51 
the swift currents of the tide among the Orkneys, the Shetlands, 
and off the West coast of Ireland ; as well as the incessant action 
of the tide in cuttiug away the soft land when it had been left 
bare by the removal of the sand dunes that once covered and pro- 
tected it, by the wind. [Illustrations were given of the formation 
of caves, bays, arches in headlands, and stacks, by the action of 
the waves, taken from amongst many to be found on the 
North coast of Cornwall, of Scotland, and from the Shetland 
Islands. 
In summing up the Lecturer asked, ‘‘ What is the net result 
of all the losses he had enumerated ?’’ and answered the question 
by reading a series of figures which showed that in spite of some 
slight gains, there had been a net loss to the country of about 
two thousand acres per annum for many years past. 
After a discussion, in which the President, Mr. Sutcliffe, 
Mr. J. W. Thompsor, J.P., Mr. George Gill, and the Secretary 
took part, Mr. Osborn, B.A. replied to various questions asked, 
and still further illustrated his remarks by showing some beautiful 
slides of Irish scenery. 
After a hearty vote of thanks, and in reply to questions by 
Messrs. J. S. Sutcliffe, C. Hargreaves (Hon. Sec.),; G. Gill, and Mr. 
J. W. Thompson, J.P., Mr. Osborn, B.A. added that the whole of 
the coast of South America was rising rather rapidly for a length 
of 6,000 miles, and so was the coast of Kastern Asia. It was only 
natural that some other parts of the earth should show signs of 
sinking. The western shores of Kurope generally seemed to be 
sharing in the process of sinking. Erosion was going on all 
round the Scotch and the English coast, both in red sand stone 
and granite, only less in one than the other, the red sand stone 
being more accesible to the action of the sea than the granite. 
The compensation was very much less than the land lost. It 
chiefly amounted to a few thousand acres in the Wash. Nowhere 
else that he knew of did the land rise to any great extent. A 
great deal of interesting information on this subject was to be 
found in the little book called the “ Story of Lost England.” 


