cave hunting-william boyd dawkins

7/25/2019 Cave Hunting-William Boyd Dawkins

1/274

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Cave Hunting, by William Boyd Dakin!

Thi! eBook i! for the u!e of anyone anyhere in the "nited #tate! and mo!tother $art! of the orld at no co!t and ith almo!t no re!triction!hat!oever% &ou may co$y it, give it aay or re'u!e it under the term! ofthe Project Gutenberg (icen!e included ith thi! eBook or online at

%gutenberg%org% )f you are not located in the "nited #tate!, you*llhaveto check the la! of the country here you are located before u!ing thi!ebook%

Title+ Cave Hunting e!earche! on the evidence of cave! re!$ecting the early inhabitant! of Euro$e

-uthor+ William Boyd Dakin!

elea!e Date+ .une /0, /123 4EBook 56/7/78

(anguage+ Engli!hCharacter !et encoding+ "T9'0

::: #T-T ;9 TH)# P;.ECT G"TEE H"


2/274

9ig% 3%

9ig% %

9ig% 0%

C% 9% =ell (ath% (ondon 9%C%

E)CT;)- C->E% $J0%

(ondon Iacmillan K CFo% 207%8

C->E H"


3/274

PE9-CE%

The e$loration of cave! i! ra$idly becoming an im$ortant field ofinMuiry, and their contribution! to our knoledge of the early hi!toryof the !ojourn of men in Euro$e are daily increa!ing in value and innumber% #ince the year 20/, hen Dr% Buckland $ubli!hed hi! famou!ork, the NeliMuiO DiluvianO, no attem$t ha! been made to correlate,and bring into the com$a!! of one ork, the crude ma!! of fact! hichhave been recorded in nearly every country in Euro$e% )n thi! volume) have attem$ted to bring the hi!tory of cave'e$loration don to theknoledge of to'day, and to $ut it! main conclu!ion! before my reader!in one connected and continuou! narrative% #ince Dr% Buckland rote,the momentou! di!covery of human relic! along ith the etinct animal!in cave! and river de$o!it! ha! revolutioni!ed the current idea! a! tothe antiMuity and condition of man and ork! of art of a high order,

!hoing a familiarity ith nature and an a$titude for the delineationof the form! of animal! by no mean! de!$icable, have been di!covered inthe cave! of Britain, 9rance, Belgium, and #itQerland, that ere thedelling! of the $rimeval Euro$ean hunter! of reindeer and mammoth!%The di!coverie! in =ent! Hole and in the cave! of Belgium led to tho!ein the cave! of Briham and Wookey Hole, and finally to tho!e of-uvergne and the !outh of 9rance, a! ell a! of Germany and #itQerland%

-rchOology, al!o, by the u!e of !trictly inductive method!, ha! gronfrom a mere antiMuarian !$eculation into a !cience and it! !tudent!have $roved the truth of the three divi!ion! of human $rogre!!familiar to the Greek and oman $hilo!o$her, and e$re!!ed in the$age! of He!iod and (ucretiu!''the -ge! of #tone, BronQe and )ron% The!ubdivi!ion of the fir!t of the!e into the older, or $alOolithic, andneer, or neolithic, by #ir .ohn (ubbock, i! the only refinement hichha! been made in thi! cla!!ification% #ir Charle! (yell ha! di!cu!!edthe variou! $roblem! offered by the general con!ideration of the fir!tof the!e divi!ion! in NThe -ntiMuity of Ian hile #ir .ohn (ubbock,in NPrehi!toric Ian, ha! folloed Dr% =eller and other! in orking outthe $a!t hi!tory of mankind by a com$ari!on of the habitation!, tomb!,im$lement! and ea$on! found in Euro$e, ith tho!e of modern !avage!%Thi! ork i! intended to be to a con!iderable etent !u$$lementary totheir!,''to treat of the formation of cave!, and of the light thron bytheir content! on the !ojourn of man in Euro$e, on the ild animal!,and on the change! in climate and geogra$hy%

)n treating of the cave! of the hi!toric $eriod, ) have givencon!iderable $rominence to the e$loration of the >ictoria Cave, near#ettle, hich ha! led to the di!covery that many cavern! ere inhabitedin thi! country during the fifth and !ith centurie!, and that theycontain ork! of art of a high order% )n the difficult ta!k of bringingthem into relation ith Briti!h hi!tory and art, ) have to acknoledgethe kind a!!i!tance of Ir% E% -% 9reeman, the ev% .% % Green, and Ir%-% W% 9rank!%

)n the neolithic divi!ion of the $rehi!toric $eriod, ) have$ubli!hed at length my recent di!coverie! in the !e$ulchral cave! ofDenbigh!hire, and am alloed by my friend, Profe!!or Bu!k, to re$rinthi! de!cri$tion of the human bone!% To hi! !ugge!tive e!!ay on theGibraltar cave!, a! ell a! to the ork! of the late Dr% Thurnam, andof Profe!!or! Broca and Huley, ) am indebted for the clue to theidentification of the neolithic deller! in cave! ith the ancient


4/274

)berian! or Iodern Ba!Mue!% That $ortion of the evidence hich relate!to 9rance ) have verified by a $er!onal eamination of the humanremain! from cave! and tomb! in the Iu!eum! of Bordeau, Toulou!e,(yon! and Pari!%

The re!ult! of the e$loration of the HyOna'den of Wookey Hole have

been given in greater detail in the $ortion of the ork devoted to the$alOolithic age than they ould have been, had they been before fullyrecorded% -nd in thi! divi!ion of the !ubject ) have largely madeu!e of the NeliMuiO -MuitanicO, hich embodie! the di!coverie! in-uvergne of my late friend! Profe!!or E% (artet and Ir% Chri!ty% To theeditor! of that ork ) am indebted for $ermi!!ion to u!e !ome of the$late! and letter$re!!%

The hi!tory of the $lei!tocene mammalia, in hich $alOolithic manform! the central figure, ha! been my e!$ecial !tudy for many year!%-nd the evidence hich i! offered by the animal! a! to the geogra$hyand climate of Euro$e, hich ) have $ubli!hed from time to time in theork! of the PalOontogra$hical #ociety, the Geological .ournal, and

in the Po$ular #cience, Briti!h Ruarterly, and Edinburgh evie!,i! collected together in thi! ork, and brought into relation ith theinMuiry into the eten!ion of ice over Euro$e in the glacial $eriod,and into the !ounding! of the Euro$ean !ea!% )n a$$roaching the!eand the like $roblem!, ) have done my be!t to arrive at the truth byvi!iting a! far a! $o!!ible the foreign localitie! and collection!, andby corre!$ondence ith the di!coverer! of ne fact!%

)n addition to tho!e name! hich ) have already mentioned, ) haveto e$re!! my thank! to the Council! of the #ociety of -ntiMuarie!,the Geological #ociety, and of the -nthro$ological )n!titute and toIr% .ohn Evan!, for the u!e of oodcut! to Ir% ooke Pennington forlooking over !ome of the $roof !heet! and to Profe!!or! Gaudry,Stimeyer, (ortet,


5/274

The Phy!ical Divi!ion of the #ubject 6, 3

The Biological Divi!ion 3

Ien and -nimal! 3

Ethnological, -rchOological, and Geogra$hical Bearing! 'J

The Three Cla!!e! of Bone'Cave! 21, 22

Hi!tory of Cave'E$loration in Euro$e 22

Germany 22, 2/

Great Britain 2'20

9rance 20'/1

Belgium /1, /2

#outhern Euro$e /2, //

CH-PTE ))%

PH)C-( H)#T;& ;9 C->E#%

Cave! formed by the #ea and by >olcanic -ction /

Cave! in -renaceou! ock! /7

Cave! in Calcareou! ock! of variou! age! /6'/

Their elation to Pot'hole!, NCirMue!, and avine! /, /0

Water'Cave of Wookey Hole /J'2

Goatchurch Cave 2'7

Water'Cave! of Derby!hire 7

Water'Cave! of &ork!hire'')ngleborough 6'J

ate of De$o!it of #talagmite J'72

De!cent into Helln Pot 72'7

Cave! and Pot! round Weathercote 7'61

9ormation of Cave!, Pot'hole!, and avine! 61'6

Cavern! not generally formed in line of 9ault! 6

>ariou! -ge! of Cave! 60'32

9illing u$ of Cave! 32

Cave of Caldy 3/'30

Black'ock Cave, Tenby 30


6/274


7/274

Hi!toric >alue of Brit'Wel!h grou$ of Cave! 2/J

Princi$al -nimal! and -rticle! in Brit'Wel!h Cave! 21'2/

The "!e of Hor!e'fle!h 2/

Cave of (ongberry Bank, Pembroke!hire 2

CH-PTE )>%

C->E# "#ED )< THE -GE# ;9 );< -)%

THE -


8/274

ange of the Brachy'ce$hali 2J

Their ange in 9rance 2J0

Caverne de lhomme Iort 2J0'/1/

#e$ulchral Cave of ;rrouy /1/

#kull! from 9rench Tumuli /1

The Dolicho'ce$hali of )berian Penin!ula''Gibraltar /17'/10

#$ain''Cueva de lo! IurciVlago! /10'/21

The Woman! Cave near -lhama /21

The Guanche! of the Canary )!le! /22

)beric Dolicho'ce$hali of the !ame race a! tho!e of Britain /2/

Dolicho'ce$hali cognate ith the Ba!Mue /2'/26

#e$ulchral Cave of Chauvau /26'/20

Cave of #claigneau /20'//1

Evidence of Hi!tory a! to the Peo$le! of Gaul and #$ain //1'//

The Ba!Mue Po$ulation the olde!t //

Po$ulation of Britain //7

Ba!Mue Character! in Briti!h and 9rench Po$ulation! $re!ent //6'//

Whence come the Ba!Mue! //

The Celtic and Belgic Brachy'ce$hali //0'/1

The -ncient German ace /1

General conclu!ion! /2

CH-PTE >))%

C->E# C;


9/274

BruniMuel /7, /70

Cro'Iagnon /7J'/63

(ombrive /63

Cavillon, near Ientone /6

Grotta dei Colombi, Palmaria, inhabited by Cannibal! /60'/32

General conclu!ion! a! to Prehi!toric Cave! /32'/3

CH-PTE >)))%

THE P(E)#T;CEE# ;9 GEI-


10/274

The di!trict of the Iendi$ higher in Plei!tocene -ge than no 27

The condition of Bone! gnaed by HyOna! 27'2

The Cave! of Devon!hire'';re!ton 2, 20

Cave! at Briham 2J'/7

=ent! Hole /7'1

Probable -ge of the Iachairodu! in =ent! Hole 1'6

Cave! of )reland''#handon 6

CH-PTE )L%

THE )


11/274

#icily 6'

Ialta

ange of Pigmy Hi$$o$otamu! 0

9o!!il Iammalia in -lgeria J

(iving #$ecie! common to Euro$e and -frica J

Evidence of #ounding! 01'0/

The Glacier! of (ebanon 0/

Glacier! of -natolia 0'03

of the -tla! Iountain! 03

$robably $roduced by elevation above the #ea 0'0J

Iediterranean Coa!t'line com$aratively modern 0J

Change! of (evel in the #ahara J1

CH-PTE L)%

THE E";PE-< C()I-TE )< THE P(E)#T;CE


12/274

CH-PTE L))%

C;


13/274

/ Diagram of Helln Pot and the (ong Churn Cavern 72

Diagram of Helln Pot 7/

7 Diagram of Helln Pot, !hoing Waterfall at the bottom 76

6 Waterfall in Pot'hole, at Weathercote 70

3 Diagram of #ubterranean Cour!e of Dalebeck 7J

Diagram of an acid'orn joint, Dovehole!, Derby!hire 6/

0 Diagram of the #ource of the -ire at Ialham 66

J - >ie in the 9airy Chamber, Caldy 3

21 #talagmite! in the 9airy Chamber, Caldy 3

22 The 9airy Chamber, Caldy 37

2/ Pool! in 9airy Chamber 36

2 Pool in 9airy Chamber 36

27 Edge of Pool in 9airy Chamber 36

26 Cone ith #tra'column 36

23 Ba!in containing Cave'$earl! 3

2 9ungoid #tructure!, magnified 3

20 9ungoid #tructure, Black'rock Cave 30

2J >ie of =ing! #car, #ettle, !hoing the Entrance! of the >ictoria and -lbert Cave! 0/

