GEOLOGICAL CHARACTER.

This Dale is situated on the extreme eastern verge of the carboniferous limestone, out of which it may be said to have been excavated, chiefly by volcanic agency, and partly by the action of moving water at a remote era, when all or most of the present continents formed the bed of the original ocean. This fact both the nature of

the toadstone beds and the immense masses of marine exuviæ, or fossil organic remains, attest; and its formation must have been subsequent to the deposition of all the beds of which it is composed, as they are clearly answerable to each other on both sides of the valleyand these beds must also have acquired a considerable degree of consolidation before they were disturbed, as they are nowhere bent or contorted, but rent and broken -forming veins and fissures from the breadth of a hair to fathoms in extent, the smaller ones chiefly filled up with whitish calcareous spar-a purer deposition of the limestone by infiltration through the over lying beds; the larger with lead ore, fluor spar, zinc, barytes, &c., and some still quite open. Its existence may be dated about the time of the gradual emergence of our present continents, all of which have been thrown up with more or less violence by volcanic forces deeply seated beneath the earth's surface, and beneath the bottom of the original ocean; but here the paroxysmal action must have taken place with great intensity, and differing in degree at different points of the dale, as the High Tor exceeds the general height of the rocks by 150 feet, and a break occurs, of nearly a quarter of a mile, about the middle, where the limestone disappears, and the "talus" of millstone grit from Riber Hill, descends to the river's edge. From this point the continuous line of rocks is thrown up considerably to the eastward, assuming a far bolder

aspect, while a bold ridge, from Masson Hill, advances into the open space which separates the line of rocks, giving to the dale a zigzag appearance. With the exception of this point the whole of the eastern side is bounded with massive ramparts of limestone, varying from 200 to nearly 400 feet, profusely wooded, crowned and fringed to their very summit, with the yew, the box, the hazel, the maple, and towering forest tree of almost every kind, sometimes singularly inserted into their cavities, drinking up and deriving their sole nourishment from the water that filtrates through the rock, the ivy entwining its delicate tendrils around them, and making its way everywhere up their faces.

The first line is beautifully curved, extending from the Wild Cat Tor to the Hag Tor, which terminates suddenly in the middle of the dale (as already mentioned) descending rapidly and running to the eastward, where their under lying masses are laid bare by the action of the river, near the point where they dip under the talus of the grit. The succeeding and still bolder line preserves nearly a straight course south and north from the High Tor to where it diverges to the eastward for a short distance, then assumes its original direction, gradually losing its bold rocky character until it terminates suddenly in a knowl or low eminence, where the limestone is entirely cut off, and the river sweeping down in a direct line, and striking against the bare perpendicular northern face, is turned into the rocky defile, and flows close to the base of the rocks throughout the dale. Here a fine section of the limestone is laid bare, presenting the novel spectacle of an undulating and waved surface, which is continued along the entire face, and extending in length more than two hundred yards, until these measures are lost by dipping under the grit to the eastward. On this bold crag Matlock church and part of the village is beautifully situated. The church, with its tower, peering from amidst the thick foliage which crowns the height, is a fine object from the bridge. Here the dale expands considerably, presenting some fine pasture ground and

meadows on which the greater part of Matlock village stands, intersected by the Lums, a small brook that falls into the Derwent just under the rocks already mentioned, and go under the name of the Church Tors, from the fact of the church standing immediately above them.

To return to the opposite side of this fine dale, which presents a far different aspect to the one we have been describing, arising from circumstances, the almost invariable result of the violent causes to which it owes its existence. It is observable that all, or most ravines or valleys formed in the limestone, by great forces acting suddenly from beneath, present one bold, craggy, perpendicular side, and one with a gradual slope, accessible at most points. The side with the bold craggy face will be on that with the line of dip-that is, if the measures dip to the eastward (as is the case here) the boldest side will look westward, and form what is called the culminating points of the measures, and this arises from the fact that the rent and broken fragments rest safely on this face, because inclined the reverse way to the open valley; but on the opposite side to this the inclination of the beds being the same way as the face-that is, dipping into the dale-the crags (if any) will overhang, and appear in shelving ledges or steps, and are therefore more likely to be thrown down in the lapse of time, having a tendency to fill up and make this side more of a gradual descent; and in the act, too, of its formation, immense masses of broken fragments of rock of all dimensions are thrown down, which are speedily covered over with the detritus of other rocks brought from a distance by the action of water, and deposited in vast portions at all the salient points, where it lies undisturbed, while the water, attaining its greatest force on the other, sweeps it away. Having made these remarks, I will attempt to trace briefly this side. The only one which admits of sufficient room for Matlock Bath and the other buildings which occur in the dale, together with the excellent road that now winds through it, and here, on entering, an overhanging cliff presents itself, ranging obliquely, and

