244 Mr. Farey’s Account of 
with the denudations, that were so apparent in my first journey 
across the county in the preceding autumn, offered, as I pro- 
ceeded afterwards in filling up my map, a considerably diffe- 
rent explanation of the structure of the county, or section of 
its strata, from that which I had previously made, and per- 
mitted some persons to copy. The first volume of my Report 
to the Board of Agriculture, abovementioned, has compressed 
into it, all the most essential particulars of my Survey, which 
manuscript you did me the honour to examine, and to recom- 
mend its adoption to the Board ; but as the plan of that Re- 
port did not admit of taking an extended or connected view of 
the great faults or dislocations of the district, I have troubled 
you with this Letter, in order to describe them : previous to 
which it may be right just to recall to your recollection, a few 
particulars respecting the British stratification. It is now well 
known to great numbers of observers, that the thick clay and 
other strata, on which the metropolis is situated, extend east- 
ward through Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk to the eastern coast, 
and in all their extent cover the chalk strata : that these again 
(the chalk) extend from the Isle of Wight to Flamborough 
Head, and cover other known strata, which have their regular 
basset-edges , or appearances at the surface, in continuity, to the 
westward of the limits of the chalk, and of each other; and thus 
it has been imagined by many, that the whole surface of Eng- 
land could be referred to, or explained by, an uninterrupted 
series of basset-edges of strata, dipping to the SE. and rang- 
ing in continuity from SW. to NE. in certain undulating lines, 
conformable to the surface, from one sea to the other, just as 
a certain number at the upper part of the series have been 
shown to do, by Mr. Smith’s manuscript maps. But, after 
