differing in character from the island, it may be well to postpone any description of it until we have rambled and talked over the island. Portland is evidently connected with some great geological change or changes; for not only is the stratum of stone which has given it its celebrity a remarkable one, but there are evidences of intermediate strata, that could only have arisen from some grand changes in the earth's crust. Sir Gideon Mantell, whose works on the Geology of the Southern Counties of England are in such high repute, has made Portland the theme of a vast and highly scientific conception, involving the whole of the shores on both sides of the English Channel. In his Treatise on the Geology of the South-east of England, he examined in detail the stratification of Portland; and then, by comparing it with other stratifications elsewhere, he arrives inductively at a general view of the whole district at a remote but unknown era. The following is Sir Gideon's account of the subject: In the Island of Portland, the limestone employed for building constitutes the uppermost division of the oolite system, a kind of stratum containing marine organic remains only. On these oolitic strata are placed deposits of a totally different character. Immediately on the uppermost marine stratum, (which abounds in ammonites, terebræ, trigonia, and other marine shells,) is a bed of limestone, much resembling in appearance some of the tertiary lacustrine limestones. Upon this stratum is what appears to have been an ancient vegetable soil; it is of a dark-brown colour, containing a large proportion of earthy lignite, and, like the modern soil on the surface of the island, many water-worn stones. This layer is called the dirt-bed by the quarrymen; and in and upon it are a great number of silicified trunks of coniferous trees, and plants allied to the recent species of cycas and zamia. Many of the stems of the trees, as well as the plants, are still erect, as if petrified while growing undisturbed in their native forest; the former having their roots in the soil, and their trunks extending into the superincumbent strata of limestone. On one occasion, a large area of the surface of the dirt-bed having been cleared preparatory to its removal, for the purpose of extracting the building-stone from beneath; several stems, from two to three feet in height, were exposed, each standing erect in the centre of a mound or dome of earth, which had evidently accumulated around the base and roots of the trees; presenting an appearance as if the trees had been broken or torn off at a short distance from the ground. Portions of trunks and branches were seen, some lying on the surface, and others imbedded in the dirt-bed; many of these were nearly two feet in diameter, and the united fragments of one tree measured upwards of thirty feet in length. The silicified plants allied to the cycas are found in the intervals between the trees, and several have been dug up from the dirt-bed that were standing erect, evidently upon the very spot on which they grew, and where they had remained undisturbed amidst all the revolutions which had subsequently swept over the surface of the earth. The dirt-bed extends through the north of the Isle of Portland, and traces of it have been observed in the coves at the west end of Purbeck; and a stratum, with bituminous matter and silicified wood, occurs in the cliffs of the Boulonnois, on the opposite coast of France, occupying the same relative situation with respect to the Purbeck and Portland formations. A similar bed has also been discovered in Buckinghamshire, and in the Vale of Wardour, proving that the presence of this remarkable stratum is coextensive with the junction of the Portland and Purbeck strata, as far as they have hitherto been examined. Above the dirt-bed are thin layers of limestone; the total thickness being about eight feet, into which the erect trunks extend; but no other traces of organic remains have been noticed in them. These limestone beds are covered by the modern vegetable soil, which scarcely exceeds in depth the ancient one just described; and instead of giving support, like the latter, to a tropical forest, can barely maintain a scanty vegetation, there being scarcely a tree or shrub on the whole island. From these data, Sir Gideon Mantell formed the following theory of Portland Isle :— There was, in the first place, in and about the region now occupied by the English Channel, an ocean or sea, on the bed of which gradually accumulated a deposition of oolitic strata, such as those composing the Portland limestone beds. We next find the bed of this sea gradually rising to the light of day, either by an upheaving force from beneath, or by some other agency; and on the dry ground thus produced, plants and animals began to appear, forming, by their growth and decay, that stratum of vegetable soil of which the Portland 'dirt-bed' is a part. We find this district again submerged beneath the waters; not, as before, beneath the salt-water of a sea, but beneath the freshwater of some very large river-estuary. In this posi tion, an alluvial soil, formed by the earthy and other materials brought