extending upwards about midway to the summit of Masson, which, at this point, attains the elevation of at least 800 feet above the bed of the river, and more than 1000 above the sea. A little further on, we find a series of these cliffs running also obliquely up the hill, but in the opposite direction, and thus converging to one point, at a considerable elevation, where they are all lost in the Conical Mass of that which is denominated "Masson Low."* Between the extreme limbs of these cliffs there is an immense talus of limestone, and trap boulders, and fragments, some of vast size, filled up with detritus or loose rubble. The largest and most perfect clifft takes its rise to the south of the Tor, from beneath the bed of the river, so that the gigantic Tor, with its connecting crags, is included between the extreme points of these cliffs as if disrupted and torn from between them. The Long Tor, or the most southern of the cliffs already described, is a bold off-shoot of Masson, extending eastward into the open space left by the submergence of the rocks at this point.-Its southern face is remarkably steep, but everywhere covered with a rich mould, and in some places to a great depth, thus affording a fine. soil for nurturing the profuse vegetation which grows most luxuriantly upon it. This fine part is called the "Heights of Abraham," from the supposed resemblance they have to those near Quebec.-Masson, which assumes a circular form towards the top, throws off another immense limb or ridge to the south, which gra

* These cliffs were called by Dr. Darwin the "jaws of Matlock," and not inaptly so, for they certainly present a formidable aspect to the traveller on entering the Dale from the north.

+ The intermediate cliffs are detached and much broken.-One of these overhung the road for some years, and during one wet season the whole mass, resting on the first clay, slid down for some yards rolling tons of broken fragments into the road, which had nearly been fatal to some travellers in a chaise, which arrived near the spot at the moment, but sufficiently distant and out of the reach of the rolling fragments, and so fortunately escaped the danger. This mass has since been blasted and cut away so as to make it perfectly secure in future.

dually narrowing and descending in a gentle sweep till it reaches the Valley leading to Bonsall, where, diverging eastward, it becomes extremely narrow, and steep on both sides at the back of Cromford.-It there crosses the road, enters the Willersley grounds, forming the magnificent crags in front of the house, and suddenly terminates, before reaching Cromford chapel, just behind the Mills. This limb forms a half circle, including the first series of rocks within it. This embraces about one half of the Dale, and which, at its commencement under the Heights of Abraham, assumes the appearance of a vast Amphitheatre, and with its fine sweep and salient points, at intervals throughout its course, contrasted with the stupendous rocks opposite with their bold faces and angular projections, the river flowing between all so beautifully wooded, give to it a diversity, beauty, and sublimity of character nowhere to be met with or equalled except in Switzerland, and to which it is compared by travellers who have had the opportunity and privilege of seeing both. Hence it has justly been styled a "Switzerland in Miniature." Before quitting this subject, it is needful to describe the intervening portions of this half, in order to complete its character. The Dale opens considerably on reaching the Bath from the north, and is far less steep and bold about the middle, and, on examination, it is quite evident that a slip of the whole centre has taken place, precipitating vast masses from the heights above, and which present to the eye one complete mass of ruin, on passing up the enchanting Wood at the back of the Old Bath. A vast cliff bounds this wood, running in a slanting direction upwards, and forming at the top those peculiar and singular Rocks called "romantic," just behind which they are lost, but are again traceable on passing the rude hamlet called the Upper Wood and bound the lane leading down to the Toll-bar, not far from the Cotton Mill, where a vast mass is disclosed, partly cut away for the road. This slip is doubtless contemporaneous with the heaving up and production of the opposite rocks,