CHURCH. 



231 



of the adjoining houses was washed away, and the ancient 

 church with its two lofty spires, a well known land-mark, was 

 abandoned. The following view of it as it appeared in 1834, is 

 taken from Mr. Lyell's Principles of Geology, from which the 

 preceding statement is also derived. This ancient building would 



probably, have fallen long since, had not the force of the waters 

 been checked by an artificial causeway of stones, and large wood- 

 en piles, driven into the sands to break the force of the waves. 



There are good reasons for believing that the coasts of France 

 and England were formerly united, this is inferred from the iden- 

 tity of the composition of the cliffs on the opposite sides of the 

 channel, and also of the noxious animals in England and France, 

 which could hardly have been introduced by man. This opinion is 

 advocated by many distinguished geologists, and it is by no means 

 incredible, that in the course of agfes the sea may have forced its 

 .passage through. The separation of Friesland, which was once 

 a part of North Holland, from the mainland, by the action of the 