down by the rivers, became gradually deposited, and formed those layers of which the Purbeck beds are a portion, above the dirt-bed of the Portland series. Lastly, some internal convulsion appears to have detached Portland from the rest of the mass, and protruded it upwards to a height of some hundreds of feet above the general level of the Purbeck beds. When, after many other changes and depositions, the district again became covered with water, forming the present English Channel, Portland stood out in the midst of it as an island: and so it has since remained. We must now notice more particularly the size and form of Portland, and the arrangement of the strata composing its mass. The isle is about four miles long, and, in the widest part, nearly one and a half broad. The highest point in the island is 458 feet above the level of the sea. The cliffs on the western side are very lofty; but those at the point or Bill of Portland are not more than twenty or thirty feet high. There ture. is sufficient depth of vegetable soil to render the island | direction, without respect to granular or fibrous structolerably productive, but not sufficiently so for the Sir Christopher Wren used Portland stone very entire sustenance of the inhabitants, who obtain much largely, not only for the building of St. Paul's Catheof their provisions from Weymouth. Water is rather dral, but also for the numerous other works on which scarce; there are no rivers on the island; and the he was engaged. When Smeaton was preparing for necessary supply is obtained from springs and wells, the construction of the Eddystone Lighthouse, he which yield a small quantity of good water. (Cut, No. 1.) visited many stone-quarries, with a view to determine The arrangement of the different layers in the island, the qualities of various kinds of stone available for his according to the description read before the Geological purpose. Among others, he visited the Portland quarSociety by Mr. Webster, is as follows: Imme- ries: the description of which, as given in his 'Nardiately under the soil, which seldom exceeds a foot in rative of the Building of the Eddystone Lighthouse,' depth, is a series of thin beds, all together about three is interesting, as presenting a picture of the quarries feet thick, called slate by the quarrymen, which split ninety years ago. readily into layers from half an inch to an inch in thickness. They consist of limestone, of a dull yellowish colour, extremely compact, and nearly without shells. Below this is another mass of calcareous stone, considerably softer, and of a lighter colour than the preceding it is divided into two by a slaty bed, the upper being called aish, and the lower the soft burr. The latter stands upon a bed, about one foot thick, consisting of a dark brown substance, and containing much earthy lignite, and numerous fossil trunks of trees: this is the dirt-bed before noticed. The bed below this is called the top-cap, and varies considerably in its structure: some parts of it are entirely compact; in other places it contains compact parts imbedded in a softer rock; and in others, again, it is slightly cellular. The next bed is called the school-cap, and is of a very remarkable structure : it consists of a compact limestone, extremely cellular; the cavities being almost filled with groups of crystals of carbonate of lime. Under the school-cap is a layer called chert, composed of about six inches thickness of flint, containing imbedded shells and oolitic grains. The bed below this is the first which is worked for building-stone: it is called roach. This bed, which varies greatly in thickness, is entirely oolitic limestone, and yields some of the largest and best blocks for architectural and engineering purposes. The next layer, called the rubbly-bed, contains innumerable impressions of shells, which somewhat detract from its solidity, and render it useful only for filling in thick walls and foundations. Below the rubbly-bed is another layer of excellent stone, harder than the roach, and about six feet thick. At greater depths the stone loses its solidity and fitness for building purposes, and has but little commercial value. It will thus be seen that the treasure for which the quarrymen seek, the good Portland stone, is imbedded in the midst of a vast mass of strata, some above and some below it; and we shall see, from the description about to be given, that the labour of removing the superincumbent mass of useless stone forms no inconsiderable a portion of the whole labour bestowed in the quarries. Quarries seem to have existed for some centuries; at all events, it is known that Portland stone was employed by Inigo Jones in building the Banqueting-house at Whitehall, in the time of James I. It is said to have obtained the name of freestone, from the ease and freedom with which it could be cut in any The manner of quarrying the stone at the present day does not differ much from that described by Smeaton. It is very laborious work, and requires a muscular race of men for its due performance. We must first remember, that the earth and stone which have to be dug away, before the good stone can be reached, is more