laces, however, there are laminae containing shells in a more
perfect state, all of a white colour, with the exception of one (which I
found on digging a cave) of a semicircular shape, of a red colour, and
almost as large as an oyster shell. The whole of the substance of
Bermuda can be burnt into good lime; but there is an indurated
calcareous stone, often containing many perfect shells, on the island on
which the naval yard is being built, which is preferred as more adhesive
and better in quality. Although there are no indications of volcanic
products on this island, yet it exhibits manifest proofs that volcanic
force has raised it from the depths of the ocean. In what stage of
induration it was at that period it is difficult to conjecture. The
hills and vales throughout the whole extent of Bermuda have the
stratified calcareous material generally conforming on all sides to the
inclination of the surface. There are, however, many situations in which
the strata present themselves as manifestly broken by force. In the deep
cutting in the road which enters into the enclosure around the
Government House, one of these breaks appears at the apex of the hill,
dividing its sides, which here incline towards the centre, exposing a
wedge-formed supplementary part that fills up the interstice. In the
grounds of the Admiralty House curious instances of unconformable strata
are laid bare in old quarries. These indicate some other cause for their
nonconformity than that before assigned, and I am quite at a loss to
imagine how the stratified materials could have been placed one above
another at such different angles by the action of water, or in any other
way, without appearance of disruption. There are caves upon this island
containing large stalactites. There is one on Tucker's Island where
these stalactites reach from the top of the cave far below the surface
of the salt water it contains. I am not aware of any other instance
where similar crystalisations have taken place under the sea water. It
seems to lead to the belief that this island was at some time less
submerged. There are other caves much larger, and one which goes in so
far that the officers who accompanied me did not scramble to its end.
This cave is formed by two large masses of calcareous matter having been
reared up one against the other. I have seen some very beautiful
crystallisations taken from another cave recently found in a quarry at
Ireland Island; but the absen