178 KING GEORGE, 



witliln Portland Roads, and then, reacKing in- shore 

 towards the ferry, as far as we dared for the shallows, 

 dredged the ground over with the tide, in various 

 traverses off Smallmouth Sands, and under Sandsfoot. 

 The sand shoals off in some places very gradually, 

 and one day we scraped along and stuck fast, the 

 "boat's keel deep in the mud and silt, and immoveable, 

 though the shore was more than half a mile distant. 

 The tide, however, took us off after some delay, which 

 no doubt seemed longer than it really was, and 

 allowed us to go on with our dredging. 



From this bay a favourable view is obtained of the 

 equestrian figure of George III., which is cut on the 

 slope of a hill above Preston, and which, by the ex- 

 posure of the chalk, is very conspicuous on the green 

 tm'f. It is a very remarkable work of art on several 

 accounts ; first, for that it was executed by a private 

 soldier with only his own resources ; secondly, for its 

 colossal dimensions, being 174 feet in height ; thirdly, 

 for its vraisemhlance not only to a man on horseback, 

 but to the king himself; and fourthly, because being 

 intended to be viewed at some miles' distance, on a 

 very inclined surface, the drawing had to be made, 

 not in natural proportions, but very considerably 

 distorted : yet the success is complete. 



In raking the bottom of this bay, we meet with 

 various kinds of ground. In many places it is smooth 

 sand ; in others a whitish, tenacious mud ; off Sands- 

 foot Castle the low ledges crop out, and offer their 

 abrupt margins across the course in which we are 

 working ; these have to be carefully avoided. Again, 

 in some places there are extensive beds of Zoster a; 



