Coa6t of Culverhole Point, near Axmouth. 16S 



fields alno which has been mentioned, is greatly rent and shat- 

 tered. The whole of the tract which has been subjected to 

 these violent disturbances, must be estimated, on the most 

 moderate computation, as exceeding three quarters of a mile 

 in length by 400 feet. The extent of injury sustained by the 

 adjoining farms, may be readily estimated from these data — 

 which, from the fear of exaggeration, I am, however, persuaded 

 I have greatly understated. The whole of the adjoining un- 

 dercliff between this new fissure and the sea has been greatly 

 affected by the lateral movements to which I have before al- 

 luded : the whole surface is corrugated by new ridges and fur- 

 rows, and traversed at every step by new ' fissures ; and the 

 whole line of sea-cliff has completely changed the features it 

 possessed a week ago, and been very generally moved bodily 

 forward for many yards. A remarkable pyramidal crag off 

 Culverhole Point, which lately formed a distinguished land- 

 mark, has sunk from a height of nearly 100 to 20 feet, and 

 the main cliff, before more than 50 feet distant from this in- 

 sulated crag, is now brought almost close. This motion of the 

 sea-cliff has produced a further effect, which may rank among 

 the most striking phenomena of this catastrophe. The lateral 

 pressure thus occasioned, has urged the neighbouring strata 

 extending beneath the shingle of the shore by their state of 

 unnatural condensation, to burst upwards in a line parallel to 

 the coast ; thus an elevated ridge, more tlian a mile in length, 

 and rising more than forty feet, covered by a confused assem- 

 blage of broken strata, and immense blocks of rock, invested 

 with sea-weed and corallines, and scattered over with shells 

 and star-fish, and other productions of the deep, forms aji 

 extended reef in front of the present range of cliffs : this ter- 

 minates at its eastern and western extremity in two deep 

 basins of water. The western of these basins is encircled by 

 the extreme arm of the new reef, in such a manner as nearly 

 to resemble the Cobb at Lyme ; which, however, it exceeds in 

 size. 



The singularity and picturesque effect of tlie new combina- 

 tions produced by this remarkable convulsion, must be suffix 

 ciently evident from tlie above description, without swelling a 

 communication already too long, by any vain attempt to deli- 



