48 



" is encroaching on this shore we may suppose that at some former 

 " period the Bournemouth valley extended further, and that its 

 " extremity consisted, as at present, of rough and boggy ground, 

 " partly clothed with fir trees." His conclusion seems to be that 

 the whole " had been sunk and submerged in modem times by 

 ,'the undermining of the sandy strata on which the peat and 

 «' trees rested, and did not imply a general subsidence or change of 

 *' level in that part of the coast." 



Another submerged forest, of the same character as that of 

 Bournemouth, and due to the same causes, is said by Sir Charles 

 Lyell to occur on the north side of Poole Harbour. In truth, 

 as stated by Geikie and others, submerged forests occur in places 

 all round our coasts, testifying to what an extent living forests 

 must have formerly prevailed in this island. Speaking of the 

 Scotch Fir in particular, Geikie says — " In ancient times it must 

 have grown indiscriminately throughout the length and 

 breadth of Britain, since we meet with it in the English mosses, 

 as well those of southern as of northern districts."* 



There were, according to Hutchins, some very large forests in 

 Dorset formerly — one forest is said to have " extended over the 

 whole island of Purbeck "f — and we cannot but suppose fir trees 

 to have abounded there as in the adjoining county of Hants. 



Takjn"' all the above facts together, in connection with what 

 was stated in the earlier part of this paper respecting the number 

 and condition of the firs still growing at Bournemouth, we can 

 hardly doubt the existence of an immense forest of firs on this 

 part of the south coast of England, reaching over long distances 

 east and west, in prehistoric times ; and which, continuing on by 

 spontaneous propagation, has remained in great part to the 

 present day. 



But there is another part of this enquiry yet to be considered. 



* Great Ice Age, p. 307. 

 t History of Dorsetshire, vol. i., p. 171. 



