15 



weapons. But, however that may be, whether dropped by 

 accident or left by design, there in their gravel bed they lay, 

 until in due course, a black muddy deposit, of from one to three 

 feet in thickness, covered them in. 



That this gravel line, now so far above the river, was once 

 the river's edge, is from its nature, position, and appearance, 

 as well as from the history of similar old gravel deposits on the 

 banks of carefully explored European rivers, almost a matter of 

 certainty. But for further evidence bearing on this subject, 

 let us turn to the configuration of the sea coast near the river's 

 mouth. Assuming that then as now the river was tidal at this 

 point, and that this gravel line now so far above the tidal level, 

 was then the river's edge, we are left to the conclusion, either 

 that the coast has been raised or that the sea has receded. The 

 evidence afforded by a study of the coast itself affirms this 

 conclusion. To the south-western side of the mouth of the 

 river the land runs out into a rocky low-lying promontory, 

 the termination of the large iron-stone dyke, already alluded to, 

 and known as Point Hood High water level all round this 

 2)oint is at present marked b}- a line of huge rounded boulders, 

 and rising above this line are no less than three other well- 

 marked lines of similar boulders, each line undoubtedl}- showing 

 the level at which the sea once stood The highest of these 

 tiers of boulders lies about thirty feet above the present sea 

 level. Following round the coast in this direction, immediatel}' 

 beyond Point Hood, stretches a wide open vale some twenty feet 

 above sea level. All over the surface of this vale marme shells 

 are found, and there can be little doubt that it is the site of an 

 ancient bay. Assuming that the sea once stood at the level of 

 the highest tier of boulders on the Point, this vale now divided 

 from the beach by a series of low wind-drifted sandhills would 

 have been submerged. The marine shells found on its surface, 

 taken together with the fact that the low sand-hills which now 



