138 Correspondence — Mr. J. Curry. 
The leaves have never been drifted from afar ; they are offen 
still adhering to the twigs. The leaves are flat and perfect, rarely 
even rolled and crumpled, as dry leaves may be, if falling on a muddy 
surface ; still more rarely have they fallen edgeways and been 
imbedded vertically. They are, moreover, not variously mixed, as 
they should be if they had been carried for any distance, bat are 
found in local groups of species. For example, all the leaves of 
Castanea have been found in one clay patch, with Iriartea and 
Gleichenia ; none of these have been found elsewhere. A trilobed leaf 
is peculiar to Studland ; the Al um Bay Aralia, the peculiar form of 
Froteacece, the great Ficus, and other leaves occur at Aluin Bay only. 
Each little patch at Bournemouth is characterized by its own 
peculiar leaves. Such a distribution can only result from the 
proximity of the trees from which the leaves have fallen. The 
forms of most temperate aspect are best preserved, so that, to be 
logically applied, the Drift theory requires the palms, etc., to have 
been drifted upwards. To suppose that most delicate leaves could 
have been brought by torrents 400 miles from Mull or 200 miles 
from Wales, and spread out horizontally in thousands, without crease 
or crumple, on the coast of Hampshire, may be a feasible theory to 
Mr. Searles Y. Wood, jun., but will not recommend itself to the 
majority of thinkers. But without invoking these lengthy voyages, 
the requisite height might have existed near at hand in the granite 
region of Devon, during the Eocene time. However this may be, 
so obviously simple an explanation as that the temperate forms grew 
on high ground and were drifted down and mingled with those 
growing on lower levels, had of course escaped no worker on these 
or similar floras, and has been duly considered and abandoned by 
every one. J. S. Gardner. 
IS THERE A BASE TO THE CARBONIFEROUS ROCKS IN TEESDALE? 
Sir, — Some years ago, when out on a geological tour, I crossed 
over the Pennine Chain from Appleby, in Westmoreland, to High 
Force in Upper Teesdale. My route was first along the Eden 
valley plain to High Cup Gill Beck; next up the side of this Gill 
to High Cup Nick, at the head of the Beck ; thence across to Maize 
Beck, which is a tributary to the Tees, following down the south 
side of this beck to Caldron Snout, and continuing on from here 
down the side of the Tees to the old Pencil Mill, where my attention 
was arrested by observing the shale, here exposed, to have a striking 
resemblance to the Silurian shales which I had noticed at the foot of 
High Cup Gill, on the other side of the chain, and at other places in 
the Lake District, also on the east side of this district, in Wastdale 
Beck, near Shap Wells. The Carboniferous strata rise from the 
vicinity of the old Pencil Mill, in a westerly direction, on the 
line of the route j ust sketched, and crop out on the west slope of the 
chain in High Cup Gill Beck, where there is to be met with one of 
the fiuest sections of the Carboniferous rocks in the North of Eng- 
land. In the lower part of this Gill there is a very thick section of 
