l and the other geologists of the day, but time has
made good his position. The postscript to Letter 542 is especially
interesting. We are indebted to Mr. Harker, of St. John's College, for
this note.)

Down, August 23rd [1846?].

I must just send one line to thank you for your note, and to say
how heartily glad I am that you stick to the cleavage and foliation
question. Nothing will ever convince me that it is not a noble subject
of investigation, which will lead some day to great views. I think it
quite extraordinary how little the subject seems to interest British
geologists. You will, I think live to see the importance of your paper
recognised. (536/2. Probably the paper "On Slaty Cleavage." "Quart.
Journ. Geol. Soc." Volume III., page 74, 1847.) I had always thought
that Studer was one of the few geologists who had taken a correct and
enlarged view on the subject.

LETTER 537. TO D. SHARPE. Down [November 1846].

I have been much interested with your letter, and am delighted that
you have thought my few remarks worth attention. My observations on
foliation are more deserving confidence than those on cleavage; for
during my first year in clay-slate countries, I was quite unaware of
there being any marked difference between cleavage and stratification; I
well remember my astonishment at coming to the conclusion that they
were totally different actions, and my delight at subsequently reading
Sedgwick's views (537/1. "Remarks on the Structure of Large Mineral
Masses, and especially on the Chemical Changes produced in the
Aggregation of Stratified Rocks during different periods after their
Deposition." "Trans. Geol. Soc." Volume III., page 461, 1835. In the
section of this paper dealing with cleavage (page 469) Prof. Sedgwick
lays stress on the fact that "the cleavage is in no instance parallel
to the true beds."); hence at that time I was only just getting out of
a mist with respect to cleavage-laminae dipping inwards on mountain
flanks. I have certainly often observed it--so often that I thought
myself justified in propounding it as usual. I might perhaps have been
in some degree prejudiced by Von Buch's remarks, for which in those
days I had a somewhat greater deference than I now have. The Mount at
M. Video (page 146 of my book (537/2. "Geol. Obs. S. America." page 146.
The mount is described as consisting of hornblendic slate; "the laminae
of the slate on the north and south side near the summit dip inwards."