arth Falls at the Undercliff, in the Isle of Wight." By William Rickman.

emarkable tract of coast, called the "Undercliff," exom the south point of the Isle of Wight, nine miles to ward. Its surface is distorted in form, somewhat re, in miniature, the volcanic features of Southern Italy; ugh the latter has been formed by the action of fire, and er by that of water, both have been moulded when in a partial fluidity. The soil is of a boggy nature, is interwith numerous springs, and in it are imbedded, in the confusion, detached masses of the weather-worn cliff ming, in places, natural terraces on the face of the cliff, ning inwards at different angles towards the land.

tional view, taken through the south point, bearing north summit of St. Catherine's Down, would present these

From the sea beach of iron sand, strewed with shingle and boulders, rises a cliff of 60 feet, and from it a rugged and irregular ascent of 320 feet in height, half a mile in extent, composed of vegetable soil, chalk, green sand-stone in masses and fragments, and of blue marle, the whole mingled indiscriminately, and irrigated by numerous springs. Thus much constitutes the "Undercliff." Above it appears the perpendicular, serrated profile of the Upper Cliff, 260 feet in height, from which the surface of the Down proceeds, with a slight descent for a quarter of a mile, and then gradually rises, in the extent of half a mile, to a vertical height of 200 feet, being the highest land in the island,-780 feet above the level of the sea. The strata are nearly horizontal, with a slight dip to the north-east. They are the upper part of the secondary or supermedial order, and consist of chalk, chalk-stone, green sand-stone, blue marle, and iron or red sand.

This stratification would account for the subsidences of the Cliff, which have occurred so repeatedly. The water, collected by the extensive surface of the Down, would percolate through the chalk and sand-stone beds, until it reached the impervious blue marle, where it would accumulate until it finally escaped by oozing out over the edge of the stratum, carrying with it portions of the sandy subsoil; in this state it has the appearance of a slimy grit, consisting of particles of the sand-stone, lubricated with clay; it is familiarly called "the blue slipper." A continuation of this infiltration, for any length of time, must end by undermining certain portions of the face of the Cliff, which, being unsupported beneath, detach themselves from the main rock and settle; the first settlement may not exceed a few inches, but a fissure having been formed the whole length behind the subsidence, the surface water pours into it, and continuing to moisten and undermine it, at length causes the slip to assume its present aspect. This soakage of water, at the back of the mass, may be supposed to sap its foundation at the rear, and to give it the dip inwards, which is observed in all cases, and most evi

President observed, that although papers of this kind did pear to be exactly adapted for the meetings of the Instiof Civil Engineers, yet, as geology was so intimately conwith engineering, and as it was always essential to ascercurately, the nature of the ground where works were to cuted, such communications became not only acceptable, y valuable, to the profession.

Lowe had paid much attention to a similar formation at gs, and while he agreed to the general correctness of the ations, he did not think a sufficient reason had been asfor such a mass of iron sand, with its incumbent chalk, driven seaward. He would attribute the subsidences, at dercliff, to the action of water percolating through the ⇒ into the thin beds of clay, interspersed with lignites, with the iron sand abounded. This, when moistened, would ut and permit the chalk to crush it outwards, causing the ences so ably described by Mr. Rickman.

List of Patents

Granted for Scotland subsequent to September, 1840.

To George Saunders, of Hooknorton, in the county of Oxford, clerk, and James Wilmot, of the same place, farrier, for improvements in machinery for dibbling or setting wheat and other grain.-Sealed 25th August.

Charles Wye Williams, of Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, gentleman, for improvements in the means of generating heat, principally applicable to the production of steam, and the prevention of smoke.-Sealed 28th August.

Thomas Gadd Matthews, of the city of Bristol, merchant, and Robert Leonard, of the same place, merchant, for certain improvements in machinery or apparatus for sawing, rasping, or dividing wood or turnery work.-Sealed 31st August. Miles Berry, of the Office of Patents, 66, Chancery-lane, in the county of Middlesex, patent agent, (being a communication from abroad,) for certain improvements in the strengthening and preserving ligneous and textile substances.-Sealed 1st September.

Peter Fairbairn, of Leeds, in the county of York, engineer, (being a communication from abroad,) for certain improvements in machinery or apparatus for heckling, combing, preparing, or dressing hemp, flax, and such other textile or fibrous materials.-Sealed 7th September.

Thomas Milner, of Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, for certain improvements in boxes, safes, or other depositories, for the protection of papers or other materials from fire.— Sealed 8th September.

John Johnstone, of Glasgow, in the county of Lanark, North Britain, gentleman, for a new method, by means of machinery,

VOL. XVII.

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of ascertaining the velocity of, or the space travelled through, by ships, vessels, carriages, and other means of locomotion, part of which is also applicable to the measurement of time. -Sealed 14th September.

Edwin Travis, of Shaw Mills, near Oldham, in the county of Lancaster, cotton spinner, for certain improvements in machinery or apparatus for preparing cotton and other fibrous materials for spinning.-Sealed 15th September.

Henry Curzon, of the borough of Kidderminster, in the county of Worcester, machinist, for improvements in steam-engines. Sealed 16th September.

George Gwynne, of Portland-terrace, Regent's-park, in the county of Middlesex, gentleman, for improvements in the manufacture of candles, and operating upon oils and fats.— Sealed 16th September.

Henry Waterton, of Fulmer-place, Gerrard's-cross, in the county of Buckingham, Esquire, for certain improvements in the manufacture of sal ammoniac.-Sealed 16th September. John Gibson and Thomas Muir, both of Glasgow, in the Kingdom of Scotland, silk manufacturers, for improvements in cleaning silk and other fibrous substances.-Sealed 17th September.

James Stirling, of Dundee, engineer, and Robert Stirling, clerk, D. D. of Calston, Ayrshire, for certain improvements in airengines. Sealed 17th September.

James Harvey, of Bazing-place, Waterloo-road, in the county

of Surrey, gentleman, for improvements in extracting sulphur from pyrites, and other substances containing the same.— Sealed 21st September.

Gerard Ralston, of Tokenhouse-yard, in the city of London,

merchant, (being a communication from abroad,) for an invention of improvements in rolling puddle balls, or other masses of iron.-Sealed 22nd September.