than thirty feet in thickness; and it is evident, that, unless the market value of the good stone covered the expense of the removal of this load of obstacle, the practical working of the quarries would cease. The mode of apportioning the proceeds between master and men is peculiar. Portland being a part of the ancient demesne lands, the quarries are held by the sovereign as lord of the manor, and let out to proprietors under various forms of tenure. They are not, however, all of them let out in this manner; for, of the total number of nearly a hundred quarries, a small number are worked by the Crown: the rest being worked by about half a dozen proprietors or lessees. These lessees pay a nominal rent per acre, and a real rent of two shillings per ton for all the stone raised and shipped. The immediate management of the quarries is in the hands of stewards or agents, at fixed salaries. Under them are several 'masters' or foremen, who take charge of a certain number of men, and whose pay is between that of a steward and a quarryman. The quarry itself is usually worked by a company of six men and two boys, whose pay in all cases depends on the quantity of good stone wrought or 'won,' in a given time, at a certain stipulated wages per ton. This being the condition, it follows that no money is earned by the quarryman until the thirty feet of rubbish and bad stone have been removed; and this removal, in the case of a new quarry, is said to occupy a space of three years with the labours of six men and two boys! The men must, therefore, either have a little store of accumulated earnings by them, or they must have money advanced on account by their employers, to support them until the good and merchantable stone is brought to light. The real arrangement is said to be as follows:-Ten shillings per ton is fixed by common consent, as the average price paid to the quarrymen for their labour; and this is supposed to include the value of all the preliminary work. The money thus earned is placed to the credit of the quarrymen; and at the end of six months an account is made out, and a balance determined. During the interval, the agents or stewards open chandler's shops, from whence the men can purchase their provisions, on the credit of their forthcoming account. The average wages of a quarryman are set down at about twelve shillings a-week, if at full work; but there are many drawbacks from this sum. If it rain before nine in the morning, no work is to be done that day; if the wind be high, the dust in the quarries is so dangerous to his eyes, that he has to leave work; if the markets are dull, his labours are restricted to four days a week; if a burial occur in the island, he is expected, by immemorial usage, to refrain from work during the rest of the day; if accidents occur, which are very probable, expenses of one kind or another follow-so that the real earnings are not supposed to reach ten shillings a week, on an average. Without entering minutely into the processes described by Smeaton, it may be interesting to trace the history of a block of stone till it leaves the island. First, the layers of surface-soil and rubbish are dug up, and carried in strong iron-bound barrows, to be thrown over the fallow fields in the neighbourhood. Some of the next layers are then broken up and removed, by picks and wedges, and carted away from the quarry, either to be thrown over the cliffs into the sea, or to be piled up in large mounds at a distance. When the roach is attained, the labour becomes more arduous, on account of the thickness and hardness of the mass. This is usually separated into blocks by blasting, in the following way :-A hole, nearly five feet in depth, by three inches in width, is drilled in the rock, vertically; this is filled at the bottom to the height of two or three inches with gunpowder, tightly rammed, and connected with a train on the outside; the train is fired, and an explosion follows, which splits the stone for several yards around into perpendicular rents and fissures. The masses included between these rents sometimes weigh as much as fifty tons; and yet the quarrymen manage to detach them from their places. This is done by means of screwjacks, which are pressed against the mass of stone in convenient positions, and worked by winches. The labour is immense and long continued, to move the block one single inch; and when, as often happens, it has to be moved by similar means, over a rough and crooked road, to a distance of a hundred yards, one can with difficulty conceive that the stone beneath can repay the quarrymen for such exhausting toil. But when the good stone is reached the cutting is performed in a more systematic manner. It would not do to have rents and fissures in all directions: the rents must be symmetrical and rectangular with respect to each other. There are, however, many natural fissures, called 'gullies,' which separate the mass into smaller pieces; and these pieces are loosened and removed by means of wedges, picks, levers, jacks, &c. As each one is removed, its shape and size are carefully considered, and the men decide among themselves what purpose in building it is best fitted