137 



somewhat archaeological character of this paper, but he trusted that if 

 as a record of " natural history " it might not be sufficiently scientific, it 

 might be found of interest to antiquarians. 



The President (Mr. Dennant), on behalf of the members, 

 thanked Mr. Sawyer for his admirable paper, and expressed a hope 

 that it would lead to an interesting and profitable discussion. 



Mr. E. WiLLETT pointed out that the tendency of earthquakes 

 was rather to uplift than to sink the coast, but that it was pretty clear 

 from observations which his father was making, and of which he could 

 not say more at present, that the coast line of the county was gradually 

 and ver)' considerably sinking. Allusion was also made to the present 

 theory of groyning, which he (Mr. Willett) thought was wrong. By 

 adopting it, there was as much wash on the lee side of a groyne as 

 there was beach on the windward. If the groynes were made to lean 

 a little to the south-west, kept very low, built up as the beach accumu- 

 lated, and constructed in zig-zag fashion, a natural barrier to the sea 

 would soon be secured. These were ideas of his father, and had been 

 successfully enforced elsewhere. 



l\Ir. Won FOR remarked that it was believed the whole of the 

 southern coast of England was sinking, and that the time would come 

 when Brighton and the adjacent .lov>--lying parts would return to the 

 sea. This prospect was so alarming to some people that one gentle- 

 man whom he knew had determined not to purchase a house on the 

 Brighton Cliff, being convinced that although he should not witness 

 the disappearance of the coast-line, his grandchildren might. 

 Encouragement for such a conviction was offered in the fact that with- 

 in the memory of some old people there were two roads from Brighton 

 to Rottingdean south of the present. The silting up of rivers and 

 harbours in this part of the country was also referred to ; and it was 

 predicted that either greater local energy than was at present shown in 

 endeavouring to protect the land against the encroachments of the sea 

 would have to be shown, or Government would have to do something 

 in the matter, or the fears of those to whom allusion had been made 

 would prove well grounded. 



Mr. G. D. Sawyer re-directed attention to the silting up of rivers. 



Mr. J. E. Haselwood suggested that there must be a peculiar 

 set of currents at work in the English Channel, which had something 

 to do with the change in the coast-line. 



