EUROPE SUBMERGED. 337 



unrecognisable. The inap at the commencement of 

 this chapter represents the appearance which would 

 be presented by Europe, supposing the level of the sea 

 were to rise some 500 feet. Its land-connection with 

 the Asiatic continent would then be broken ; it would 

 become an archipelago traversed by large arms of 

 the sea. The valleys of the Vistula and the Dnieper 

 would become vast sheets of water. An immense 

 gulf would flow up the ancient valley of the Danube ; 

 a narrow channel would separate it from an interior 

 sea corresponding to a large part of Hungary. Den- 

 mark, the low-lying plains of Germany and of the 

 Netherlands, would be replaced by the ocean. 

 England and France would be very much cut up. 

 In the latter would be found three large gulfs, corre- 

 sponding to the present courses of the Seine, the Loire, 

 and the Garonne; fishing-boats would anchor over 

 Bordeaux and Orleans, and make land at Toulouse. 

 A narrow istlimus would unite France with Spain 

 in the neighbourhood of Castelnaudary, and the rich 

 wine-growing countiies of central France would 

 become transformed into submarine prairies. 



The plain of the Po and the valley of the Ebro 

 would make way for deep gulfs ; though, in general, 

 the northern shores of the Mediterranean would 

 suffer but little change. This would not be the case 

 with the low plains which constitute Egypt and Gyre- 