/1 (ongitudinal #ection of >ictoria Cave 03

/2 >ertical #ection at the Entrance to the >ictoria Cave 0

// #$oon'brooch J2

/ ;rnamented Bone 9a!tener J/

/7 To Bone (ink! J/

/6 BronQe Brooch J6

/3 Bone Har$oon 22/

/ Bone Bead 22

/0 #tone -dQe of doubtful origin 227

/J #ection belo Grey Clay, at Entrance to >ictoria Cave 22

1 #kull of Woolly hinocero!, !hoing the $art hich i! not eaten by HyOna! 22J

2 BronQe Bracelet from Thor! Cave 2/J


14/274

/ BronQe =nife, Heathery Burn 27/

BronQe -rmlet, Heathery Burn 27

7 BronQe #$ear'head, Heathery Burn 27

6 BronQe Iould for ca!ting a !ocketed Celt 27

3 #ection of Cave at Perthi'Chareu 26/

Plan of Cave at Perthi'Chareu 267

0 Green!tone Celt, ho!digre Cave 26

J Plan of Chambered Tomb at Cefn 23/

71, 72, 7/ #kull from #e$ulchral Cave at Perthi'Chareu 230

7, 77, 76 #kull from #e$ulchral Cave at Perthi'Chareu 23J 73 #ection of 9emur 2/

7, 70, 7J, 61, 62 #ection of TibiO 23

6/, 6, 67 Platyenemic TibiO 2

66, 63, 6, 60 Human 9emora 20/

6J, 31, 32 #kull from Cave at Cefn, #t% -!a$h 206

3/, 3, 37 #kull from Geni!ta Cave /1

36, 33 #kull from Cave of #claigneau /2J

3 Platyenemic Tibia from #claigneau /2J

30 Ia$ of the Di!tribution of )beric, Celtic, and Belgic Peo$le! at dan of Hi!tory //2

3J #ection of the Trou du 9rontal /

1 Diagram of the Cave of -urignac /76

2 #ection acro!! the valley of the >eQVre and rock of Cro'Iagnon /7J

/ Detailed #ection of the Cave of Cro'Iagnon /62

Thigh'bone of Child from Grotta dei Colombi /31

7 #ection of >alley'gravel! at 9i!herton /30

6 #ection of >alley'gravel! at 9re!hford, Bath /1

3 #ection of Gailenreuth Cave /7

Plan of =irkdale Cave /J

0 #ection! of =irkdale Cave /01


15/274

J Iolar of Hi$$o$otamu! /02

01 (eg'bone! gnaed by HyOna! /0/

02 The Dream'cave, Wirk!orth /06

0/ (eft (oer .a of Glutton, Pla! Heaton Cave /0

0 Plan of HyOna Den, Wookey Hole /J

07, 06, 03, 0 9our >ie! of 9lint )m$lement! from Wookey Hole /JJ

00 #ection !hoing Content! of HyOna Den 17

0J Tran!ver!e !ection of ditto 16

J1 (ongitudinal !ection 13

J2 (ongitudinal !ection 22

J/ Gnaed .a of HyOna from Wookey 2

J "$$er and (oer .a! of HyOna Whel$, Wookey 26

J7 Thigh'bone of Woolly hinocero! gnaed by HyOna!, Wookey 23

J6 Diagram of de$o!it! in Briham Cave /1

J3 (anceolate )m$lement from =ent! Hole /3

J ;val )m$lement! from =ent! Hole /3

J0 Har$oon from =ent! Hole /

JJ Har$oon'head from =ent! Hole /

211 Hammer'!tone /0

212, 21/ "$$er Canine of Iachairodu!, =ent! Hole 2

21, 217, 216 )nci!or! of Iachairodu!, =ent! Hole

213 9lint'flake, (e! EyQie! J

21 9lint #cra$er, (e! EyQie! J

210 9lint .avelin'head, (augerie Haute J

21J 9lint -rro'head, (augerie Haute 71

221 Bone needle, (a Iadelaine 71

222, 22/ Har$oon! of -ntler, (a Iadelaine 7/

22, 227 -rro'head!, Gorge dEnfer 7/

226 Bone -l, Gorge dEnfer 7/

223 Carved Handle of eindeer -ntler 7

22 To !ide! of eindeer -ntler, (a Iadelaine 77


16/274

220 Hor!e! engraved on -ntler, (a Iadelaine 77

22J Grou$ of eindeer, Dordogne 76

2/1 Iammoth engraved on )vory, (a Iadelaine 73

2/2 Carved )m$lement of eindeer -ntler, Goyet 70

2// E!kimo! #$ear'head, bone 6

2/ E!kimo! -rro'!traightener of Walru!'tooth 67

2/7 E!kimo! Plane, or #cra$er 66

2/6 E!kimo! Hunting #cene 6

2/3 Ia$ of the Phy!iogra$hy of Great Britain in (ate Plei!tocene -ge 3

2/ Iolar of Hi$$o$otamu! Pentlandi

2/0 Iolar of Ele$ha! Ieliten!i! 0

2/J Ia$ of the Phy!iogra$hy of the Iediterranean in the Plei!tocene -ge 02

()#T# ;9 #PEC)E# -


17/274

Iea!urement! of variou! #kull! /2

Iea!urement! of #kull! of doubtful antiMuity /3

(i!t of (ate Plei!tocene -nimal! unknon in Britain in the Prehi!toric -ge /33

emain! found in Wookey HyOna Den 21

(ate Plei!tocene 9auna north of -l$! and Pyrenee! 31, 32

(i!t of -nimal! from the Cave! of Gibraltar /

9auna from the Cave! of Ientone

Bone'cave! of #icily 3

(i!t of -nimal! from the Iiddle Plei!tocene 726

Early Plei!tocene 720 Plei!tocene Iammalia 7/1, 7//

Characteri!tic -nimal! of the Plei!tocene Period 7/

Pleiocene Period 7/7

-DD)T);


18/274

belong to Nthe tran!ition $eriod from the 7th to the 0th centurie!,hen $agan and Chri!tian rite! ere ob!curely mingled, @ii% /6JA% )n#cotland, therefore, a! ell a! )reland, thi! !tyle of ornamentationi! of the !ame age, corre!$onding in the main ith that of Brit'Wel!harticle! in the >ictoria Cave, $roved by the a!!ociated coin! to belater than the 7th century%

Page 2/1, line 7%''The!e teeth are con!idered by Dr% (eith -dam! tobelong to Ele$ha! antiMuu!, hich ha! been di!covered in other $lace!in &ork!hire% They may $o!!ibly belong to that animal but they may,ith eMual ju!tice, be identified ith the ide'$lated variety of theteeth of the Iammoth% The great variation in the idth of the com$onent$late! of the fo!!il teeth of Iammoth ob!ervable in the large !erie!from Crayford and the cave! of the Iendi$ Hill!, and in tho!e in themagnificent Iu!eum of (yon!, cau!e! me to he!itate in con!idering themto belong to the rarer !$ecie!%

Page 21, line /%''Thi! ha! been verified hile the!e !heet! ere$a!!ing through the $re!! by the di!covery of Brit'Wel!h article! in

a cave in =irkcudbright!hire by Ie!!r!% -% % Hunt and -% .% Corrie,among hich are bone fa!tener! !imilar in outline to that from the>ictoria Cave @9ig% /A%

Page 2J1%'')n u!ing thi! cla!!ification of crania, ) have $ur$o!elyattached higher value to the to etreme! of !kull form, or the longand the broad, than to the intermediate oval form!, hich cannot bevieed a! di!tinctive of race, becau!e they may be the re!ult! eitherof the intermarriage of a long'headed ith a !hort'headed $eo$le, or ofvariation from the ty$e of one or other of them%

Page 2J3, heading, for NDolicho'ce$ha read NDolicho'ce$hali%

Page /12, heading, dele N-%

Page /2, note /%''The NtXte annulaire, or annular de$re!!ion, i!al!o vi!ible on !ome of the broad a! ell a! the long !kull! froma NIerovingian cemetery at Chelle! in the !ame collection% Thea!!ociation in thi! cemetery of the to !kull'form! i! $robably due tothe Ierovingian! being the ma!ter!, and the Celt! the !ervant!, and theconMueror! and the vanMui!hed being buried in the !ame !$ot%

Page //1, line /7, for N>ol!cO read N>olcO%

Page //, line /6, for Nea!t read Ne!t%

Page //0, line , dele Nthat%

Page //J, line , for N!et foot read N!ettled% The !tatement inthe tet i! too !trong% The conMue!t of Gaul by the Hun! under -ttilaa! averted by hi! defeat in the famou! battle of Chalon!%

Page /6, line /2, for Nare read Ni!%

Page /J%''#ince thi! a! ritten a ne o!!iferou! de$o!it ha! beenfound in a fi!!ure at (othor!dale, near #ki$ton, from hich the remain!of the Ele$ha! antiMuu! and Hi$$o$otamu! am$hibiu! have beenobtained%

Page /07%''The o!!iferou! fi!!ure at Windy =noll, near Ca!tleton,recently e$lored by Ie!!r!% Tym, Pennington, Plant, Walker andother!, ha! added !everal animal! to the $lei!tocene fauna of that


19/274

di!trict''the bi!on, roe, reindeer, bear, olf, fo, and hyOna, thefir!t of the!e !$ecie! being remarkably abundant, and of all age!% Theremain! ere $robably introduced by a !tream from a higher level%

Page , note /, line /, for Nthe evue and Nle! IatUriau readNin the evue and Nin the IatUriau%

Page , note 6, for N-MuitainicO read N-MuitanicO%

Page 7, line 3, for Nmind read Nmind!%

Page 63, line 26, for NPort read N9ort%

Page 32%''Ir% -y!hford #anford add! the 9eli! Caffer to the li!tfrom Bleadon, and the Gulo boreali! to that of the animal! from=ent! Hole%

Page 03, line 21, dele inverted comma!%

Page 03, line 2, for Nor from 2,111 to /,111 feet loer than theglacial covering read Nthu! differing by a line of from 2,111 to/,111 feet from the glacial covering @PalgraveA%

C->E'H"


20/274


21/274

a $rie!t came, on a certain day, to the cha$el on the hill o$$o!ite,hence he $a!!ed in !olemn $roce!!ion to the cave, Nand let don intoit a crucifi, hich he $ulled u$ again, and took thi! occa!ion toremind them of hell, and to avoid the $uni!hment due to their !in!%

The beauty of the interior! of !ome of the cave! could not fail to give

ri!e to more graceful fancie! than the!e% The fanta!tic !ha$e! of thedri$!tone, ith hich they are adorned, no re!embling Gothic $illar!!u$$orting a cry!talline arcade, or jutting out in little !$ire! andminaret!, and very generally covering the floor ith a marble'like$avement, and in !ome ca!e! lining the $ool! of ater ith a fretorkof cry!tal! that !hine like the facet! of a diamond, ere fittingornament! for the hou!e! of unearthly being!, !uch a! fairie!%

The Phy!ical Divi!ion of the #ubject%

)t i! by no mean! my intention in thi! ork to give a hi!tory oflegend! !uch a! the!e, but to take my reader! ith me into !ome of

the more im$ortant and more beautiful cave! in thi! country% Thee$loration of the chamber! and $a!!age! of hich they are com$o!ed,the fording of the !ubterranean !tream! by hich they are freMuentlytraver!ed, or the de!cent into dee$ cha!m! hich o$en in their floor!,have the $eculiar charm of mountaineering, not ithout a certain$lea!urable amount of ri!k% But to $hy!ici!t and geologi!t they offerfar more than thi!% They give an in!ight into the onderful chemi!tryby hich change! are being rought, at the $re!ent time, in the !olidrock%


