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From what has just been said, it must, I think, be clear to all 
that if the sea everywhere met with the same resistance, that is to 
say, if the rocks along our coast were everywhere of the same 
structure and. hardness, and always presented themselves to the 
denuding action of the waves in the same manner, we should have 
none of those beautiful bays and coves and headlands which give 
such pleasing variety to our coast scenery now, but everywhere we 
should meet with the same monotonous prospect. Fortunately, 
however, it is not so, for the rocks vary both in hardness and in 
the manner of their occurrence, so that the denuding action of the 
sea has greater effect upon them at one point than at another, and, 
as a consequence, carves them out into bays and headlands of 
infinite form and variety in the way that we now see them. 
On many parts of our coasts, especially about Cornwall and 
Devon, the connection between geological structure and scenery 
is displayed most strikingly, and could hardly fail to arrest the 
attention of the most superficial observer. But we may, I think, 
learn something of that connection by an examination of the coast 
nearer home. Those who have been along that part of it which 
lies between Parton and St. Bees, will remember that it is very 
irregular. First of all there is, at Parton, a small bay-like indent- 
ation at the mouth of the valley in which the village lies. Then 
the coast stands somewhat out towards the sea until we reach 
Redness Point, whence it recedes to Whitehaven, and forms at the 
end of St. Bees valley another small bay. Jutting out seaward — 
again somewhat abruptly on the south side of this bay, it thence 
pursues a nearly straight line to Port Hamilton. At that point it 
turns seaward once more, and we are on the fine headland known 
as St. Bees Head, broken only near its centre by a slight indent- 
ation called Fleswick Bay. Opposite St. Bees the coast retires 
again, and forms another small bay, there too at the mouth of a 
valley. Now, what is the cause of this irregularity of the coast 
line? That it adds much to its beauty no one will deny; but why 
should it not have been a straight line? Why all the projections 
and indentations that exist? To answer these questions we must 
first make ourselves acquainted with the nature of the rocks 