for, without any considerable waste of material: whether a pier, a shaft, a baluster, and so on. Having come to a decision, the quarrymen drag the mass of stone to a convenient spot, where it is brought by the action of the kevel, and other instruments, to a rough approximation to the required form. The block is then measured, weighed, and marked, and finally lifted on a stone cart, having solid wooden wheels, such as are to be seen in Spain and Morocco. Several horses are yoked to the cart, and the stone is dragged to a particular spot, where a railway declines to the edge of the sea. The railway belongs to a distinct proprietor or company, and is employed by all the quarry lessees to bring the stones down to the place of shipment. This descending railway is in some parts a remarkable one. It winds round in a circuitous form, in order to break the abruptness of the descent; and in certain parts it descends one straight path of uniform declivity, by chains and drums. If the block of stone on its cart were allowed to descend at its own speed, it would acquire a tremendous velocity before it reached the bottom, and would precipitate stone, cart and all into the sea. But there is a chain fastened to this cart at one end, and to a string of empty carts at the other; and by being worked over large drums or rollers, the chain pulls up the empty carts while it lowers the filled ones. At the place of shipment, near the Chesil Bank, a large number of vessels, from 50 to 150 tons burden, congregate to convey the stone to its various places of destination. It is said that nearly fifty thousand tons of stone are annually carried away from the island. (Cut, No. 4.) In the Annual Report, for 1845, of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, under whose control much of the Crown property is placed, there is an entry relating to the leasing of certain rights at Portland. The property granted was said to be 'The Demesne Lands and Quarries,' containing 307 acres, 17 perches; they were granted to John William Barrington Browne and Richard Seward Wardell; the term for which the grant was made was 28 years, from Oct. 10, 1845; the estimated annual value was £133 17s. 9d. for the demesne lands, and an average of £687 1s. 24d. for the quarries; the rent reserved in the lease was £133 17s. 9d., and a royalty of two shillings per ton of stone raised from the quarries, not to be less than £800 per annum. Under the preceding lease, the annual rentals had been rather larger, but the royalty or per centage was smaller. In 1839, a Commission of scientific men was appointed, to investigate the qualities of various kinds of stone available for the building of the New Houses of Parliament. The Commissioners visited nearly all the quarries in the kingdom: those of Portland being among the number. In the Report which the Commissioners presented to Government, the following points of information were given concerning the Portland quarries and the stone thence procured. Several different quarries are mentioned by name; such as Trade Quarry, King Barrow, East End Quarry, Vern Street Quarry, Castles Quarry, Waycroft Quarries, Maggott Quarry, Goslings Quarry, Grove Quarry, and Red Croft Quarry. The stone is designated 'oolitic' carbonate of lime, with numerous fragments of shells. The weight of the stone in its ordinary state, per cubic foot, varies from about 126lbs. to 184lbs. The entire depth or thickness of workable, available stone is stated at from 7 to 16 feet in different parts. The colour is whitish brown;' the blocks may be procured of any practicable size;' the price of the block stone at the quarry per cubic foot is 1s. 4d.; the charge, when delivered safely in London, all expenses paid, per cubic foot, 2s. 3d. The Commissioners state that the present rate of working at Portland is about one acre of the good workable stone per annum, and that there are 2000 acres yet unworked; so that the present rate of supply can be kept up for 2000 years. We name St. Paul's Cathedral, various London churches built during the reign of Queen Anne, Goldsmith's Hall, the Reform Club House, and other modern buildings, as having been constructed of Portland stone. Concerning the oolitic limestone generally, the Commissioners remark in their Report: "Of buildings constructed of oolitic and other limestones, we may notice the church of Byland Abbey, of the twelfth century, as being in an almost perfect state of preservation. Sandysfoot (Sandsfort) Castle, near Weymouth, constructed of Portland oolite in the time of Henry the Eighth, is an example of that material, in excellent condition; a few decomposed stones used in the interior (and which are exceptions to this fact) being from another oolite in the immediate vicinity of the castle. Bow and Arrow Castle, and the neighbouring ruins of a church of the fourteenth century, in the island of Portland, also afford instances of the Portland oolite in perfect condition. The new church in the island, built in 1766, of a variety of the Portland stone termed 'roach,' is in an excellent state throughout, even to the preservation of the marks of the chisel." We have thus taken a survey of the Isle of