Li CUT- 110 USES. 593 



, by mariners to be very great end heavy in those seas, and particu- 

 larly in the bay of Bir-'.y. It is to be observed, that the sound- 

 ings of the sea from the south.westward toward the Eddystone are 

 from eighty fathoms to forty, and evi-rywher' 1 till you come near the 

 Edly stone the sea is full thirty fathoms in depth ; so that all the 

 heavy sras from the south. west come uncontroulpd upon the Eddy, 

 stone rorks, and break on them with the utmost fury. 



The force and height of those sras is increased by the circnm. 

 stance of the rocks stretching across the channel, in a north and 

 south direction, to \h<- length of above a hundred fathoms, and 

 by their lying in a sloping manner toward the south. west quarter. 

 This striving of the rocks, as it is technically called, does not cease 

 at low water, but still goes on progressively ; so that, at fifty fa- 

 thoms westward, there are twelve fathoms watr-r ; nor do they ter. 

 tninate altogether at the distance of a mile. From this configura- 

 tion it happens, that the seas are swelled to such a deyn-e in. 

 storms and hard gales of wind, as to break on the rocks with the 

 utmost violence. 



The effect of this slope is likewise sensibly felt in moderate, and 

 even in calm weather; for the libration of the water, caused in <he 

 bay of Biscay in hard gales at south. west, continues in those deep 

 waters for many days, though succeeded by a calm ; insomuch) 

 that when the sea is to all appearance smooth and even, and its 

 surface unruffled by the slightest breeze, yet those librations still 

 continuing, which are called the ground swell, and meeting the 

 slope of the rocks, the sea breaks upon them in a frightful man- 

 ner, so as not only to obstruct any work being done on the rock, 

 but even the landing upon it, when figurativtly speaking, you 

 might go to sea in a walnut slu-H. A circumstance which still 

 farther increases the difficulty of working on the rock is, there 

 be ing a sudden drop of the surface of the rock, forming a step of 

 about four and a half, or five feet high ; so that the seas, whicji in 

 moderate weather comes swelling to tliis part, meet so sudden a 

 check, that they frequently fly to the height of thirty or forty feet. 



Notwithstanding thfso difficulties, it is not surprising that the 

 dangers to which navigators were exposed by the Kddystone rocks 

 should make a commt rnal nation desirous of having a light. house 

 on them. The wonder is that any one should be found hardy 

 enough to undertake the building. Such a n.an was first found in 

 the person of Henry Winstanley, of Littlebury, in Essex, gent. 



VOL. YI. 2 a 