22/274

entrance by Iar!hal @then ColonelA Peli!!ier% Dr% (iving!tone allude!in hi! recent letter! to the va!t cave! of Central -frica, hichoffer refuge to hole tribe! ith their cattle and hou!ehold !tuff%)n 9rance, according to I% De!noyer!, there are at the $re!ent timehole village!, including the church, to be found in the rock, hichare merely cave! modified, etended, and altered by the hand of man%

The cave! of the Dordogne ere inhabited in the middle age!% 9lora!rite! that the -Muitani, Ncallidum genu! in !$elunca! !e reci$iebant,CO!ar ju!!it includi,4/8 and the !ame cave! afforded !helter to theinhabitant! of the !ame region in the ar! of =ing Pe$in again!tthe la!t Duke of -Muitaine% )n thi! country a !mall cave in CheddarPa!! a! occu$ied till ithin the la!t fe year!% The cave! in thenorthern countie! are !tated by Gilda! to have offered a refuge tothe Brit'Wel!h inhabitant! of Britain during the raid! of the Pict!and #cot! and in the year 276 tho!e of &ork!hire ere turned to the!ame $ur$o!e during the inva!ion of the Pretender% We might rea!onablye$ect to find in cave! turned to the!e u!e! object! left behind, hichould tell u! !omething of the manner! and cu!tom! of their $o!!e!!or!,and light u$ the catalogue of battle! and intrigue! of hich hi!tory

generally con!i!t!% The re!ult! obtained from the Brit'Wel!h grou$ ofcave!, treated in the third cha$ter, !ho that thi! hitherto neglectedbranch of the inMuiry i! not ithout value to the hi!torian%

Cave! containing remain! of thi! kind may be conveniently termedhi!toric, becau!e they may be brought into relation ith hi!tory% )tmu!t, hoever, be carefully remarked that the term doe! not relateto hi!tory in general, but to that in $articular of each countryhich ha$$en! to be under inve!tigation% The mi!a$$rehen!ion ofthi! ha! cau!ed great confu!ion, and many mi!take! in archOologicalcla!!ification and rea!oning%

-gain, our e$erience of the habit! of rude and unciviliQed $eo$le!ould naturally lead u! to look to cave!, a! the $lace! in hich e!hould be likely to meet ith the remain! of the men ho lived inEuro$e before the dan of hi!tory% #uch remain! e do find that,$laced !ide by !ide ith other! from the tomb! and delling!, enableu! to di!cover !ome, at lea!t, of the race! ho lived in Euro$ein long'forgotten time!, and to a!certain roughly the !eMuence ofevent! in the remote $a!t, far aay from the hi!torical border% )tmay, indeed, !eem a ho$ele!! Mue!t to recover hat ha! been buriedin oblivion !o long, and it i! !ucce!!ful merely through the carefulcom$ari!on of the human !keleton! in the cave! and tomb! of Britain,9rance, and #$ain, ith tho!e of ei!ting race!, and of the im$lement!and ea$on! ith tho!e hich are no u!ed among !avage tribe!% By thi!mean! e !hall !ee that there are good ground! for etending the rangeof the )berian $eo$le over a con!iderable area in Euro$e, and forthe belief that the E!kimo! once lived a! far !outh a! -uvergne% )ndi!cu!!ing both the!e $roblem! it ill be im$o!!ible to !hut our eye!to the continuity that ei!t! beteen geology, archOology, biology, andhi!tory''!cience! hich at fir!t !ight a$$ear i!olated from each other%

The bone! of the dome!tic animal! in the cave! ill nece!!arily lead tothe further eamination of the a$$earance and di!a$$earance of breed!under the care of man% -nd thi! com$licated Mue!tion ha! an im$ortantbearing not merely on the ethnology, but al!o on the hi!tory, of !omeof the Euro$ean $eo$le!% )t mu!t be admitted, hoever, that thi!branch of the !ubject i!, a! yet, knon merely in outline, and e canonly ho$e to a!certain a fe fact! hich may form a ba!i! for futureinve!tigation%

9rom another $oint of vie the content! of cave! are $eculiarly


23/274

valuable% They have been u!ed a! $lace! of !helter, not merely by man,but by ild animal!, from the time they fir!t became acce!!ible tothe $re!ent day% )n the !ame ay, therefore, a! no they contain, intheir !u$erficial layer!, the bone! of !hee$, oen, and hor!e!, foe!,rabbit!, and badger!, !o in their dee$er !trata lie buried the remain!of the animal! hich ere living in Euro$e long before the hi!toric

time!% )n other ord!, they enable u! to make out the grou$! of animal!inhabiting the neighbouring di!trict!, and hich in many ca!e! haveeither for!aken their original abode! or have become etinct% -nd !incetho!e hich are etinct, or hich have migrated, could not have livedhere their remain! are found under the $re!ent condition! of life, aninMuiry into their hi!tory lead! u! into the general Mue!tion of theancient Euro$ean climate and geogra$hy% )t i! obviou!, for eam$le,that the !$otted hyOna, hich formerly inhabited the cave! of #icily,could not have cro!!ed over to that i!land after it a! !e$arated from-frica and )taly and it ould be im$o!!ible for the mu!k'!hee$, themo!t arctic of the herbivora, to live a! far !outh a! -uvergne underthe $re!ent climatal condition!% The $re!ence, therefore, of the!eanimal! in the!e di!trict! i! $roof in the one ca!e of a geogra$hical,

and in the other of a climatal, change%The di!cu!!ion of all the!e Mue!tion! i! com$rehended under the !econd,or biological, divi!ion of cave'hunting, hich may be defined a! aninMuiry into the remain! of man and animal! found in the cave!, andinto the condition! under hich they lived in Euro$e%

The three Cla!!e! of Bone'cave!%

)n the biological branch of the !ubject the cave! ill be treatedfir!t hich are com$rehended ithin the limit! of hi!tory then e!hall $a!! on to the inve!tigation of Prehi!toric cave!, or tho!ehich have been inhabited in the interval that !e$arate! hi!tory fromthe remote geological era, hich i! characteriQed by the ei!tence ofthe etinct mammalia in Euro$e% -nd, la!tly, tho!e ill be eaminedhich have furni!hed the remain! of the etinct animal!, and hichare termed by the geologi!t! Plei!tocene, from the fact that a larger$ercentage of ei!ting !$ecie! ere then living than in the $recedingPleio', Ieio', and Eocene $eriod!% The eMuivalent term! NRuaternary,u!ed by many 9rench geologi!t!, and the NPo!t'$leiocene divi!ion of thePo!t'tertiary 9ormation, u!ed by #ir Charle! (yell, are not ado$tedin thi! ork, becau!e they im$ly a break in the continuity of life,hich doe! not ei!t% NPlei!tocene a! invented and !ub!eMuentlydi!carded by #ir C% (yell,48 and i! at $re!ent u!ed by many eminentriter!, !uch a! 9orbe!, Philli$!, Gervai!, and other!% The o!!iferou!cave! ill therefore be divided into the Hi!toric, Prehi!toric, andPlei!tocene grou$!% -nd it ill be more convenient to ork backard!in time from the ba!i! offered by hi!tory, than to begin ith thePlei!tocene, or olde!t divi!ion, and bring the narrative don to the$re!ent day%

Thi! cla!!ification, founded in $art on the $rinci$le of changein the animal orld, and $artly on the ba!i! offered by hi!tory,coincide!, only in $art, ith that of the archOologi!t! ba!ed on theremain! of man! handiork% The Plei!tocene age i! the eMuivalent ofthe PalOolithic, or that of rude un$oli!hed !tone the Prehi!toricre$re!ent! the age! of $oli!hed !tone, bronQe, and iron in $art, ortho!e !tage! in human $rogre!! hen the u!e of the!e material! becamegeneral for the $ur$o!e! of every'day life hile the Hi!toric cover!merely the later $ortion of that of iron%


24/274

Hi!tory of Cave'E$loration in Euro$e%

Germany%''The re!t of thi! cha$ter mu!t be devoted to an outline ofthe hi!tory of cave'e$loration during the la!t to centurie!% Thedread of the !u$ernatural, hich $re!erved the Euro$ean cave! from

di!turbance, a! de!troyed in the !iteenth and !eventeenth centurie!by the !earch after Nebur fo!!ile, or unicorn! horn, hich rankedhigh in the materia medica of tho!e day! a! a !$ecific for manydi!ea!e!, and hich a! obtained, in great abundance, in the cavern! ofthe HartQ, and in tho!e of Hungary and 9ranconia% -! the true natureof the drug gradually revealed it!elf, the German cave! became famou!for the remain! of the lion!, hyOna!, fo!!il ele$hant!, and other!trange animal!, hich had been u!ed for medicine% We oe the fir!t$hilo!o$hical di!cu!!ion on the $oint to Dr% Ge!ner,478 ho, althoughhe maintained that the fo!!il unicorn con!i!ted, in !ome ca!e!, ofele$hant! teeth and tu!k!, and in other! of it! fo!!il bone!, did notaltogether give u$ the idea of it! medicinal value% )t i! a !ingularfact, that fo!!il remain! of a !imilar kind are, at the $re!ent time,

u!ed by the Chine!e for the !ame $ur$o!e, and !old in their druggi!t!!ho$!%468 The cave hich a! mo!t famou! at the end of the !eventeenthcentury a! that of Bauman! Hole, in the HartQ, in the di!trict ofBlankenbourg% )t i! noticed in the Philo!o$hical Tran!action! for theyear 233/, and a! !ub!eMuently de!cribed by Dr% Behren!,438 (eibnitQ,De (uc, and Cuvier, along ith other! in the neighbourhood% Tho!e ofHungary come net in $oint of di!covery, the fir!t notice of thembeing due to Patter!on Hayne in 23/% They $enetrate the !outhern!lo$e! of the Car$athian range!, and are knon by the name of dragon!cave!, becau!e the bone! hich they contain had been con!idered fromtime immemorial to belong to tho!e animal! by the country $eo$le%The!e remain! ere identified by Baron Cuvier a! belonging to thecave'bear%48

)t a! not, hoever, until the clo!e of the eighteenth century that thee$loring of cave! a! carried on !y!tematically, or their content!eamined ith any !cientific $reci!ion% The cave! of 9ranconia, inthe neighbourhood of Iuggendorf, ere de!cribed by E!$er in 27, byo!enmuller in 2017, and !i year! later by Dr% Goldfu!!% The mo!tim$ortant a! that of Gailenreuth, both from the va!t Muantity ofremain! hich it a! $roved to contain, and the inve!tigation! to hichit led% The bone! of the hyOna, lion, olf, fo, glutton, and reddeer ere identified by Baron Cuvier hile !ome of the !kull! hichDr% Goldfu!! obtained have been recently $roved, by Profe!!or Bu!k,to belong to the griQQly bear% They ere a!!ociated ith the bone! ofthe reindeer, hor!e and bi!on% o!enmuller a! of o$inion that thecave had been inhabited by bear! for a long !erie! of generation! andhe thu! realiQed that the!e remain! $roved that the animal! found inthe cave had once lived in that di!trict, and had not been !e$t fromthe tro$ic! by the deluge% The intere!t in the!e di!coverie! a! atit! height in the year 2023, hen Dr% Buckland vi!ited the cave, andacMuired that knoledge of cave'e$loring hich he a! !ub!eMuentlyto u!e ith !uch good effect in thi! country%408 9rom thi! time donto the $re!ent day, no ne fact of im$ortance ha! been added to ourknoledge of cave! by e$loration! in Germany%

