290 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
field east of the Forest of Dean or Bristol basin is a question ; 
it adds greatly, however, to the extension of the Palaeozoic rocks 
towards the London basin, and enriches our knowledge as to 
the palgeogeography and physiography of the coal tracts pro- 
bably hidden under the Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks of Oxford- 
shire, and possibly of Berkshire and Middlesex. All the lower 
Secondary rocks were passed through in the Burford boring, hut 
evidently attenuated on the line of dip.* 
Other borings, exactly on the same latitude, 80 miles to the 
eastward, and at less depth, reveal or shadow forth what is the 
nature of the physical geography and geology between the two 
points ; hidden as it is, its subterranean features can be broadly 
sketched. The outlines of this palseogeographical problem 
have been almost prophetically dealt with both by Mr. Godwin- 
Austen and Professor Prestwich, and there can be little doubt 
that owing to the absence of all the lower Secondary formations, 
the Tertiary and Cretaceous rocks in the London basin repose 
directly upon a floor of older Palaeozoic rocks ; such has long been 
the view held by these two distinguished physicists. We have 
now only to define the area and nature of that floor, the age of 
the rocks composing it, and its relation to the old rocks of 
western England or of western Europe. 
Ware , Hertfordshire , and the older Rocks . 
Being desirous to increase their store of pure water, the New 
River Company (through the Diamond Boring Company) put 
down a trial boring near Ware, commencing’ their operations in 
Chalk, and immediately north of the outcrop of the London 
Clay, which so well defines the district. Less perhaps was 
known of this immediate area than any within a radius of 50 
miles from London, so far as underground geology is concerned. 
The central position of Ware, with respect to the supposed 
conformation and structure of the basin rendering it probable 
that the two Greensands below the Chalk, or one of them, would 
yield a very large supply of pure water, operations were carried 
on through the Chalk, Upper Greensand, and Gault, by the 
Diamond process, and cores brought up over 1 foot in diameter 
to the depth of 800 feet. The Chalk and overlying gravel 
measure 558 feet, the Upper Greensand 77 feet, and the Gault 
160 feet, all perfectly horizontal, and the Lower Greensand was 
unmistakably represented by a thin stratum of the 6 Car Stone 9 
much washed away through the operation of boring. This rather 
* Lower Oolite, 148 ft. ; Lias, 598 ft. ; Rhaetic, 10 ft. ; New Red Sand- 
stone, 418 ; Coal measures, 325 ft., passed into. 
