In confirmation of this view of the travelled soil, it may be observed, that in lower Saxony about Hamburgh, and for a great way to the south-west, the gravel is mostly of broken flint, such as is around the chalk countries:  Yet it is at a distance from the chalk of Flanders; there is however at Luxemburgh chalk with flint, the same as in England and France.  Therefore the flinty soil of that country, in like manner, demonstrates the great destruction of the solid parts, and illustrates the formation of soil by the remainder of the hard parts below, and the alluvion of other parts.

There is most undoubted evidence that the solid body of our land had been formed at the bottom of the sea, and afterwards raised above the surface of the water; but, in the case which has now been described, it appears that the travelled soil of the surface of our land had been lately under the surface of the sea.  We have thus therefore traced the different steps in the operations of nature, of which the last step may be considered as thus exposed to our view almost as much as the operations of man in building the Pyramids of Egypt.  But surely there are other documents to be found in examining the different coasts of this island with attention; and there must be a consistency in the general appearance which never fails to attend on truth.

From the south to the north of this island, there are, in many places, the most evident marks of the sea having been upon a higher level on the land; this height seems to me to amount to about 40 or 50 feet perpendicular at least, which the land must have been raised.  Some of those facts may now be mentioned.

Upon the banks of the Thames, I have found sea shells in the travelled soil a considerable height above the level of the sea.  In low Suffolk there are great bodies of sea shells found in the soil which the farmers call crag, and with it manure their land.  I do not know precisely the height above the sea; but I suppose it cannot exceed 100 feet.  In the Frith of Forth there are, in certain places, particularly about Newhaven, the most perfect evidence of a sea bank, where the washing of the sea had worn the land, upon a higher level than the present.  The same appearance is to be found at Ely upon the Fife coast, where the sea had washed out grottos in the rocks; and above Kinneel, there is a bed of oyster shells some feet deep appearing in the side of the bank, about 20 or 30 feet above the level of the sea, which corresponds with the old sea banks.  I have seen the same evidence in the Frith of Cromarty, where a body of sea shells, in a similar situation, was found, and employed in manuring the land.  There are many other marks of a sea beach upon a higher level than the present, but I mention only those which I can give with certainty.