Great Britain%''The fir!t bone'cave !y!tematically e$lored inthi! country a! that di!covered by Ir% Whidbey,4J8 in the Devonianlime!tone at ;re!ton, near Plymouth, in 2023 and the remain! obtainedfrom it ere identified by #ir Everard Home a! im$lying the ei!tenceof the rhinocero! in that region% Thi! di!covery folloed clo!e u$on


25/274

the re!earche! in Gailenreuth, and a! due in !ome degree to thereMue!t hich #ir .o!e$h Bank! made, that Ir% Whidbey, in Muarrying the!tone for the Plymouth breakater, !hould eamine the content! of anycavern! that he might ha$$en to meet ith% )t $receded Dr% Buckland!e$loration of =irkdale by about four year!%

)n the !ummer of 20/2 a cave a! di!covered, in a lime!tone Muarry at=irkdale, in &ork!hire, hich a! found to contain bone! and teeth ofanimal!% ;n hearing of the di!covery, Dr% Buckland $o!ted at once from#outh Wale! to the !$ot, and $ubli!hed the re!ult of the e$loration!in the Philo!o$hical Tran!action! for the net year% He brought forardevidence that the cave had been inhabited by hyOna!, and that thebroken and gnaed bone! of the rhinocero!, mammoth, !tag, bi!on, andhor!e belonged to animal! hich had been dragged in for food% He al!oe!tabli!hed the fact that all the!e animal! had lived in &ork!hirein ancient time!, and that it a! im$o!!ible for the carca!e! of thehyOna, rhinocero!, and mammoth to have been floated from tho!e region!here they are no living into the $o!ition here he found their bone!%He !ub!eMuently folloed u$ the !ubject by inve!tigating bone'cave!

in Derby!hire, #outh Wale!, and #omer!et, a! ell a! in Germany, and$ubli!hed hi! great ork, NeliMuiO DiluvianO, in 20//, hich laid thefoundation! of the ne !cience of cave'hunting in thi! country% Thee$loration of =irkdale folloed clo!ely u$on that of Gailenreuth, anda! merely the a$$lication of tho!e $rinci$le! of re!earch hich hadbeen di!covered in Germany to cave! in a ne di!trict%

9rom thi! time forard bone'cave! ere di!covered in Great Britainin increa!ing number!, and e$lored by many inde$endent ob!erver!%The famou! cavern of =ent! Hole, near TorMuay, furni!hed the ev% .%IcEnery, beteen 20/6 and the year 2072, in hich he died, ith thefir!t flint im$lement! ever di!covered in a cave along ith the bone!of etinct animal!% He recogniQed the fact that they may be $roof ofthe ei!tence of man during the time that tho!e animal! ere alivebut the !cientific orld a! not then !ufficiently educated to acce$tthe antiMuity of the human race on the evidence brought forard, andDr% Buckland him!elf a! !o influenced by the o$inion! of hi! time!,that he refu!ed even to entertain the idea% -lthough the di!coverya! verified by the inde$endent re!earche! of Ir% Godin -u!tin in2071, and by the TorMuay ivian, and !ub!eMuentlythey ere $rinted in full by Ir% Pengelly, the able !u$erintendent ofthe e$loration hich ha! been carried on by a committee of the Briti!h-!!ociation !ince 2036, by hom !everal thou!and flint im$lement! havebeen obtained, under the condition! $ointed out by the ev% .% IcEneryand Ir% Godin -u!ten%4218

While the im$ortant Mue!tion of the antiMuity of man a! being $a!!edby a! of no account, other cave! ere being eamined in thi! country%Tho!e of Banell, Burrington, #andford Hill, Bleadon, and Hutton,in the mountain lime!tone of the Iendi$ hill!, ere being orked bythe ev% .% William! and Ir% Beard, and furni!hed the magnificentcollection of mammalian bone! no in the mu!eum at Taunton% )n


26/274

thi! country in ancient time!, along ith to other grou$! of !$ecie!hich are at $re!ent knon only to live in hot and cold climate!''the!$otted hyOna and hi$$o$otamu! of -frica, ith the reindeer and themarmot of the colder region! of the earth%

The di!covery in 2060, and the e$loration, of the no famou! cave

of Briham, by the oyal and Geological #ocietie!, marked the danof a ne era in cave'hunting% "nder the careful !u$ervi!ion of Ir%Pengelly, flint im$lement! ere di!covered underneath !talagmite, andin a!!ociation ith the remain! of the hyOna and oolly rhinocero! andmammoth, in undi!turbed red loam, under condition! that $rove man tohave been living in Devon!hire at the !ame time a! tho!e animal!% Thi!!ingularly o$$ortune di!covery de!troyed for ever the doubt! that hadoverhung the Mue!tion of the antiMuity of man, and of hi! co'ei!tencein Euro$e in com$any ith the animal! ho!e remain! occur both in thecavern! and river'de$o!it!%

)n 207 I% Boucher de Perthe! de!cribed certain rude flint im$lement!that he obtained from the fluviatile gravel! of -bbeville @N-ntiMuitU!

CeltiMue!, vol% i%A, along ith the bone! of etinct animal! andhi! di!covery a! treated ith the !ame !ce$tici!m in 9rance a! thatof the ev% .% IcEnery in England, although it a! verified by flintim$lement! being di!covered, under eactly the !ame condition!, in thegravel! of -mien!, !ome forty mile! aay, by Dr% igollot%4228 )n theautumn of 2060, Dr% 9alconer, ho had been !u$erintending the orkin the Briham cave, vi!ited the collection made by I% de Perthe!,hile on hi! ay to eamine the cave! of #icily, and recogniQingman! handiork in the im$lement!, he a!ked hi! friend Ir% Pre!tichto e$lore the >alley of the #omme% Thi! he accordingly did, and incom$any ith Ir% .ohn Evan!, 9%%#%, dug out ith hi! on hand! anim$lement from the undi!turbed !trata,42/8 and thu! finally !ettled thedi!$uted Mue!tion% )t i! undoubtedly true, that !cientific o$inion a!tending toard! the acce$tance of the evidence in favour of man havinglived in Euro$e in the Plei!tocene age but the re!earche! in Brihamcave e!tabli!hed the fact on the highe!t $o!!ible authority, andconfirmed the long'neglected di!coverie! in the valley of the #omme%By the end of 206J it a! fully acce$ted by the !cientific orld, andcau!ed the e$loration of cave! to be carried on ith increa!ed vigour%

)n December 206J,428 ) began the e$loration of the hyOna'den ofWookey Hole, near Well!, #omer!et, in com$any ith the ev% .%William!on, and obtained flint in!trument! along ith the remain!of the mammoth, hyOna, oolly rhinocero!, and other animal!, undercondition! that $roved the contem$oraneity of man ith the etinctmammalia% -nd from that time don to the $re!ent date ) have carriedon re!earche! in cave! in variou! $art! of Great Britain% )n thedi!trict of Goer al!o, many o!!iferou! cavern! ere inve!tigated,in 2060'J'31'2 by Colonel Wood and Dr% 9alconer, and in one of themflint im$lement! ere obtained along ith the bone! of the etinctmammalia%4278 =ent! Hole, begun in 2036 by the Briti!h -!!ociation,and !till being orked, furni!he! annually a va!t number of bone!and teeth of hyOna!, rhinocero!e!, cave'bear!, and hor!e!, and otheranimal!, along ith flint and bone im$lement!%4268

)n 203J ) had the good fortune to di!cover, and !ub!eMuently toe$lore, a grou$ of !e$ulchral cave! in Denbigh!hire, hich had beenu!ed by an )berian or Ba!Mue race in the %Aand in the folloing year the #ettle Cave Committee began their orkin &ork!hire under my advice% -nd thi! ha! led to the im$ortantconclu!ion, that a grou$ of cave!, etending over a ide area in thecentre and north of England, a! occu$ied by the Brit'Wel!h in the


27/274

ob!cure interval hich ela$!ed beteen the de$arture of the omanlegion! and the Engli!h conMue!t%

9rance%''The re!earche! of Buckland into the cave! of Great Britain,and of Goldfu!! and other! into tho!e of Germany, and more e!$ecially

the $ublication of the N;!!emen! 9o!!ile!, by Cuvier, gave an im$etu!to cave'e$loration in 9rance hich yielded the !ame re!ult! a! inour on country% The mammalia obtained from the cave of 9ouvent @Haut#aoneA in 2011 ere de!cribed in the N;!!emen!, a! ell a! tho!efrom Gondenan!% )n the Gironde, the Cave of -vi!on a! e$lored byI% Billaudel in 20/3'/% )n the !outh, Iarcel de #erre!, aided byII% Dubrueil and .eanjean, eamined the im$ortant Cave of (unel'vielin 20/7, and $ubli!hed their re!ult! in a ork that hold! the !ame$o!ition in 9rance a! the NeliMuiO DiluvianO in England% The cavern!of Pondre!, #ouvignargue!, and of BiQe ere e$lored, the to fir!tby I% Chri!tol in 20/J, the la!t by I% Tournal in 20, and tho!e of>illefranche @PyrUnUe!'orientA, Iialet @GardA, and


28/274

di!covery of flint'flake! and human bone! along ith the remain!of tho!e animal! in the cave! of Engi! and Engihoul% )n 206,4/18Profe!!or #$ring di!covered a Muantity of burned, broken, and cutbone! belonging to omen and children, in the Cave of Chauvau, hichhe con!idered to im$ly that it had been inhabited by a family ofcannibal!% -e! of $oli!hed !tone ere al!o met ith, that indicated

the relative age to be neolithic%

To $a!! over the human !keleton found in the


29/274

Helln Pot%''The Cave! and Pot! round Weathercote%''The 9ormation of Cave!, Pot'hole!, and avine!%''Cavern! not generally formed in line of 9ault!%'';f variou! -ge!%''Their 9illing'u$%'' The Cave of Caldy%''The Blackrock Cave%''Great Muantity of Carbonate of (ime di!!olved by -tmo!$heric Water%''The Circulation of Carbonate of (ime%''The Tem$erature of Cave!%''

Conclu!ion%

Cave! formed by the #ea and by >olcanic -ction%

)n thi! cha$ter e !hall treat of the origin of cave! and of their$lace in $hy!ical geogra$hy% The mo!t obviou! agent in holloing outcave! i! the !ea% The !et of the current, the tremendou! force of thebreaker!, and the grinding of the !hingle, inevitably di!cover the eak$lace! in the cliff, and leave cave! a! the re!ult! of their ork,modified in each ca!e by the local condition! of the rock% Cave! formedin thi! manner have certain character! hich are ea!ily recogniQed%Their floor! are very rarely much out of the horiQontal, their outlook

i! over the !ea, and they very !eldom $enetrate far into the cliff%- general $aralleli!m i! al!o to be ob!erved in a grou$ in the !amedi!trict, and their entrance! are all in the !ame horiQontal $lane, orin a !ucce!!ion of horiQontal and $arallel $lane!% )n !ome ca!e! theyare elevated above the $re!ent reach of the ave!, and mark the lineat hich the !ea formerly !tood% 9rom their generally inacce!!ible$o!ition !ea'cave! have very rarely been occu$ied by man, and thehi!tory of their formation i! !o obviou! that it reMuire! no furthernotice% -mong them the famou! 9ingal! Cave, off the north coa!tof )reland, and that of #taffa, on the o$$o!ite !hore of #cotland,holloed out of columnar ba!alt, are $erha$! the mo!t remarkable inEuro$e%

)n volcanic region! al!o there are cave! formed by the $a!!age of lavato the !urface of the ground, or by the im$ri!oned !team and ga!e! inthe lava hile it a! in a molten !tate+ but the!e are of com$arativelylittle im$ortance !o far a! relate! to the general Mue!tion of cave!,from the very !mall area! hich are occu$ied by active volcanoe!in Euro$e% They have been ob!erved in >e!uviu!, Etna, )celand, andTeneriffe%

