It. A. C. Godicin- Austen — The Boring at Messrs. Meux’s. 475 
narrow band of coal-growth surface was, that it had resulted from a 
contraction of tlie eartk’s ernst in a soutli to north direction at sorae 
time subsequent to tke completion of the Palmozoic sei’ies (Coal- 
measures inclnded), whereby along the line a series of east and west 
undnlations were prodneed, in the deepest or most considerable of 
which, portions of the coal-growth surfaces became included, so as 
to be preserved during the subsequent periods of denudation of the 
surface. From the consideration of the physical features of a line of 
country of elevation, and disturbance, which crossed the European 
Continental area for 300 leagues, he had inferred that like results 
were due to like causes here. The line of the Palasozoic strata having 
been conjecturally carried along close by where it has just been 
met with ; so it might reasonably be supposed that certain other 
phenoraena, which, in like manner, had resulted from the same 
disturbances, should also correspond and serve for guidance. For 
the present it had not been ascertained in what direction the highly 
inclined Devonian strata at Tottenham Court Road were dipping 
— a most important point in the considerations involved. 
It might safely be supposed that, from position, any Pabeozoic 
rocks at such place must be trending east and west, and the oc- 
currence might seem to be an isolated fact, but for other inferences 
which tended to give it importance. The 653 feet of Chalk strata 
were horizontal, or with only a very slight north dip. The 
Devonian strata gone through dipped uniformly at about an angle of 
30 degrees. The section, therefore, corresponded exactly with those 
of the North of France. In Belgium and the North of France it was 
on the south side of the Palaeozoic trough that the high inclines 
occurred, as it happened along the whole line from Liege to Toulon. 
On the north the beds were flatter, and spread out wider. From 
this it might be supposed that it was the north side of the trough 
which was hit upon by Messrs. Meux ; and that it was a trough at 
this place followed necessarily from the circumstance that the 
beds so highly inclined were as low as the Devonian. Bearing 
hi mind that the whole of this part of Europe they were now 
considering fornied part of the area over which the Devonian or 
Lower Carboniferous series preceded, or was overlaid by the Upper 
or true Carboniferous formations, and that when they occurred the 
other followed e very where, the fact of the inclination of the beds at 
Tottenham Court Road involved this — that the higher formations 
must soon follow the Mountain Limestone on the Devonian, and the 
Coal-measures on the Mountain Limestone. This reasoning applied 
equally, whether the Devonian strata at Tottenham Court Road might 
be dipping north or south : but thus muck had been ascertained, that 
London just overlies the edge of a great Coal-field, and the prob- 
ability was that the Coal-field was to the north. What seemed to 
suggest. that the Coal in this direction might have considerable ex- 
tension was derived partly from a study of the geological features 
of their own island, and partly from what was the case in Belgium. 
It was dependent on what was the original form and extent of the 
coal-growth surface, and in the places at which the greatest amounts 
of contraction and subsequent denudation of the surface took place. 
