196 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[Junk, 



We come now to a quoslion of much importance, and intimately 

 connected witli onr subject, viz., wliat is the canse tiiat one convex 

 wave rolling witli impetnositv on the shore, and receding back with the 

 like rapidity, leaves behind it a quantity of beacli, so that at the end 

 of the ilood tide, as the water falls away during the ebb, a large extra 

 accunndation of beach is found n]) (ovvards the high water mark? But 

 with a change of wind the same formed billow falling on the shore, and 

 receding back to the ocean with the like velocity as the former, takes 

 away with it the beach to a considerable depth, and scours away what- 

 ever is within ils drawback influence. We ask for a solution of this 

 problem, if buckets of water are thrown on a floor, each produce, 

 as they rush up an inclined plane and fall back again like eH'ects, 

 taking away whatever sand or loose matter is readied by the water — 

 not so with the impinging and rei'ediiig billows — one has an accumu- 

 lating, the other a scattering power.* 



The subject of moving beach is, indeed, as your intelligent corres- 

 pondent Nota,-|- remarks, connected with the construction of piers, and 

 into which, as another of your correspondents observes, celebrated 

 engineers have searched in vain, and therefore the lack of correct in- 

 formation oil this point is one cause of the failure in improving exist- 

 ing, or in establishing eligible refuge harbours. 



Nota has also niaile some judicious remarks on the subject of the ac- 

 cumulation of mud on tlie northern shore of the Severn. Whether his 

 hypothesis be correct or not, as to the cause of this, I will not now 

 dis]nite, but similar operations are in action in all bays and rivers. 

 The deposit on the shores of the Thames is similar every flood tide, 

 that the watermen are obliged during the receding tide, by artificial 

 means to cause an undulation of the water, so that in its drawback 

 course it may take away the deposit of the preceding flood, and keep 

 the shore clean. 



Your correspondent speaks of a ship's rudder having been found 10 

 feet below the level of the shore, while excavating the Bute Dock, 

 Here we liave another proof of the progressive accumulation on the 

 margin of the coasts, hi the bed of the river Store, in the Island of 

 Slieppy, and in many other parts, the relics of vessels and boats, and 

 also of anchors have been found. Instances have occurred of stranded 

 vessels having been buried between the high and low water mark for 

 many years, and by the efiect of the drawback wave have again been 

 uncovered. 



Much valuable land has been redeemed from the river Humber by 

 a deposit of mud, a large portion of the rich marsh soil in the vicinity 

 of rivers is an alluvial deposition, and a great part of Holland is the 

 result of this principle in nature, aideil by artficial means. 



The great geologist Baron Cuvier stated that which we by ob- 

 servation discover to be tlie fact, viz., that all bays have a disposition 

 to till up, the water passing along a coast with velocity is charged witli 

 matter in suspension, this water or tide falls on the shore inertly, and 

 deposits the mud or that with which it may bo cliargetl, so that tliere is 

 a progressive action proceeding onward, which in time forms the bay 

 into a straight line, and this is often accelerated by the washing down 

 of each jioint of the crescent which forms the bay. I with deference 

 to your correspondent, we are of opinion that he has confined his ex- 

 position of this matter to a local cause, rather then to a general prin- 

 ciple. 



Tliere is, we humbly submit, a prevalent error in the remarks of your 

 correspondent, who follows Nota, and it is one of those errors which it 

 is most diflicult to grapple with, it pervades the minds of pilots, beach- 

 men, &c., viz., the deducing a coincidence from a coexistence, it is of 

 the character of the old tale in endeavouring to connect Tinterton 

 Church with the Goodwin Sand. I do not apply this to him, many of 

 his deductions are correct, but I am sceptical as to the fall of Chalk 

 Clitr west of Dover, being the cause of the diminution of the bar or 

 lieacli at Dover harbour, if he had watched the effect of the late pre- 

 valent winds, he would have seen tliat this diminishing power was at 

 work niany miles east and west of him, from the North Foreland to the 

 Isle oj Jl'ight, &r., and on the northern and eastern shores; so that he 

 appears to form his opinion " from partial, and not from general laws." 

 This gentleman asks for a solution of the problem, (. e. "the cause 

 of the regular high marks successively following each other on Lydd 

 Beach V (as it does over other parts of Dungeness), we answer, the 

 same cause that has produced similar effects on other coasts — here 

 again we revert to general laws. It is admitted that each ridge indi- 

 cates a former high water mark, and that the present high water mark 

 is considerably seaward of those ridges, the inference necessarily is 

 that either the tide does not flow so high as it formerly did, or tha 

 the beach has been raised by some unusual flow of the t'ide, the latter 



* The cause appears obvious to the writer. 

