242 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. I. 



it is supposed the water of the great chain of lakes found its way to the 

 sea by an outlet in a south-easterly direction, through Rome — this is not 

 the one we hear so much about in politics — -and Utica, and down the 

 Hudson River, When this great barrier melted away, the outlet took its 

 present course, and the lake assumed its present level. 



On tne subsidence of the lake to its present level, all the Don and other 

 streams had to do was to excavate from their former terminus to the new 

 shore line. And I would call the attention of my hearers to the much 

 more ancient appearance of the banks of the Don, for instance, in what 

 I may style the old part than the new. This may be very well seen on 

 some of the C.P.R. bridges that happen to be near or at the terrace. 



Now, having told you how the Island was not formed, I shall endeavor 

 to tell you briefly how it was formed ; and, in doing so, I shall keep very 

 close to Mr. Fleming's exposition of the case. The other writers referred 

 to all give Mr. Fleming the credit for first enunciating the true solution 

 of the problem. And I cannot do better than call your attention to a 

 copy of some of the maps and drawings that he has used to explain his 

 theory. 



The limited time at my disposal will only allow me to make brief 

 reference to the salient features of the probable solution. 



First, the material of which the Island is formed came originally from 

 the Scarboro' Heights ; 



Second, the mechanical force which transported the material to its 

 present resting place was the storm action of the waves, which is now as 

 active as ever. 



In proof of the first premise we find the material on all parts of the 

 Island to be identical in its nature with that composing the Heights : 

 Prof Pike informed me that he had made an examination of the material 

 from both places and he found them to be of the same geological forma- 

 tion. Then its continuous connection, until recently, with those cliffs to 

 the east, is also evidence to the same effect. 



In proof of the second premise, we have the well authenticated fact of 

 the gradual extension of the Island to the westward. Mr. Hind points 

 out that previous to his time it was ascertained that thirty acres had been 

 added to Lighthouse Point from the time of the first surveys. I was 

 credibly infouned, a few days since, by an old citizen that he remem- 

 bered when the Lighthouse was close to the beach. 



Wave action on a beach is tolerably well understood. When the direc- 

 tion of the wave or wind is perpendicular to the beach the effect is entirely 