Cave! in -renaceou! ock!%

Cave! al!o occur !ometime! in !and!tone!, in hich ca!e they are there!ult of the ero!ion of the line! of the joint! by the $a!!age of!ubaZrial ater, and if the joint! ha$$en to traver!e a !tratum le!!com$acted than the re!t, the eak $oint i! di!covered, and a holloi! formed etending laterally from the original fi!!ure% The ma!!ivemill!tone grit of Derby!hire and &ork!hire $re!ent many eam$le! ofthi!, a! for in!tance in =inder!cout in the former county% The rock!at Tunbridge Well! al!o !ho to hat etent the joint! in the Wealden!and!tone! may become o$en fi!!ure!, more or le!! connected ith cave!,on a !mall !cale, by the mere mechanical action of ater% I% De!noyer!give! in!tance! of the !ame kind in the Tertiary !and!tone! of thePari! ba!in, hich have furni!hed remain! of rhinocero!, reindeer,hyOna, and bear% Cavern!, hoever, in the !and!tone are rarely ofgreat etent, and may be $a!!ed over a! being of !mall im$ortance incom$ari!on ith tho!e in the calcareou! rock!%

Cave! in Calcareou! ock! of variou! age!%


30/274

)t ha! long been knon that herever the calcareou! !trata are!ufficiently hard and com$act to !u$$ort a roof, cave! are to be foundin greater or le!! abundance% Tho!e of Devon!hire occur in the Devonianlime!tone tho!e of #omer!et,


31/274

ca$illarie! in the general valley !y!tem, through hich the rainfall$a!!e! to join the main channel!% >ery freMuently, hoever, thedrainage ha! found an outlet at a loer level, and it! ancient $a!!agei! left dry but in all ca!e! unmi!takeable $roof of the ero!ive actionof ater i! to be !een in the !and, gravel, and clay hich com$o!e thefloor, a! ell a! in the orn !urface! of the !ide! and the bottom%

)n all di!trict! in hich cave! occur are funnel'!ha$ed cavitie! ofvariou! !iQe!, knon a! N$ot'hole! or N!allo'hole! in Britain, a!Nbetoire!, Nchaldron! du diable, Nmarmite! de gUant!, in 9rance,and a! Nkata'vothra in Greece, in hich the rainfall i! collectedbefore it finally di!a$$ear! in the !ubterranean $a!!age!% They are tobe !een in all !tage! !ometime! being mere !hallo funnel!, that onlycontain ater after ece!!ive rain, and at other! a! $rofound vertical!haft!, into hich the ater i! continually falling, a! in Helln Pot,in &ork!hire% The cirMue!, al!o, de!cribed by I% De!noyer!, belong tothe !ame cla!! of cavitie!, although all tho!e hich are mentioned bythe ev% T% G% Bonney,4/78 at the head of valley!, and in !ome ca!e!holloed in !hale and igneou! rock!, are mo!t $robably to be referred

to the vertical, chi!el'like action of !tream! floing under $hy!icalcondition!, that re!emble tho!e under hich the ca[on! of the Colorado,or of the ambe!i, are being ecavated, and in hich fro!t, ice, and!no have $layed a very !ubordinate $art%

The intimate relation beteen $ot'hole!, cave!, ravine!, and valley!ill be di!cu!!ed in the re!t of thi! cha$ter, and illu!trated byEngli!h eam$le! and then e !hall $roceed to !ho that the chemicalaction of the carbonic acid in the rain'ater, and the mechanicalfriction of the !and and gravel, !et in motion by the ater, by hichProfe!!or Philli$! e$lain! the origin of cave!, ill eMually e$lainthe $ot'hole! and ravine! by hich they are invariably accom$anied%

The Water'Cave of Wookey Hole, near Well!, #omer!et%

Cave! may be divided into to cla!!e!+ tho!e hich are no mere$a!!age! for ater, in hich the hi!tory of their formation may be!tudied, and tho!e hich are dry, and ca$able of affording !helterto man and the loer animal!% -mong the ater'cave!, that of WookeyHole4/68 i! to be noticed fir!t, !ince it! very name im$lie! that ita! knon to the Celtic inhabitant! of the !outh of England, and !inceit a! among the fir!t, if not the fir!t, of tho!e eamined ith anycare in thi! country, Ir% .ohn Beaumont4/38 having brought it beforethe notice of the oyal #ociety in the year 2301%

The hamlet of Wookey Hole ne!tle! in a valley, through hich flo! theriver -e, and the valley $a!!e! in!en!ibly, at it! u$$er end, into aravine, hich i! clo!ed abru$tly by a all of rock @9ig% 2A, about tohundred feet high, covered ith long !treamer! and fe!toon! of ivy, andaffording !canty hold, on it! ledge! and in it! fi!!ure!, to fern!,bramble!, and a!h !a$ling!% -t it! ba!e the river -e i!!ue!, in fullcurrent, out of the cave, the loer entrance of hich it com$letelyblock! u$, !ince the ater ha! been ke$t back by a eir, for the u!eof a $a$er'mill a little di!tance aay% - narro $ath through theood, on the north !ide of the ravine, lead! to the only entranceno o$en%4/8 Thence a narro $a!!age lead! donard into the rock,until, !uddenly, you find your!elf in a large chamber, at the aterlevel% Then you $a!! over a ridge, covered ith a delicate fretorkof dri$!tone, ith each tiny hollo full of ater, and ornamentedith brilliant lime cry!tal!% ;ne !ha$ele!! ma!! of dri$!tone i!knon in local tradition a! the Witch of Wookey, turned into !tone by


32/274

the $rayer! of a Gla!tonbury monk% Beyond thi! the chamber e$and!con!iderably, being !ome !eventy or eighty feet high, and adorned ithbeautiful !talactite!, far out of the reach of vi!itor!% The ater,hich bar! further entrance, form! a dee$ $ool, hich Ir% .ame! Parkermanaged to cro!! on a raft @!ee -$$endi )%A into another chamber,hich a! a$$arently ea!y of acce!! before the con!truction of the

eir% )t a! in thi! further chamber that Dr% Buckland found humanremain! and $ottery%

4)llu!tration+ 9)G% 2%''Diagram of Wookey Hole Cave and avine%8

The cave ha! been $roved to etend a! far a! the village of Priddy,about to mile! off, on the Iendi$ hill!, by the fact ob!erved by Ir%Beaumont, that the ater u!ed in a!hing the lead ore at that !$ot, inhi! time, found it! ay into the river -e, and $oi!oned cattle inthe valley of Wookey% -nd thi! ob!ervation ha! been verified duringthe la!t fe year! by throing in colour and cho$$ed !tra% The !treamat Priddy !ink! into a !allo'hole @9ig% 2A, and ha! it! !ubterraneancour!e determined by the !outherly di$ of the rock, by hich the

joint! running north and !outh afford a more free $a!!age to the aterthan tho!e running ea!t and e!t% The cave i! merely a !ubterraneaneten!ion of the ravine in the !ame line, a! far a! the !allo'hole,and all three have been holloed, a! e !hall !ee $re!ently, by theaction of the !tream and of carbonic acid in the ater%

The Goatchurch Cave%

The large!t cavern in the Iendi$ hill! i! that locally knon a! theGoatchurch, hich o$en! on the ea!tern !ide of the loer of the toravine! that branch from the magnificent defile of Burrington Combe,about to mile! from the village of Wrington, at the height of about2/1 feet from the bottom of the ravine% -fter cree$ing along a narro,muddy $a!!age, ith a !tee$ de!cent to the e!t, at an angle of about1\, you !uddenly $a!! into a !talactitic chamber of con!iderableheight and !iQe% 9rom it to !mall vertical !haft! lead into theloer !et of chamber! and $a!!age! the fir!t being blocked u$, andthe !econd being clo!e to a large barrel'!ha$ed !talagmite, to hichIr% -y!hford #anford, Ir% .ame! Parker, and my!elf fa!tened our ro$e!hen e e$lored the cave in 2037% The latter afford! acce!! into a$a!!age, beautifully arched, and $a!!ing horiQontally ea!t and e!t,and ju!t large enough to admit a man alking u$right% -t the furtherend numerou! o$en fi!!ure!, cau!ed by the ero!ion of the joint! in thelime!tone, cro!! it at right angle!, and $a!! into !everal ill'definedchamber!, $artially !talactitic, but for the mo!t $art filled ithloo!e, bare, cubical ma!!e! of lime!tone% To of the tran!ver!efi!!ure! lead into a large chamber, at a loer level% -t it! loer end,on craling along a narro $a!!age, e came into a !econd chamber,al!o of con!iderable height and de$th, at the bottom of hich thenoi!e of floing ater can be heard through to vertical hole!, ju!tlarge enough to admit of acce!!% ;n !liding don one of the!e e foundour!elve! in a third chamber, hich a! traver!ed by a !ubterranean!tream, doubtle!! in $art the !ame hich di!a$$ear! in the ravine, at a$oint eighty feet above by aneroid mea!urement% The tem$erature of theater, a! com$ared ith that of the !tream out!ide @7J\ + 6J\A, render!it very $robable that, beteen the $oint of di!a$$earance in the ravineand rea$$earance in the cave, it i! joined by a !tream of con!iderable!ubterranean length, !ince the ater could not have lo!t ten degree!in the !hort interval hich it had to traver!e, ere it !u$$lied onlyfrom the !tream in the ravine% 9rom the $oint of it! di!a$$earance inthe cave, the ater $a!!e! donard! to join the main current floing


33/274

underneath Burrington Combe, that gu!he! forth in great volume atickford% The loe!t $ortion of the cave a! eighteen or tenty feetbelo the !tream, and //1 feet belo the entrance of the cavern%

;n eamining the floor! of the chamber! and $a!!age!, e di!coveredthat they ere com$o!ed of the !ame kind of !ediment a! that hich i!

no being de$o!ited by the ater in Wookey Hole, and there could beno doubt but that they had been originally traver!ed by ater% 9orthi! to have taken $lace it i! nece!!ary to !u$$o!e that, hile theGoatchurch a! a ater cave, the ravine on hich it o$en! a! notdee$er than the entrance''in other ord!, that in the interval beteenthe formation and ecavation of the chamber! and $a!!age!, to the$re!ent time, the ravine ha! been ecavated in the lime!tone to a de$thof a hundred and tenty feet, and the ater hich originally $a!!edthrough the entrance ha! found it! ay, by a ne !erie! of $a!!age!, tothe $oint here it a$$ear! at the bottom of the cave%

We obtained evidence that the horiQontal $a!!age, immediately belo thefir!t vertical de!cent, had been inhabited at a very remote $eriod% -t

the !$ot here Ir% Beard, of Banell, obtained a fine tu!k of mammoth,e found a molar of bear, and a fragment of flint, hich ere imbeddedin red earth, and ere underneath a cru!t of !talagmite of about toinche! in thickne!!% )t ould follo from thi!, that the date of theformation of thi! $art of the cave a! before the time hen the trace!of ele$hant!, bear!, and of man ere introduced%

The cave i! the re!ort of numerou! badger!% ;n hiding our!elve! inone of the tran!ver!e fi!!ure!, and throing our light acro!! thehoriQontal $a!!age, the!e animal! ran to and fro acro!! the lightedfield ith etraordinary !iftne!!, and had it not been for the hite!treak! on the !ide! of their head!, hich fla!hed back the light, theyould not have been ob!erved% Though they are rarely caught, they mu!tbe abundant in the di!trict%

