190 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [ApR. 24 



Nevertheless, when lie comes to Lis general conclusions these 

 show a remarkably correct idea of cause and effect. Thus, he 

 continues : 



A more probable opinion is, that Long-Island, and the adjacent conti- 

 nent were, in former days, contiguous, or only separated by a small river, 

 and that the strait which now divides them was formed by successive 

 inroads ot the sea, from the eastward and westward, in the course of 

 ages. . . . 



Between Long-Island and the continent there are several shoals, with 

 rocks scattered over them, which are, apparently sunken or wasted islands. 

 These remains of what was, probably, in former days, upland of as great 

 height as the neighbouring islands, afford strong evidence of the leveling 

 power of the waves. ... 



Manchonack, the Isle of IVight, or Gardiner's- Island, is an irregular 

 body of land, lying obliquely between JSIontock and Oyster-Pond points. 

 . . . Here too the earth is crumbling down, and yielding to the impulse 

 ot the waves : for, besides the wasting of other parts of the shore, a part 

 of the island, which was formerly connected with a point or headland by 

 a high beach, has, within a modern period, been separated by the tide. 

 The separated portion is called Ram-Island. . . . 



Plwnb- Island. There can be no reasonable doubt that this detached 

 piece of land was formerly connected with Long-Island at Oyster-Pond 

 point, from which it is now distant about three-quarters of a mile. . . . 

 The Indian tradition is, that the distance was formerly very small, . . . 



The Gidl-Islands are two small portions of laud and rocks, lying N.E. 

 of Plumb-Island, and were apparently once connected with it, and with 

 each other. . . . 



Fisher' 8- Island ... is now comprehended within the town of 

 Southold. There is a series of rocks, reefs, and shoals in a N.E. direc- 

 tion from the N.E. Gull-Island, about seven miles, until Fisher's-Island 

 begins. Evidently these are the remains of the ancient continent, which 

 many ages ago stretched across this space. 



Thus writes one of the earliest observers in the region which 

 we have to consider, and the first, so far as I am aware, to note 

 the indications of former land connection between Long Island 

 and the main land. His conclusions were, of course, drawn 

 from general appearances only, but it will be of interest to note 

 how they agree with the facts discovered and made known by 

 subsequent observers, some of which facts it is the object of 

 this paper to discuss. 



