OF THE SEA AND LAND. 49 



vouritc principle. Even hence, he must have known, 

 arises that difference of level between our eastern and 

 western waters, which is demonstrated by the lockage 

 of our Canals. 



The alterations of the sea line in certain parts of 

 the Mediterranean have attracted much attention ; and 

 no small ingenuity has been exerted to avoid conclu- 

 sions supported by too much collateral evidence to be 

 rejected. If authors do not always agree respecting 

 the facts, it must be attributed to some bias in favour 

 of their own systems. The observations of Fortis, 

 JVlanfredi, and Zandrini, show that it is rising ; and 

 Manfredi, in particular, has ascertained that the sea 

 line of the Adriatic continued to rise from the begin- 

 ning of the Christian aera to the middle of the last 

 century- This was determined by the pavement of 

 the Cathedral of Ravenna, now a foot beneath the 

 level of the sea, and by corresponding observations at 

 Venice. The same conclusions have been drawn by 

 Breislak, from some Roman works near Baiae and 

 Naples, now submerged, though unquestionably built 

 on dry land ; consisting in the remains of an antient 

 road, some buildings of the Porto Julio, some columns 

 at the foot of Monte Nuovo, the pavement of the 

 Temple of Serapis, and the ruins of the palace of 

 Tiberius in Capreoe, now entirely covered by the sea. 

 It is also important to note, that in the columns of 

 the Temple of Serapis, pholades have perforated the 

 marble at a height of five or six feet above the present 

 level: and, in the ruins near Monte Nuovo, at an ele- 

 vation of sixteen feet above the ground- Hence the 

 sea-line, once inferior to the bases of these buildings, 

 has risen to the height of sixteen feet above its present 

 elevation, and again subsided to one inferior to that 

 which it now maintains, while supposed to be again 



VOL. II. E 



