23 



The Abbe Fortis entertained a belief that the sea 

 was not only gaining upon the land, but that its level 

 is becoming more and more elevated, for he observes, 

 " Proofs are also daily discovered, that its level ac- 

 tually rises/ 1 * and in proof of its advances he fur- 

 ther says, " In like manner some islands, and large 

 pieces of the continent, about Grado, have, within 

 these few ages, been covered by the sea, which every 

 day advances and threatens fresh mischief; thus also 

 the sea gained ground near Malamores, and covered a 

 large tract of inhabited land, the ruins of which may 

 still be seen under water in a calm : thus also the an- 

 cient city of Corea, opposite Rimini, is covered by 

 the waves, and more than a mile from land ; and thus 

 also the suburbs of Pola in Istria are submerged, and 

 along the shore, at low water the Mosaic pavements 

 are discovered, as well as at Sipar not far from Parano. 

 several palms under water. ? 'f 



We are also informed by an anonymous English 

 traveller, in his Journal of a Voyage, in which he 

 describes several very ancient cities of the Archipelago : 

 and in which he thus speaks of Delos. " We found 

 nothing else, all along the coast, but the ruins of su- 

 perb edifices which had never been completed, and the 

 ruins of others which have been destroyed. The sea 

 appears to have gained on the Isle of Delos, and the 

 water being clear, and the weather calm, we had an 

 opportunity of observing the remains of beautiful 



* Abbe Fortis' Travels in Dalmatia, page 17. t Do. p. 464. 



