2 CHESIL BEACH. 



Portland.'" The first piece of evidence in favour of this view 

 will be found in the much greater accumulation of material 

 towards the Chesilton end, where, as we have seen, the beach is 

 broader and nearly twice as high as at Abbotsbury.f Then, 

 again, there is the experience with regard to wreckage, where 

 the material is stated almost invariably to travel along the beach 

 in a south-easterly direction. I may mention also in this 

 connection that our most excellent ex-Secretary caused a load 

 of bricks to be deposited oia the beach near the Coastguard 

 Station, and I am informed that, so far as observed, these bricks 

 have been mainly noticed between that position and Portland, 

 thus proving an easterly progress, | as in the cases already 

 quoted. 



From the above statements, which relate to matters of fact in 

 nowise affected by any theory or attempted explanation, it may 

 safely be assumed that the movement of the shingle on the Chesil 

 Beach is, on the average, towards the Portland end. We are 

 then required to offer an explanation of two leading facts — viz., 

 the accumulation of shingle at the Portland end and the larger 

 size of the pebbles at that locality. To this I would answer 

 unhesitatingly that these phenomena, so far as existing causes 



* It is a circumstance greatly to be regretted that such a distinguished 

 geologist as Prestwich should, in the face of all evidence, have committed 

 himself to the theory that the shingle of the Chesil Beach travels in a westerly 

 direction, and that the pebbles composing it are reduced by attrition, so that they 

 get smaller and smaller as they approach Abbotsbury and Bridport. This is how 

 he endeavoured to account for the grading. 



t Vide Vol. XXIII., p. xliv., where particulars as to the dimensions and 

 composition of the Chesil Beach are given. 



X There are two points of importance to notice here : — 



1. Bricks have not much chance for any length of time in the struggle for 



existence with flints, cherts, quartzites, and the like. Hence their 

 deposition must be taken quickly. 



2. Much depends upon the time of the year when such bricks are thrown 



down. If early in March, they are likely to travel toicards the west 

 for a time, thus reversing the mean direction of movement. The 

 month of March, 1903, when south-westerly gales prevailed, would 

 be an exception. In this particular year during the month of 

 March the shingle no doubt has travelled in what may be regarded 

 as the normal direction. 



