British caves and speleology / by E.A. Martel.

  • Martel, E. A. (Edouard Alfred), 1859-1938.
Date:
[1897]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: British caves and speleology / by E.A. Martel. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    I'A '' •' ' BRITISH CAVES AND SPELEOLOGY. By E. A. MARTEL. At the last meeting of the Sixth International Geographical Congress held in London, in July and August, 1895, I had the honour, as delegate of the Society of Speleology, of communicating a memorandum on the encouragement which ought to be given to researches of all kinds in caves. I explained how the new means of action employed since 1883, above all in Austria by different scientists and travellers, and in France by myself and my fellow-labourers, had resulted in un- expected discoveries. The principal aim of my communication was to attract the attention of English scientific men and tourists to all that still remains to be done and to be found in the natural caves of Great Britain. Alluding to the two works that I had already published,* * * § I tried to prove how speleology, or the science of caves, if it received the attention which it deserves, will help to solve a great number of problems, not only in physical geography, but also in pateontology, zoology, meteorology, agriculture, public works, general hygiene, etc. In order to join example to precept,-! had obtained from the French Government, as I did in 1893 for the Austrian Karst, a scientific mission in the name of the Minister of Public Instruction to make a comparison between the grottoes and subterranean waters of Great Britain and those which I had already examined in France, Belgium, Austria, and Greece. The results of this mission, very fortunately accomplished in July and August, 1895, were abundant enough to furnish matter for a sjjecial new work, which was issued in January 18971; but, wishing to make known to the readers of the Geographical Journal at least the principal observations and discoveries which I have made in Ireland, Derbyshire, and Yorkshire, I will devote these few pages to a summary relation of my underground journey in the British Isles, adding after- wards a few words on my researches of 1896 in Spain. I hope thus to succeed in arousing in England a favourable extension of all kinds of subterranean researches, as I have already had the pleasure of succeeding in doing in France. I.—General Remarks on British Caves. At the beginning of the present century, the caves of England were the object of learned and methodical researches. In 1821 Dr. Buckland undertook the famous excavations of Kirkdale cave, described in his classical work ‘ Reliquije Diluvianse.’ t One knows what splendid palasontological discoveries have been furnished by the beds of Hutton, Oreston, Wookey, Victoria, Brixham caves, of Kent’s hole. Dream mine. Goat hole (Paviland), etc. The summary of all this has been described by Prof. Boyd Dawkins in his excellent work ‘ Cave Hunting,’ published in 1874.§ The mere reading of this valuable volume will suffice to show that palaeontology and archeology have been until now the principal objects of English speleologists. One may say that in general they have not thoroughly examined all that concerns the topography, the hydrology, the meteorology, and * ‘Les Cevennes.’ In 8vo. Paris: Delagrave. 1890. ‘Les Abimes.’ In 4to. Paris: Delagrave. 1894. t ‘Irlande et Cavernes anglaises.’ In 8vo. Paris: Delagrave. 1897. J In 4to. London : Murray. 1823. § ‘ Cave Hunting: Researches on the Evidence of Caves, respecting the Early In- habitants of Europe.’ In 8vo ; xxiv., 455 pp.; one plate in colours and fig. London ; MacMillan. 1874.