Portland, in two points of view : first, as a geological phenomenon, connected in all probability with a vast series of changes in the early periods of the earth's history; and then, as a field of commercial enterprise, in connection with the working of the stone quarries. It may next be interesting to take a topographical ramble over the island, to see the villages and the buildings, the productions and the people. the island by this route, a curved road leads to the village next to the Chesil Bank; or we may at once clamber the hill by the side of the railway incline, see the huge blocks of stone roll downwards by our side, and finally place ourselves on the spot where a kind of railway-station contains all the requisite fittings for the work to be done. On leaving Weymouth by the road leading to the bridge, and crossing the creek, we arrive-not exactly at the island itself—but at the narrow ridge of Chesil Bank, along the side of which a road is carried. This road leads to Fortune's Well, the first village arrived at, joined to and almost forming part of another village or hamlet, named Chesilton, or sometimes Chiswell. In this double, but still very small village, is a house perhaps we ought to say the house-of entertainment for the island-the 'Portland Arms.' It is an honour treasured up in the memories of the inhabitants, that George the Third used occasionally to visit Portland while sojourning at Weymouth; that on such occasions his Majesty used to grace the' Portland Arms' with his presence; that the landlady of the house used to make a particular kind of pudding, of which her royal guest was very fond, and for which he used to ask whenever he visited the island; and that the good lady bequeathed to her daughter the recipe for making this highly-honoured pudding. One of the first objects seen on reaching the island is Portland Castle. It is so placed with respect to the opposite castle of Sandsfort, that the two together command the roadstead. The castle was built by Henry VIII., after his return from the interview with Francis I. at the 'field of the cloth of gold,' in 1520. Scarcely anything of importance occurred with respect to its history until the civil war, if we except the placing in it of a small garrison by Queen Elizabeth, during the alarm occasioned by the threatened Spanish Armada. The castle was taken by the Parliamentarians in 1643, who brought thither a large amount of valuable property, which they had seized at Wardour Castle. This property, and the castle also, were recovered soon after, by the following ruse :-A gentleman, furnished with Parliamentary colours, and sixty men, proceeded towards the castle, and with the haste and appearance as if flying from an enemy, called out to the guard that he was bringing a supply of men, but that he was pursued by the Earl of Carnarvon, who was, according to design, close upon his rear. In taking the trip from Weymouth to Portland, there Upon this, the gates were instantly opened, and the are three courses open for the visitor. He must trudge castle taken. After the civil war the castle ceased to it on foot, or hire a vehicle expressly for the journey, be a place of much importance. In late years it has or sail thither in a vessel across the harbour. Stage been the residence of a private gentleman, who holds coaches or omnibuses there are none. Most of the a magistracy and a trusteeship in connection with the inhabitants of the island are of a humble class, and royal quarries. probably could not afford to pay for the luxury of riding. It is a right pleasant and by no means an expensive sail, from the quay at Weymouth to the stone-shipping wharf at Portland. A small sailingvessel makes the trip twice a day in each direction, charging sixpence to each passenger. If we approach In exploring the island, a very steep road leads up from the village of Fortune's Well to the higher level; so steep, indeed, that it is with great difficulty vehicles. can make the ascent. When the summit is attained, a very extensive view meets the eye from Torbay in the west, nearly to the Isle of Wight in the east. From 6 from the neighbouring sea at particular seasons of the year, the whole of the lower ground of the island may occasionally be seen enveloped in clouds, as if about to be shut out from view by a fleecy covering, while the hill and the adjacent heights remain in bright daylight and clear atmosphere. We have been the main road, near the edge of the cliffs, a number | the islanders as a common, affording pasturage for of by-paths lead to the quarries, any one of which COWS. From this hill, on account of the vapours rising will lead the rambler to the excavated spots where quarrying is still going on, or where deserted quarries lie. In the remoter parts of the island, the scene is often diversified by the rude wildness of the cliff scenery; there being, in many points, rocks varying from one to three hundred feet in height, severed by some disruptive force from the body of the island, and separated by chasms running far inland. In other spots there are land-slips, where stone is quarried under very perilous circumstances, and whence the huge blocks are hurled