 T See Journal for May, 1840. 



is the solution, and we observe like effects on other shores, &c. Deal 

 IJeacdi from a ilistance, southward of Wahncr, and north of Sandown 

 Caslle, including the site on which Ikach Ulriet at Deal is built, 

 is the largest accumulation of beach we know of, caused by one of those 

 tides we have spoken of, since which no such rise of the tide 

 lias occurred, but if we pass further inland in this locality, we find 

 ridges of shingle similar to those at Dungeness. The same effects 

 have been produced on the coasts of Norfolk, and Suffolk, traced out 

 by the like existing proofs. 



The site on which stands the town of Great Yarmouth, gives a de- 

 monstrative proof of the accuracy of our deductions, it vvas once a sand 

 in tlie ocean, called by the Romans, Cerdic sand. 



It is a very natural consequence that matter thrown on the shore by 

 an extraordinary rise of the waters of the ocean, should increir^e its 

 level above the latter, inasmuch as the annually decomposed vegetable 

 matter, (its own produce), &c., tends to cause such an efl'ect. Build- 

 ings constructed thereon have after many years been again taken away 

 by the raging wave. 



We have only to remark on the subject of the sea advancing most 

 prejudicial on one part of the coast, taking away fields of corn, &c., 

 and receding from another part, that we see similar eflects in various 

 jiarts of the world, and ha\-e an opinion on the cause of this, but it 

 might be deemed problematical for the present, therefore we with- 

 hold it. 



In conclusion, we remark that our globe is progressively under 

 transitions, and while these are going on, we detect the change of sub- 

 stance, but not the principle of destruction. 



" See dying vegetables life sustain. 

 See life decaying vegetates again." 



Having lengthened this letter much beyond our intention, we con- 

 clude, earnestly and with deference to the opinion of others, by in- 

 viting investigtion on the important subject here discussed, and to give 

 it their serious and candid attention, and let it not be forgotten that 

 subjects susceptible of mathematical demonstration are within the 

 solution of educated engineers, but those relating to the change of 

 form of coasts, to the impinging of the wave, efiect of currents and 

 tides, and the disemboguing waters are understood only by practical 

 observation, the result of much attention, and long and extensive ex- 

 perience on various coasts. 



Henry Barrett. 



May 11, 1840. 



CATHOLIC CHAPELS— MR. PUGIN— THE INSTITUTE. 



Sir — In the Argus newspaper of May 10th, it is stated that " one 

 architect alone, Mr. Pugin, is at present engaged in the erection of 

 no less (fewer) than seventeen Catholic chapels in England." If such 

 be really the case, no wonder that Mr Pugin should be so impressed 

 with the excellence of the Romish, for it seems to have operated 

 almost a miracle in his favour. It would, however, have been more 

 satisfactory, had we been also informed at wdiat places those chapels 

 are, whereas, not one of the se\'enteen is mentioned by name. Per- 

 haps some of your correspondents will be able to point out such of 

 them as have come to their knowledge. As for Mr. Pugin himself, 

 he seems to be quite satisfied with the notoriety he has earned for 

 himself with his professional brethren, and accordingly does not care 

 to communicate either through your Journal or any other medium, the 

 slightest intelligence of what he has lately done or is actually doing. 

 There never is a single architectural drawing of any kind by him in 

 the exliibitions of the Royal Academy, consequently, if he sends any 

 there at all, they are invariably among the rejected. 



Pray, does not the Institute keep some kind of record of all the 

 public works and buildings going on through the kingdom ? If it does, 

 you w ill have little difficulty in ascertaining tlie correctness of the 

 statement in the Argus ; if, on the contrary, it does not keep such 

 historical record, it leaves that undone which would, in time, become 

 a series of valuable documents. To say the truth, it appears to me, 

 and I believe to many others also, that the Institute stands in need of 

 a little filipping to rouse them to some exertion pro bono publico. 

 How happens it that only one volume of its Transactions lias yet 

 made its appearance? why is it that it has not boldly taken up the 

 subject of competition and its notorious abuses, undeterred by the 

 various difticulties attending any attempt at reform ? and why has it 

 not rescued the profession from the Black Hole at the Royal Aca- 

 demy, by establishing an annual architectural exhibition upon a pro- 

 ])er and becoming footing? These are questions which, I dare say, 

 you cannot answer personally, but can any one else. 



I remain, Ike, 



P. S. 



