In transcribing the following passage from Smith’s text, I have begun with the rough OCR material provided by the Internet Archive and then collated it with the Internet Archive’s page images. If you spot any errors, please notify the webmaster. — George P. Landow
The course of the red rhab, as it is called in South Wales, and of the red and dun stone of Monmouthshire, may be distinguished by its colour and a peculiar unevenness of surface, abounding with deep narrow dingles, through which small streams of water descend with rapidity. Some parts of its surface soil have a good herbage; the portions in cultivation produce com of a fine quality; and others, too steep and too high for the plough, are good sheep pastures.
So many alternations of red and grey sandstone rocks, with indifferent limestone, and much reddish indurated marl, may be expected to produce a great variety of soil. Conical hills, like some in Scotland and Wales, and the Sugar-loaf in Monmouthshire, are its most striking characters. [50]
Related material
- A County-by-County Geological Description of England’s Counties
- Smith’s Explanation of His Map of Geological Strata in England and Wales
- The History of the Idea of Geological Strata before William Smith’s Formulation and Map
Bibliography
Smith, William. A Memoir to the Map and Delineation of Strata of England and Wales. London: John Cary, 1815.
Created 11 September 2018