XLIV. 



Ube Snroafcs of tbe Sea* 



THE history of Reculvers Church, just detailed, sug- 

 gests that it may be instructive if we attempt to dive 

 into the story of sea-action on our coasts at large, 

 by way, perchance, of presenting holiday-seekers with 

 material for study when they visit our coasts, and, at 

 least, of affording food for geological thought at large. 

 Britain, as a " sea-girt isle," presents to us notable 

 illustrations of sea-action, and the more so because 

 the rocks of which our various coasts are composed 

 exhibit such an infinite variety of texture, composition, 

 and hardness. 



Naturally, certain localities, whereof the rocks are 

 soft and easily worn away, present us with more 

 typical illustrations of the ocean wear-and-tear than 

 those places in which rocks of dense hardness form 

 the bulwarks of the island. But if we inquire into 

 the fate of the coasts in the far north, and pursue our 

 investigations, say, in the Shetland Islands, we may 

 discover that, even on the hardest rocks, the ceaseless 

 beat of the waves in due time makes a very marked 

 impression. 



Let us think for a moment what the power of the 

 sea in a storm means. In Shetland, for example, it is 



calculated, on verv exact evidence, that great masses 

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