(ike all the other large cavern! in the di!trict, it ha! it! legend!%The deller! in the neighbourhood, ho have never cared to e$lore it!rece!!e!, relate that a certain dog $ut in here found it! ay out,after many day!, at Wookey Hole, having lo!t all it! hair in !cramblingthrough the narro $a!!age!% -t Cheddar the !ame legend i! a$$ro$riatedto the Cheddar cave% -t Wookey the dog i! !aid to have travelled backto Cheddar% #ome eighteen year! ago, hile e$loring the lime!tonecave! at (lanamynech, on the Engli!h border of Iontgomery!hire, )met ith a !imilar !tory% - man $laying the bag$i$e! i! !aid to haveentered one of the cave!, ell $rovi!ioned ith Wel!h mutton, and afterhe had been in for !ome time hi! bag$i$e! ere heard to mile! from theentrance, underneath the !mall ton of (lanamynech% He never returnedto tell hi! tale% The fe bone! found in the cave are !u$$o!ed to betho!e hich he had $icked on the ay% Thi! i! doubtle!! another form ofthe !tory of the dog both oe their origin to the vague im$re!!ion,hich mo!t $eo$le have, of the great etent of cavern!, and bothver!ion! are eMually current in 9rance and Germany%

The Water'cave! of Derby!hire%

The celebrated cavern of the Peak, at Ca!tleton in Derby!hire, $re!ent!the !ame e!!ential character a! that of Wookey Hole% )t run! into thehill'!ide at the end of the ravine, and i! traver!ed by a $oerful!tream of ater, hich ha! been met ith in driving an horiQontaladit in lead'mining at a con!iderable di!tance from the entrance, andfinally traced to a di!tant !allo'hole% -t a little di!tance from


34/274

Buton a !maller cave, knon a! Poole! Cavern, i! in $art traver!edby ater, hich ha! found an outlet at a loer level, and alloed ofthe $re!ent entrance being u!ed by the Brit'Wel!h @omano'CelticAinhabitant! of the di!trict a! a habitation in the fifth and !ithcenturie!%4/08 There are, be!ide! the!e, very many other!, !ome knon,other! unknon, that debouch on the !ide! of the dale! in Derby!hire

and #tafford!hire, and are all ell orthy of eamination, !ince theyillu!trate not merely the hi!tory of the formation of cave!, but al!ohave been $roved to contain ork! of art, $ottery and flint im$lement!,and the remain! of animal!, !uch a! the mammoth and rhinocero!%

The Water'cave! of &ork!hire%

The cave! in the mountain lime!tone of &ork!hire rival in !iQe tho!eof Carniola, or tho!e of Greece, and they are to be !een in all !tage!of formation% )n their gloomy rece!!e! all the higher Mualitie! of amountaineer may be eerci!ed, and there i! !ufficient danger to give akeen Qe!t to their e$loration% The mountain !tream! !ometime! $lunge

into a yaning cha!m, locally knon a! a $ot, and at other! emerge fromthe dark $ortal! of a cave in full current% There i!, $erha$!, no $lacein the orld here the !ubterranean circulation of ater may be !tudiedith better advantage%

)ngleborough form! a centre from hich the rainfall on every !idefind! it! ay into the dale!, through a !y!tem of cave! more or le!!com$licated, hich during the la!t forty year! have been thoroughlye$lored by Ir% 9arrer, Ir% Birkbeck, and Ir% Ietcalfe% ;n the !outhit collect! in a ravine, and then lea$! into a dee$ bottle'!ha$ed holecalled NGa$ing Gill, into hich Ir% Birkbeck un!ucce!!fully attem$tedto de!cend, the !har$ edge! of the rock cutting the ro$e, and verynearly cau!ing a !eriou! accident% )n de$th it i! about three hundredfeet% The !tream thence find! it! ay through a !erie! of chamber! and$a!!age! until it rea$$ear! in the famou! )ngleborough cave, that a!e$lored by Ir% 9arrer in the year 20, and $roved to $a!! into therock beteen !even and eight hundred yard!%

The $re!ent entrance of the )ngleborough cave4/J8 i! dry, ece$t afterheavy rain!, hen the current revert! to it! old $a!!age% The folloingadmirable account of the interior i! given by Profe!!or Philli$!+''418

N9rom Ir% 9arrer! $lan and de!cri$tion, a! given in the ]Proceeding!of the Geological #ociety, .une 27, 2070, and from informationobligingly communicated to me, a clear notion of the hi!tory of thi!mo!t in!tructive !$ar grotto may be formed% 9or about eighty yard!from the entrance the cave ha! been knon immemorially% -t thi! $oint.o!iah Harri!on, a gardener in Ir% 9arrer! !ervice, broke through a!talagmitical barrier hich the ater had formed, and obtained acce!!to a !erie! of e$anded cavitie! and contracted $a!!age!, !tretchingfir!t to the


35/274

marble heart of the mountain, floor, roof, and !ide! are everyhereinter!ected by fi!!ure! hich ere formed in the con!olidation of the!tone% To the!e fi!!ure! and the ater hich ha! $a!!ed don them, eoe the formation of the cave and it! rich furniture of !talactite!%The direction of the mo!t marked fi!!ure! i! almo!t invariably


36/274

ate of the -ccumulation of #talagmite%

The rate at hich the calcareou! matter i! being de$o!ited at the$re!ent time i! very ea!y to be e!timated, for that accumulated !incethe $a!!age a! cleared out i! hite, and contra!t! ith the dirty,

grey'red colour of the older kind% )n one ca!e a thickne!! of 1^/7had been formed in thirty'five year!, by the ater floing don the!ide of the $a!!age ecavated by Ir% 9arrer, hile in another, inabout the !ame time, 1^16 inch had been formed% Thi! ould give anannual accumulation of 1^1130 in the one ca!e, and in the other aboutone'fifth of that amount% Thi! rate doe! not agree ith the rate ofincrea!e noted by Ir% 9arrer and Profe!!or Philli$! in the ca!e of alarge !talagmite called the .ockey Ca$, on hich a line of dro$! i!continually falling from one $oint in the roof% )t! circumference in20J mea!ured 220 inche!, in 2076, 2/1 inche!, and in 20, ) foundit to be 2/0 inche!% The annual rate of increa!e from 2076 to 20 i!^/J72 inch, and that from 20J to 2076 i! ^/06% ) found, hoever,that the mo!t remarkable increa!e a! that in height% )n 2076 it!

a$e a! J6^/6 inche! from the roof, in 20, 0 inche!, hich ouldim$ly an annual de$o!it of not le!! than ^/J73% @#ee -$$endi ))%A-t thi! rate it ill arrive at the roof in about /J6 year!% But eventhi! com$aratively !hort la$!e of time ill $robably be dimini!hed bythe groth of a $endant !talactite above, that i! no being formed in$lace of that hich mea!ured 21 inche! in 2076, and ha! !ince beenaccidentally de!troyed%

)t i! very $o!!ible that the .ockey Ca$ may be the re!ult, not of thecontinuou!, but of the intermittent dri$ of ater containing carbonateof lime, and that therefore the $re!ent rate of groth i! not a mea!ureof it! $a!t or future condition% )t! age in 2076 a! e!timated byProfe!!or Philli$! at /6J year!, on the !u$$o!ition that all or nearlyall of the carbonate of lime in each $int a! de$o!ited% )f, hoever,it gre at it! $re!ent rate, it may be not more than 211 year! old andif it be taken a! a mea!ure of the rate generally, all the !talagmite!and !talactite! in the cave may not date further back than the time ofEdard )))%

)t i! evident, from thi! in!tance of ra$id accumulation, that the valueof a layer of !talagmite in mea!uring the antiMuity of de$o!it! beloit, i! com$aratively little% The layer!, for in!tance, in =ent! Hole,hich are generally believed to have demanded a con!iderable la$!e oftime, may $o!!ibly have been formed at the rate of a Muarter of an inch$er annum, and the human bone! hich lie buried under the !talagmitein the cave of BruniMuel, are not for that rea!on to be taken to beof va!t antiMuity% )t may be fairly concluded, that the thickne!! oflayer! of !talagmite cannot be u!ed a! an argument in !u$$ort of theremote age of the !trata belo% -t the rate of a Muarter of an inch$er annum, tenty feet of !talagmite might be formed in 2,111 year!%

The De!cent into Helln Pot%

The !ubterranean $a!!age! grou$ed round Helln Pot, a tremendou! cha!mnear #el!ide, on the ea!t of #imon! 9ell in ibble!dale, illu!tratein a remarkable degree the mode in hich the ater i! at $re!entearing aay the rock% Tho!e hich have been e$lored con!titute the(ong Churn Cavern, hich i! com$aratively ea!y of acce!! through ahole knon a! Diccan Pot @9ig% /, aA% ;n de!cending into it, thevi!itor find! him!elf in the bed of a !tream that no roar! in aaterfall, no gurgle! over the large fallen block! from the roof, and


37/274

that here and there ha! orn for it!elf dee$ $ool! by the mechanicalfriction of the !and and $ebble! brought don by the current% )f it befolloed don after $a!!ing over a aterfall, the light of day i! !een!treaming u$ard! beneath the feet from the $oint here the ater lea$!into the great cha!m of Helln Pot @9ig!% /, b% , aA% -bove theentrance there i! a com$licated netork of $a!!age!, !ome dry, and !ome

containing !tream! hich have not yet been fully e$lored%

4)llu!tration+ 9)G% /%''Diagram of Helln Pot and the (ong ChurnCavern%8

The to action! by hich cave! are hen out of the calcareou! rock are!een here in o$eration !ide by !ide% Belo the level of the !treamthe rock i! !een to be !moothed and $oli!hed by the mechanical actionof the material! !e$t don by the current% -bove the ater'level the!ide! of the cave are honeycombed and eaten into the mo!t fanta!tic andcom$le !ha$e!, the re!ultant !urface @!ee 9ig% A bearing !mall $oint!and keen knife'edge! of !tone, that !tand out in relief and mark thele!! !oluble $ortion! of the rock% Thi! i! due to the chemical effect

of the carbonic acid in the ater $ercolating through the !trata%4)llu!tration+ 9)G% %''Diagram of Helln Pot%8

The Helln Pot, into hich the !tream floing through the (ong ChurnCave fall!, i! a fi!!ure @9ig!% /, , 7A a hundred feet long by thirtyfeet ide, that engulf! the ater! of a little !tream on the !urface,hich are di!!i$ated in !$ray long before they reach the bottom%9rom the to$ you look don on a !erie! of ledge!, green ith fern!and mo!!e!, and, about a hundred feet from the !urface, an enormou!fragment of rock form! a natural bridge acro!! the cha!m from one ledgeto another% - little above thi! i! the debouchement of the !treamfloing through the (ong Churn Cave @9ig% , aA, through hich Ir%Birkbeck and Ir% Ietcalfe made the fir!t $erilou! de!cent in 207% The$arty, con!i!ting of ten $er!on!, ventured into thi! aful cha!m ithno other a$$aratu! than ro$e!, $lank!, a turn'tree, and a fire'e!ca$ebelt% ;n emerging from the (ong Churn Cave they !tood on a ledge ofrock about telve feet ide, and hich gave them free acce!! to theNbridge @9ig% /, bA% Thi! a! a rock ten feet long, hich re!tedobliMuely on the ledge!% Having cro!!ed over thi!, they cre$t behindthe aterfall hich de!cended from the to$, and fied their $ulley,five being let don hile the re!t of the $arty remained behind tohoi!t them u$ again% )n thi! ay they reached the bottom of the $ot,hich before had never been trod by the foot of man% Thence theyfolloed the !tream donard! a! far a! the fir!t great aterfall, donhich Ir% Ietcalfe a! venture!ome enough to let him!elf ith a ro$e,and to $u!h onard! until daylight failed% He a! ithin a very littleof arriving at the end of the cave into hich the !tream flo!, buta! obliged to turn back to the daylight ithout having accom$li!hedhi! $ur$o!e% The hole $arty eventually, after con!iderable danger andtrouble, returned !afely from thi! mo!t bold adventure%

