of the cave-flooring, the workmen recently came 

 upon a large sheet of stalagmite of varying thickness, but averaging 

 about four inches. This calcareous incrustation has been formed by 

 the ceaseless dropping of water holding lime in solution, from the 

 roof of the cave. On removing this crust and a small portion of fine 



