184 THE EROSION OF THE COAST. 



fortunate contractor. It was said that the wall was faulty both in 

 design and construction, and having been built out too far from the 

 land, the sea resented the encroachment in a summary fashion. 

 The wall was never rebuilt ; yet Grecnhill suffered no material 

 injury, as the heavy water soon passed on to the Preston beach, 

 where its influence was successfully withstood by the then abundant 

 accumulation of shingle. But when in course of time Jordan Gate 

 was reached no such effectual barrier was met with, and the erosion 

 of the coast line made rapid progress. It was feared that Preston 

 valley would be invaded by the waters ; consequently the Govern- 

 ment was appealed to, and at . its expense many thousand tons of 

 Portland stone in large blocks Avcre deposited on the shore to form 

 a protection, which purpose it has effectually served. The disturb- 

 ance of conditions did not, I believe, however, end there, for I had 

 it on good authority that, owing to Breakwater influence, several 

 hundreds of acres of land had fallen into the sea and been lost to 

 the owners of properties adjoining the north shore. However, I 

 will not pursue the subject further in this direction, but will, with 

 permission, occupy a short time in considering the causes and 

 probable effects of the denuding of Preston beach. 



In stating that the tendency of the shingle is to travel in a 

 south-easterly direction, the reporter was, perhaps, misled by 

 information of what had been the case in pre-Breakwater times, 

 the tendency being now south-westerly i.e., in the direction of 

 Weymouth. 



Before 1849, when the Portland Breakwater was commenced, 

 there was practically no permanent displacement of the shingle. 

 Should a south-easterly gale drive it towards Preston, the following 

 north-easter would return it to its original place and restore the 

 equilibrium ; but now not only is the south-easterly impetus 

 removed, but it has been partly converted by reflection from the 

 north shore into a force operating in the other direction; conse- 

 quently the movement is south-westerly only, and has so continued, 

 ever since the Portland Breakwater commenced to make its 

 disturbing influence felt in the deflection of the wind- waves, and of 