- !econd de!cent a! made in 2070 from the !urface, and a third inthe !$ring of 201, in both of hich Ir% Birkbeck took the lead% Thea$$aratu! em$loyed con!i!ted of a indla!! @9ig% A, !u$$orted on tobaulk! of timber, and a bucket, covered ith a !hield, !ufficientlylarge to hold to $eo$le, and to guiding ro$e! to $revent therevolution of the bucket in mid air% There a! al!o a $arty of navvie!to look after the mechanical contrivance!, and to ladder! about eightfeet long to $rovide for contingencie! at the bottom% Thirteen ofu! ent don, including three ladie!% -! e de!cended, the fi!!uregradually narroed, until at the bottom it a! not more than ten feet


38/274

ide% The actual vertical de!cent a! a hundred and ninety'eight feet%-fter running the gauntlet of the aterfall e landed in the bed ofthe !tream, hich hurried donard! over large boulder! of lime!toneand lo!t it!elf in the darkne!! of a large cave, about !eventy feethigh% We traced it donard!, through $ool! and ra$id! to the fir!taterfall, of about tenty feet% Thi! ob!tacle $revented mo!t of the

$arty going further, for the ladder! ere too !hort to reach to thebottom% By la!hing them together, hoever, and letting them don, eere able to reach the fir!t round ith the aid of a ro$e, and tocro!! over the dee$ $ool at the bottom% Thence e ent on donard!through !maller aterfall! and ra$id!, until e arrived at a de!centinto a chamber, here the roar of ater a! deafening% Don to thi!$oint the daylight glimmered feebly, but here our torche! made butlittle im$re!!ion on the darkne!!% ;ne of the $arty volunteered to godon ith a ro$e, and a! !uddenly immer!ed in a dee$ $ool the re!t,$rofiting by hi! mi!adventure, managed to cling on to !mall $oint! ofrock, and eventually to reach the floor of the chamber% We !tood atla!t on the loe!t acce!!ible $oint of the cave, about 11 feet fromthe !urface% )t a! indeed one of the mo!t remarkable !ight! that

could $o!!ibly be imagined% Be!ide! the aterfall don hich e came,a $oerful !tream $oured out of a cave too high u$ for the torche! to$enetrate the darkne!!, and fell into a dee$ $ool in the middle of thefloor, cau!ing !uch a $oerful current of air that all our torche! ereblon out ece$t one% The to !tream! eventually united and di!a$$earedin a !mall black circling $ool, hich com$letely barred further ingre!!%

4)llu!tration+ 9)G% 7%''Diagram of Helln Pot, !hoing Waterfall at theBottom%8

The floor of the $ot and the cave a! !tren ith ma!!e! of lime!tonerounded by the action of the !tream! and the ater'channel! ere!moothed and grooved and $oli!hed, in a mo!t etraordinary ay, by the!ilt and !tone! carried along by the current% #ome of the layer! oflime!tone ere jet black, and other! ere of a light fan'colour, anda! the !trata ere nearly horiQontal, the alternation of colour! gavea $eculiarly !triking effect to the all!% Beneath each aterfall a!a $ool more or le!! dee$, and here and there in the bed of the !treamere hole!, drilled in the rock by !tone! hirled round by the forceof the ater% High u$, out of the $re!ent reach of the ater, ere oldchannel!, hich had evidently been atercour!e! before the $ot andcave had been cut don to their $re!ent level% )n the !ide! of the $otthere are to vertical groove! reaching very nearly from the to$ to thebottom, hich are unmi!takeably the ork of ancient aterfall!% Therea! no !talactite, but everyhere the ater a! earing aay the rockand enlarging the cave% We found our ay back ithout any difficulty,a !mall $a!!age on the right'hand !ide enabling u! to avoid the veryun$lea!ant ta!k of !crambling u$ to of the aterfall!% We arrivedfinally at the to$, after about five hour! ork in the cave, et tothe !kin%

We had very little trouble in making thi! de!cent, becau!e of thecom$letene!! of Ir% Birkbeck! $re$aration! but e could fully realiQehat a dangerou! feat the fir!t e$lorer! $erformed hen they venturedinto an unknon cha!m, com$aratively un$re$ared% The very name NHellnPot, _ Yllan Pot, or Iouth of Hell, te!tifie! to the ae ith hichthe -ngle! looked don into it! rece!!e!%428

#uch i! the interior of one of tho!e great natural laboratorie! inhich ater i! earing aay the !olid rock, either holloing it intocave! or cutting it into ravine!% -t the bottom of Helln Pot it a!im$o!!ible not to realiQe, that the enormou! cha!m had been formed by


39/274

the !ame action a! that by hich it a! being dee$ened before our eye!%)t a! merely a $ortion of the va!t cave into hich it led, hich hadbeen de$rived of it! roof, and o$ened out to the light of heaven% Thebridge a! but a fragment of the roof hich ha$$ened to fall u$on theto ledge!% The rounded ma!!e! of rock at the bottom are fragment! thathave fallen $robably ithin com$aratively modern time!% The ab!ence of

!talactite! and of !talagmite! $rove! that the de!tructive action i!ra$idly going on%

The ater'cour!e at the bottom contained $ebble! and boulder! oflime!tone, and grit!tone rounded by friction again!t one another andthe rocky floor% The grit!tone ha! $robably been derived from the reckof the boulder clay on the !urface above the Helln Pot, and ultimatelytorn from the mill!tone grit of the higher hill! in the di!trict%

Cave! and Pot! at Weathercote%

4)llu!tration+ 9)G% 6%''Waterfall in Pot'hole at Weathercote%8

;n the north !ide of )ngleborough the !erie! of cave! and $ot! roundthe little Church of Cha$el'en'le'Dale are e!$ecially orthy ofattention% The cha!m at Weathercote o$en! !uddenly in the hill'!ide,and i! $erfectly acce!!ible to vi!itor!% &ou come !uddenly u$on a clefta hundred feet dee$, ith it! ledge! covered ith mo!!e!, fern!, andbramble! at one end a body of ater ru!he! from a cave, and under agreat bridge of rock, and fall! !eventy'five feet, a ma!! of !no'hitefoam filling the bottom ith !$ray @9ig% 6A% The large ma!!e! ofrock $iled in ild confu!ion at the bottom, the dark !hado! of theoverhanging ledge!, and the thick covering of green mo!!, to hich the!$ray cling! in tiny glittering dro$!, form a $icture hich cannotea!ily be forgotten% )n the !un!hine an almo!t circular rainbo i!to be !een from the bottom% The !tream $a!!e! from the bottom intoa cave, and thence donard! to to large $ot! @9ig% 3A, about tohundred yard! aay% )n flood'time the channel ha! been knon to becomeblocked u$, and Weathercote ha! been filled to the brim% "!ually afterheavy rain! the current i! !aid to flo !o violently into the fir!t ofthe $ot'hole!, that it thro! u$ !tone! at lea!t thirty or forty feetfrom the bottom, ith a $eculiar rattling noi!e% 9rom thi! !trange$henomenon it i! knon a! .ingle Pot, hile the loer of the to i!termed Hurtle Pot, becau!e in flood'time the ater hirl! !o fa!tround, that it i! Nhurtled out at the to$% The ater floing throughWeathercote i! derived from the little !tream of Ellerbeck, hichdi!a$$ear! in the lime!tone hill! about a mile to the north, and run!at right angle! to Dalebeck, or the !tream floing don to )ngleton,hich it ha! been $roved to join at a !$ot belo .ingle Pot, by Ir%Ietcalfe, ho made hi! ay don into it from the cha!m of Weathercote%

4)llu!tration+ 9)G% 3%''Diagram of #ubterranean Cour!e of Dalebeck%8

The cour!e of Dalebeck, a! you $a!! u$ the valley of Cha$el'en'le'Dale,afford! a !triking in!tance of the de$endence of !cenery u$on thenature of the rock% )n it! loer $ortion it ha! cut out for it!elfa dee$ ravine in the hard #ilurian !trata, in hich you come u$onthe aterfall!, dee$ $ool!, and tree!, that look a! if they had beentran!$orted bodily from the di!trict of Cader )dri!, and in!erted intothe lime!tone !cenery of the dale!% The #ilurian rock! are very muchcontorted, and on their aterorn edge! lie the nearly horiQontallime!tone !trata, in hich the u$$er $art of the valley ha! been!coo$ed% -! e ri!e the ravine o$en! into a valley @9ig% 3A, alonghich the beck flo!, until !uddenly it i! lo!t in a fi!!ure, at a


40/274


41/274

great, grey, $avement'like ma!!e! of lime!tone !trike the eye, !tandingabove the heather, $erfectly bare, and in the di!tance re!emblingclearing!, and in rainy eather !heet! of !no% ;n a$$roaching themthe !urface of ero!ion become! more and more a$$arent, and the !ha$e!due to the mere accident of varying hardne!! in the rock, or thevarying Muantity of ater $a!!ing over it, $re!ent a mo!t a!toni!hing

variety% There are, hoever, general $rinci$le! underlying theconfu!ion% The line! of joint! in the !trata being line! of eakne!!,!earched out by the acid'laden ater, have been idened into cha!m!,!ometime! of con!iderable de$th and a! they cro!! at right angle!,the hole !urface i! formed of rectangular ma!!e!, each in!ulatedfrom it! fello, and !ome of them detached from the !trata beneath !oa! to form rocking'!tone!% The mode in hich the acid ha! attackedone of the!e joint! in the lime!tone of Dovehole! in Derby!hire i!re$re!ented in 9igure , the !urface being honeycombed and orn into!har$ $oint!, !olely by chemical action% The minute fo!!il'!hell!al!o, and fragment! of crinoid !tanding out in bold relief, lead tothe !ame conclu!ion''that the denuding agent i! chemical and notmechanical% Each of the u$$er !urface! of the block! i! traver!ed by

!mall de$re!!ion!, hich are valley !y!tem! in miniature, in hich thetiny valley! converge into a main trunk leading into the neare!t cha!m%There are al!o tiny cave! and hollo!, that are !ometime! mi!taken forboring! made by $hola!% )n the cha!m! the vegetation i! mo!t luuriant,and the dark green frond! of hart!'tongue, the delicate (ady'fern, andthe graceful -!$lenium nigrum, gro ith a rare luuriance%

)n the!e $avement! every feature of lime!tone !cenery i! re$re!ented ona minute !cale% There are the valley !y!tem! on the !urface, determinedby the direction of the drainage the long cha!m! re$re!ent the o$envalley! and ravine!, and the cave! and hollo!, for the mo!t $art, runin the line of the joint!%

The carbonic acid ha! left $reci!ely the !ame kind of $roof of it! orkithin the cave! a! e find above'ground and it ould nece!!arilyfollo, that to it, a! ell a! to the mechanical $oer of the ater!floing through them, their formation and enlargement mu!t be due, a!Profe!!or Philli$! ha! $ointed out in hi! Niver!, Iountain!, and #eaCoa!t of &ork!hire, $$% 1'2%

9rom the $receding $age! it ill be !een that cave! in calcareou!rock! are merely $a!!age! holloed out by ater, hich ha! !ought outthe line! of eakne!!, or the joint! formed by the !hrinkage of the!trata during their con!olidation% The ork of the carbonic acid i!$roved, not merely by the acid'orn !urface! of the interior of thecave!, but al!o by the large Muantity of carbonate of lime hich i!carried aay by the ater in !olution% That, on the other hand, of themechanical friction of the !tone! and !and again!t the !ide! and bottomof the ater'cour!e!, i! !ufficiently demon!trated by their grooved,!cratched, and $oli!hed !urface!, and by the !and, !ilt, and gravelcarried along by the current!% The generally received hy$othe!i!, thatthey have been the re!ult of a !ubterranean convul!ion, i! di!$roved bythe floor and roof being formed, in very nearly every ca!e, of !olidrock for it ould be unrea!onable to hold that any !ubterranean forcecould act from belo, in !uch a manner a! to hollo out the com$licatedand branching $a!!age!, at different level!, ithout affecting thehole ma!! of the rock%


