49 
to tell you where you are. I dare not in this matter go very fully into 
the geological details, as I should possibly be very soon called to account 
by the gentlemen of the Geological Survey who have just gone over 
the district. Until the maps are published and the memoirs written, 
however, there is scope for profane opinions, and I avail myself of the 
opportunity. A glimpse at the physical geography of this part of 
Yorkshire, as the result of geological phenomena, may not be uninter* 
esting to some who are here, although well known to others, who must 
excuse my rude generalizations. 
Eunning north and south, inmiediately to the west of our present 
position, is a ridge of high land which extends with but few breaks, 
from the Newcastle coal field across the great Craven fault above 
Skipton, to the rising of the limestone in Derbyshire. This ridge 
divides the water shed of this part of England, and the foot placed in a 
gutter on the top of the moors may direct the flowing water either into 
the Grerman Ocean or the Irish Sea. Falling from this high land on 
both sides, but principally on this, the east side, are a number of rivers 
which run in almost parallel lines, and on this side the slope meet one 
another in the estuary of the Humber. We are here situated on the 
second of these rivers, the Aire ; the Calder to the south, and the 
Wharfe, the Nidd, the Ure and the Swale to the north, similarly work 
out their respective valleys, leaving their intervening ridges to stand 
like ribs attached to the central ridge, which is sometimes spoken of as 
the back-bone of England. The rivers to the west of the ridge do not 
form such a well marked system, the distance to the sea being shorter, 
and the general inclination of the strata not so regular. 
So much for the physical geography. The next step is to seek an 
answer to the natural inquiry, how does it happen that these six large 
rivers appear to be running towards the south-east, and in parallel 
lines ? Geology must try to answer this. A reference to the geological 
map of England will show you the general dip of the various systems. 
A man walking from London in a line to the Lakes crosses, in succession, 
the whole of the beds between the London Clay and the Silurian. This 
general line of strike from south-west to north-east roughly prevails 
over the largest part of England, and the form of the tongues of land 
which form our coast line also roughly gives the same indication of 
fi.W. and N.E. One of the most marked disturbances of this general 
dip is caused by the ridge of land which we have spoken of as the 
back-bone of England, which leads on to the Silurian district of the 
lakes. The part of the ridge with which we have to deal is the Mill- 
stone Grit tract of Derbyshire and Yorkshire, and throwTi off on each 
side of it are the coalfields of Yorkshire and Lancashire ; outside again 
come the New Red Sandstone tracts of Cheshire and the vale of York. 
4 
