*55 
on the east Coast of England. 
the opposite low coast of England, both in point of elevation 
above the sea, and of internal structure and arrangement of 
their soils. On both sides, strata of clay, silt, and sand, (often 
mixed with decayed vegetables,) are found near the surface; 
and, in both, these superior materials cover a very deep stratum 
of bluish or dark-coloured clay, unmixed with extraneous bo- 
dies. On both sides, they are the lowermost part of the soil, 
existing between the ridges of high lands, * on their respective 
sides of the same narrow sea. These two countries are cer- 
tainly coeval; and, whatever proves that maritime Flanders has 
been for many ages out of the sea, must, in my opinion, prove 
also, that the forest we are speaking of was long before that 
time destroyed, and buried under a stratum of soil. Now it 
seems proved, from historical records, carefully collected by 
several learned members of the Brussels Academy, that no 
material change has happened to the lowermost part of mari- 
time Flanders, during the period of the last two thousand 
years. -f 
I am therefore inclined to suppose the original catastrophe 
which buried this forest, to be of a very ancient date ; but I 
suspect the inroad of the sea which uncovered the decayed 
trees of the islets of Sutton, to be comparatively recent. The 
state of the leaves and of the timber, and also the tradition of 
* These ridges of high lands, both on the British and Belgic side, must be very si- 
milar to each other, since they both contain parts of tropical plants in a fossil state. 
Cocoa nuts, and fruits of the areca, are found in the Belgic ridge. The petrified fruits 
of Sheppey, and other impressions of tropical plants, on this side of the water, are 
well known. 
f Vide several papers in the Brussels Me’moires; also Journ. de Pbys. T. XXXIV. 
p. 401. 
X 3 