42/274

traver!ed by running ater, by the !ilt, !and, and rounded $ebble!hich they contain% )n their ca!e, either the drainage of the di!trictha! been changed by the u$heaval or de$re!!ion of the rock, or the!tream! have !earched out for them!elve! a $a!!age at a loer level%

But if cave! have been thu! ecavated, it i! obviou! that ravine! and

valley! in lime!tone di!trict! are due to the o$eration of the !amecau!e!% )f, for in!tance, e refer to 9igure! 2 and 3, e !hall !eethat the o$en valley $a!!e! in!en!ibly into a ravine, and that intoa cave% The ravine i! merely a cave hich ha! lo!t it! roof, and thevalley i! merely the re!ult of the eathering of the !ide! of theravine% There can be no manner of doubt but that, in both the!e ca!e!,the ravine i! gradually encroaching on the cave, and the valley onthe ravine and if the !trata be e$o!ed to atmo!$heric agencie! longenough, the valley of the -e ill etend a! far a! Priddy @9ig% 2A,and that of Dalebeck to the ater!hed above the Gatekirk cave @9ig% 3A%

)n the !ame manner the lofty $reci$ice of Ialham Cove, near #ettle,in &ork!hire @9ig% 0A, i! !loly falling aay and uncovering the

!ubterranean cour!e of the -ire% Eventually the ravine thu! formed illetend a! far a! Ialham Tarn, and the -ire flo e$o!ed to the light ofday from it! !ource to the !ea%478

4)llu!tration+ 9)G% 0%''Diagram of #ource of the -ire at Ialham%8

Thi! vie i! a$$licable to many if not to all ravine! and valley! incalcareou! rock!, !uch a! the Pa!! at Cheddar, or the gorge of the -vonat Clifton, and tho!e of Derby!hire, &ork!hire, and Wale!% -nd !incethe agent! by hich the ork i! done are univer!al, and calcareou! rockfor the mo!t $art of the !ame chemical com$o!ition, the re!ult! are the!ame, and the calcareou! !cenery everyhere of the !ame ty$e% )n thela$!e of $a!t time, !o enormou! a! to be inca$able of being gra!$ed bythe human intellect, the!e agent! are fully ca$able of $roducing thedee$e!t ravine!, the ide!t valley!, and the large!t cave!%

Thi! vie of the relation of cave! to ravine! a! !o !trongly held byI% De!noyer!, that he term! the latter Ncaverne! ` ciel ouvert% )arrived inde$endently at the !ame conclu!ion after the !tudy of the!cenery of lime!tone for many year!%

)n many ca!e!, hoever, in northern latitude! and in high altitude!,the ravine or valley !o formed ha! been !ub!eMuently idened anddee$ened by glacial action% That, for in!tance, of Cha$el'en'le'Dalebear! unmi!takeable evidence of the former flo of a glacier, in theroche! moutonnUe! and travelled block! that it contain!% To thi! i!due the floing contour and even !lo$e of it! loer $ortion%

The $ot'hole! and NcirMue! in calcareou! rock! ith no outlet at the!urface, may al!o be accounted for by the o$eration of the !ame cau!e!a! tho!e hich have $roduced cave!% Each re$re!ent! the eak $ointtoard! hich the rainfall ha! converged, cau!ed very generally bythe inter!ection of the joint!% Thi! ha! gradually been idened out,becau!e the u$$er $ortion! of the rock ould be the fir!t to !eiQe theatom! of carbonic acid, and thu! be di!!olved more Muickly than theloer $ortion!% Hence the funnel !ha$e hich they generally a!!ume, andhich can be !tudied eMually in the com$act lime!tone or in the !oftu$$er chalk% They are to be !een on a !mall !cale al!o in all lime!toneN$avement!% #ometime!, hoever, the fir!t chance hich the u$$er$ortion! of the funnel! have of being eroded by the acidulated ater,i! more than counter'balanced by the increa!ed Muantity converging atthe bottom, and the funnel end! in a vertical !haft% )f the area in the


43/274

rock thu! ecavated be !ufficiently large to allo of the develo$mentof a current of ater, the mechanical action of the fragment! !e$talong it! cour!e ill have an im$ortant !hare in the ork, a! e have!een to be the ca!e in Helln Pot%

Cave! not generally found in (ine of 9ault!%

)n !ome fe ca!e! the line! of eakne!! hich have been orn intocave!, $ot'hole!, ravine!, and valley!, may have been $roduced, a!I% De!noyer! believe!, by !ubterranean movement! of elevation andde$re!!ion but in all tho!e hich ) have inve!tigated the fault! donot determine the direction of the cavern!% The mountain lime!toneof Ca!tleton, in Derby!hire, offer! an eam$le of cave! inter!ectingfault! ithout any definite relation being traceable beteen them% Theramification! of the Peak cavern traver!e the #$eedell Iine nearlyat right angle!, and the ater floing through it ha! been traced,Ir% Pennington inform! me, to a !allo'hole near Cha$el'en'le'9rith,running acro!! to, if not three fault!, hich are laid don in the

geological ma$% -! a general rule cavern! are a! little affected bydi!turbance of the rock a! ravine! and valley! hich have been formedin the main irre!$ective of the line! of fault%

I% De!noyer! $oint! out the clo!e analogy beteen cavern! and mineralvein!, and infer! that both are due to the !ame cau!e!% Thi!,undoubtedly, ei!t! in that cla!! of vein! hich are knon to miner! a!N$i$e and Nflat vein! and there i! clear $roof, in the majority ofca!e!, that the cavitie! in hich the mineral! occur have been formedby the action of running ater, and have !ub!eMuently been more or le!!filled ith their mineral content! and the!e have been de$o!ited onthe !ide! of the cavity by the !ame Nincretionary468 action, a! thatby hich dri$!tone i! no being formed in the $re!ent cave! from the!olution of carbonate of lime% #uch vein! $re!ent every conceivableform of irregularity, and freMuently contain !ilt, !and, and gravel,hich have been left behind by their !tream!, and their hi!tory i!identical ith that of the cavern!%

)t i! not !o, hoever, ith the !econd cla!! of vein!, the Nrake,Nright running, and Ncro!! cour!e!, a! the miner! term them, ortho!e hich occu$y line! of fault% The fi!!ure! hich contain the oreare $roved very freMuently, by their !cratched and grooved !ide!,and $oli!hed !urface! or !licken'!ide!, to have been the re!ult of!ubterranean movement! by hich the rock ha! been broken by mechanicalforce% They have been !ub!eMuently modified, in variou! ay!, by the$a!!age of ater, and filled ith mineral!, in the !ame manner a!the $receding cla!!% With thi! ece$tion they $re!ent no analogy tothe cavern!, ith hich they contra!t !trongly in their rectilineardirection, a! ell a! in their $urely mechanical origin%

The variou! -ge! of Cave!%

)t i! very $robable that cave! ere formed in calcareou! rock! fromthe time that they ere rai!ed to the level of the !ea, !ince theyabound in the Coral )!land!% NCavern!, rite! Prof% Dana,438 Nare!till more remarkable on the )!land of -tiu, on hich the coral'reef!tand! at about the !ame height above the !ea a! on ;ahu% The ev%.ohn William! !tate!''that there are !even or eight of large etent onthe )!land of Tuto one he entered by a de!cent of tenty feet, andandered a mile in one only of it! branche!, ithout finding an end to]it! interminable inding!% He !ay!''])nnumerable o$ening! $re!ented


44/274

them!elve! on all !ide! a! e $a!!ed along, many of hich a$$eared tobe eMual in height, beauty, and etent to the one e ere folloing%The roof, a !tratum of coral'rock fifteen feet thick, a! !u$$orted byma!!y and !u$erb !talactitic column!, be!ide! being thickly hung ith!talactite! from an inch to many feet in length% #ome of the!e $endant!ere ju!t ready to unite them!elve! to the floor, or to a !talagmitic

column ri!ing from it% Iany chamber! ere $a!!ed through ho!efret'ork ceiling! and column! of !talactite! !$arkled brilliantly,amid the darkne!!, ith the reflected light of our torche!% The effecta! $roduced not !o much by !ingle object!, or grou$! of them, a! bythe am$litude, the de$th, and the com$lication! of thi! !ubterraneanorld%

Calcareou! rock! might, therefore, be e$ected to contain fi!!ure! andcave! of variou! age!% )n the Iendi$ Hill! they have been $roved byIr% Charle! Ioore to contain fo!!il! of hOtic age, the characteri!ticdog'fi!he!, -crodu! minimu!, and Hybodu! reticulatu!, the elegant!cul$tured Ganoid fi!h, Gryrole$i! tenui!triatu!, and the tinymar!u$ial!, Iicrole!te! and it! allie!% Thi! !ingular a!!ociation of

terre!trial ith marine creature! i! due to the fact, that hile thatarea a! being !loly de$re!!ed beneath the hOtic and (ia!!ic !ea!,the remain! ere mingled together on the coa!t'line, and a!hed intothe crevice! and hole! in the rock%

The older cave! and fi!!ure! have very generally been blocked u$ byaccumulation! of calc'!$ar or other mineral!, and they are arranged ona $lan altogether inde$endent of the ei!ting !y!tem! of drainage%

)t i! a !ingular fact that no fi!!ure! or cave! !hould, ith theabove ece$tion, contain the remain! of animal! of a date before thePlei!tocene age% There can be but little doubt that they ere u!eda! $lace! of !helter in all age!, and they mu!t have entombed theremain! of the animal! that fell into them, or ere !e$t into them bythe !tream!% Cave! there mu!t have been long before, and the EocenePalOothere!, and -no$lothere! met their death in the o$en $it'fall!,ju!t a! the !hee$ and cattle do at the $re!ent time% The HyOnodonof the Ieiocene had, $robably, the !ame cave'haunting ta!te! a! hi!de!cendant, the living HyOna, and the mar!u$ial! of the Ie!oQoic agemight be e$ected to be $re!erved in cave!, like the fo!!il mar!u$ial!of -u!tralia% The chance! of $re!ervation of the remain! hen oncecemented into a fine breccia, or !ealed don ith a cry!tallinecovering of !talagmite, are very nearly the !ame a! tho!e underhich the Plei!tocene animal! have been handed don to u!% The onlyrea!onable e$lanation of the non'di!covery of !uch remain! !eem! tobe, that the ancient !uite! of cave! and fi!!ure! containing them,and for the mo!t $art near the then !urface of the rock, have beencom$letely !e$t aay by denudation, hile the $re!ent cavern! ereeither then not ecavated or inacce!!ible%

#uch an hy$othe!i! ill e$lain the fact that the no o!!iferou! cavern!are older than the Plei!tocene age, not merely in Euro$e, but in


45/274

The 9illing u$ of Cave!%

We mu!t no con!ider the condition under hich cave! become filled u$ith variou! de$o!it!% )f the velocity of the !tream in a ater'cavebe le!!ened, the !ilt, !and, or $ebble! it a! hurrying along ill

be dro$$ed, and may ultimately block u$ the entire atercour!e% )nbringing thi! to $a!!, hoever, the carbonate of lime in the ater$lay! a mo!t im$ortant $art% )f the ece!! of carbonic acid by hich iti! held in !olution be lo!t by eva$oration, it immediately rea!!ume!it! cry!talline form, and !hoot! over the !urface of the $ool like$late! of ice, or i! de$o!ited in loo!e botryoidal ma!!e! at their!ide! and on their bottom! and, !ince the atmo!$heric ater verygenerally $ercolate! through the crannie! in the rock, the !ide! androof of the channel, above the level of the ater, are adorned itha !tony dra$ery of every conceivable !ha$e% The rate at hich thi!accumulation take! $lace de$end! u$on the free acce!! of air nece!!aryfor eva$oration, and i! therefore variable,''a! in the ca!e of the)ngleborough cave% )n all the cave! hich ) have eamined there i! a

free current of air% )f a ater'channel become! blocked u$ by ei

cave hunting-william boyd dawkins

Documents