over the cliffs, to the beach below. These rugged cliffs, the sheep on the scanty downs, and the gulls hovering about the cliffs, form almost the only objects that meet the eye in this walk. Near the southern extremity of the island are two lighthouses, on different levels: the one built in 1789, and the other in 1817. The reflector of the lower light is 130 feet above the level of the sea; that of the upper is 197 feet. These two lighthouses are invaluable to the mariner; for, in the immediate vicinity of Portland, there are points of meeting of opposite currents, which give rise to two dangerous obstacles-a sort of whirlpool, called the Race,' and a sandbank, called the 'Shambles.' Near these lighthouses the sea has worn away large caverns in the face of the cliffs, all of which have received names from the islanders, and many of which are connected with legendary tales of sprites and sea-monsters. The coast varies in its character from one half-mile to another: presenting in one part a low range of sterile, craggy rocks; in another part a lower coast, with patches of green and garden ground; and in a third, a gradual ascent to the same kind of lofty cliffs as those before met with. Pennsylvania Castle is one of the few buildings met with in a tour of the island. It was built in recent times by Mr. Penn, who was at that time governor of the Isle of Portland, and who was a lineal descendant of the great William Penn. The Castle' is an unassuming comfortable mansion, around which the proprietor has contrived to rear a tolerable plantation of trees-almost a solitary example in the island. At a very short distance from this lies Rufus Castle, or Bow and Arrow Castle (for it is known by both names). This is the most venerable piece of antiquity in the island it is but a relic, yet it carries us back to the reign of Stephen. The castle is situated three hundred feet above the level of the sea, on a perpendicular cliff, split into various fanciful shapes. It has been so far kept from utter decay as to be used as a residence, and fitted up within with the requisite comforts, though presenting externally a wild and time-worn appearance. (Cut, No. 2.) The view from the vicinity of this building is most varied and extensive; and on the surface of an undercliff, situated far beneath, many pretty little patches of garden are visible. From Bow and Arrow Castle the walk along the cliffs is often of a rugged character, and it leads to a lofty conical mound, called Vern Hill, which serves This brings us pretty nearly back to the spot from whence we started, at the junction of the island with the Chesil Bank. The reader may now very fairly ask, "What is the Chesil Bank?" treating hitherto of the "breast of mutton ;" and a few words of description must follow concerning the "string" by which it is suspended from the mainland. All the best authorities agree that Portland was really an island in remote ages; but at some period, the determination of which baffles geologists as well as antiquaries, it became united to the mainland by one of the most extraordinary ridges of pebbles in Europe. In all probability the formation of this ridge was a very gradual one. From its commencement at the Isle of Portland, it extends in a remarkably straight line north-west for many miles, not joining the shore at the part nearest to Portland, but running parallel to the coast, from which it is separated by a narrow arm of the sea, called the 'Swannery Fleet:' this is the creek before alluded to, over which a bridge has been thrown within the last few years. The Swannery Fleet extends as far as Abbotsbury, ten miles from Portland. At this spot the Chesil Bank unites with the mainland, and runs along the shore nearly six miles farther, to the commencement of the cliffs at Burton Castle, not far from Bridport. The breadth of the Chesil Bank is, in some places, nearly a quarter of a mile, but commonly much less. The base is formed of a mound of blue clay, which is covered to a depth varying from four to six feet with a coating of smooth round pebbles, chiefly of white calcareous spar, but partly of quartz, chert, jasper, &c. The pebbles are so loose, that a horse's legs sink between them almost knee-deep at every step, rendering travelling on them an impossibility. The Bank slopes on the one side towards the open sea, and on the other towards the narrow inlet intercepted by it. It is highest at the Portland end, and is there composed of pebbles as large as a hen's egg; but they diminish in size towards the west so regularly, that it is said the smugglers who land in the night can judge where they are by examining the pebbles. At Abbotsbury the pebbles are little larger than horsebeans. Marine plants grow in patches along the edge of the bank, by the water-side. The pebbly covering is continually shifting; a north-east wind sometimes clears away the pebbles in parts, leaving the blue clay exposed, but the denuded spaces are covered again with pebbles by the heavy sea which the south-west wind brings up. The Swannery Fleet receives the waters of several rivulets, and runs into the open sea at its south-eastern extremity by a narrow channel, called |