researches on shore. 
251 
In this excursion, not a vestige of vegetation, 
excepting two or three lichens, was observed. 
There was not, indeed, the least portion of mould 
for their growth, the whole surface of the ridge 
at Cape Moorsom, as*well as the bases of Vandyke 
Cliffs, consisting of a deep bed of sharp stones. 
My mineralogical object, however, was quite suc¬ 
cessful. I got access to all the most curious and 
interesting rocks that were seen, and was enabled 
to collect specimens from many of the veins, by 
which tire predominant rock was variously inter¬ 
sected. The prevailing rock was found to be 
slate-clay, in some places inclining to bituminous 
shale. The strata at Vandyke Cliffs lie nearly 
vertical; but near Cape Moorsom, where there is 
a sudden dislocation, the beds become horizontal. 
The lowest visible rock at this Cape is a bed of 
slate-clay rock, some hundreds of feet in thick¬ 
ness ; then occurs a horizontal stratum of highly 
crystallized porphyry, of a red colour on the surface. 
This is surmounted by another thick bed of slate- 
clay, which, inclining to the nature of bituminous 
shale, is much less compact than the lower bed, 
yet sufficiently solid under a horizontal arrange¬ 
ment of the strata, to form the magnificent pin¬ 
nacles of this Cape. With any other direction of 
the stratification, however, it is evident that these 
immense irregular columns could never have been 
