SCIKNTIFIC NEWS. 
S6J 
The Upper Freshwater formation, one of the most remark- 
able and best characterized of any of the_ English beds abov« 
the bine clay, is best seen at Headen, in the Isle of Wight. 
Its thickness is about 55 feet, and though not subdivided into 
distinct strata, it varies considerably in texture. Much of 
it consists of yellowish white marl, more or less indurated, 
but friable and crumbling by frost. Many of the shells im- 
bedded in this stratum are quite entire, consisting of various 
species of lymnex planorbes, helices, and other freshwater 
shells. Over this bed is a stratum of clay, with small bivalve 
shells, covered by a bed of yellow clay without shells, w’hich 
latter is covered by a bed of friable calcareous sandstone, also ' 
•without shells. To this succeed other calcareous strata, with 
a few freshwater shells, varying much in compactness from 
that of chalk to porcellaneous limestone. This formation 
appears to have covered nearly all the northern half of th«^ 
Isle of Wight. 
In the Paris basin are strata corresponding with these, both‘* 
in their general composition, and in the fossils which they 
contain, distingaished, however, by certain pearliar charaettfs 
that are detailed by the author of this paper. 
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' It. 
Mr. Singer will commence his Lectures on Esp^naent^ 
IPhilosophy, on Tuesday the 18th of January, and comma# 
tthem on each succeed ing Tuesday and Friday. 
A sketch of the arrangement ma^ be obtained of Mr. E. 
Triphook, Bookseller, 3/,' St. James’s Street. , 
