152

COMPTON.

siderable number of fossil shells belonging to the green sand ;

and I am convinced that this spot will afford much interest tothe fossilist.*

Turning to the east, I kept on my left the cliff of dark redferruginous sandstone, which contained here also beds of blackclay and yellow sand ; a deep and gloomy chasm in it is calledCompton chine, at the top of which is a small barrack. (PlateXXII.)

It was near to this place, that I had been informed, fossilfruits had been found in great abundance, and which werevulgarly called in the island, Noah’s nuts : I made a point ofendeavouring to see them in situ. Near the top of this cliff lienumerous trunks of trees, which, however, were not lodged inthe undisturbed strata, but buried eight or ten feet deep undersand and gravel. Many of them were a foot or two in diameter,and ten or twelve feet in length. Their substance was very soft,but their forms and the ligneous fibre were quite distinct: roundthem were considerable quantities of small nuts, that appearedsimilar to those of the hazel. None of the wood nor fruits wereat all mineralised, but resembled the state of such substanceswhen they have lain long in bogs or marshes. Among themwas some phosphat of iron.

No hazel whatever now grows upon the island; nor has thesubversion of these trees been an event of recent occurrence.Their situation, under such deep beds of earth and gravel, pointsout its remote antiquity. Yet pieces are sometimes found sofresh, as to bear being worked into furniture; and a farmer in

1 hese, with the other specimens collected in the Isle of Wight, were presented, by Sirllenry Lnglelield, to the Museum of the Geological Society .

£