914 BEPORT— 1888. 



between the land and sea ends of some half-dozen groynes, situate west of the jetty 

 at Cheney House, which have been entirely abandoned and allowed to go to decay 

 by the proprietors of land, who from their promiscuous cartage away of large quan- 

 tities of beach and sand no doubt very much increase the evil. 



OfE the jetty is situate a local spit, Cheney Rocks, or, as it is sometimes called, 

 • China Rocks,' from tlie neighbourhood of which large quantities are likewise taken. 



Eastward of the jetty, to the extent of the system of defence by groynes, the 

 wall is paved on the face and defended by groynes very close together, being only 

 from 10 to 20 yards apart, filled between with ' fulls ' of fine shingle. The wall 

 varies very much in direction with a recess just eastward of the jetty ; it subsequently 

 takes a direction more landward, is here more regular, and the beach has a better 

 slope. At the eastern end the shore ends of the groynes are nearly level with the 

 top of the wall as well as the beach. Eastward the groynes altogether cease, and we 

 have a mole of shingle up to the preventive station, and thence eastward to the base 

 of the clay cliffs of the island. Assuming two distinct ' fulls,' marking the respective 

 range of springs and neap tides, it appears to have travelled landward a considerable 

 distance during the last five j'ears ; it is said also to decrease in quantity. This 

 recession of the shingle-belt has corresponded with the wasting of the clay cliffs of 

 Minster, which is constantly going on, and evidenced at East End by a large amount 

 of undercliff. 



Between the shingle-belt at the coastguard station, or ' Ship on Shore ' as it is 

 locally called, and the Marsh Wall is a width of saltings, which in the winter time, 

 during spring tides, and witli the wind from the northward, is frequently overflown 

 by the sea, and may hereafter entail more attention on the part of the landowners to 

 this line of wall. 



From this general view of the shore, and a reference to the maps in your Depart- 

 ment, there would appear to have been a gradual growing up of the shore westward, 

 towards the Point, corresponding with the wasting of the cliff eastward ; that advan- 

 tage has been taken of this to reclaim the slob lands hj degrees, some of the walls 

 being in advance of others, and for the protection of these walls of earth the attempt 

 has subsequently been made to secure a permanent protection by arresting the 

 shifting beach by groynes ; that this beach to the westward has grown out in advance 

 of, and rendered superfluous, the groynes, and that in places to the eastward it has 

 travelled landward of the groynes, and at intermediate points, from neglecting to 

 keep up the groynes or to arrest the beach in travelling landward, and also from the 

 irregular projections consequent on the want of concerted action, and from pro- 

 miscuous and ill-judged removal of sand and shingle for building purposes, isolated 

 lengths have suffered very much. 



Were my instructions to report what I considered to be the best means of defending 

 this line of coast, I should be disposed to recommend the construction of a sea-wall, 

 or rather the extension of the stone slopes, and the abandonment of any other sea 

 defences in the shape of groynes. This, however, would involve a much larger outlay 

 than is contemplated in the Estimates for the current year, besides which my instruc- 

 tions direct my attention to the question of the best direction for the proposed new 

 groynes. Neither has the cost for maintaining this wall been extravagant, for I 

 find from returns furnished me at Sheerness that the cost from 1822 inclusive to the 

 present time, including the estimated amount for the current year, amounts to 9,324Z., 

 which is at the rate of about 267^. per annum for thirty-six years. 



With the exception of the proposed expenditure this season, that of 1825 appears 

 to have been the heaviest, reaching 1,300/., mainly caused by damage from a high 

 tide, arising in all probability from the upper works being out of repair. 



The expenditure for terms of five years appears to be as follows, viz. : — 



1822-25 £658 per annum. 



1826-33. (No return. If aught were expended it would raise the rate 



of annual expenditure accordingly.) 

 1834-38 £332 per annum. 



18.39-41 

 1844-48 

 1850-54 

 1850-57 



£111 

 £220 

 £92 

 £159 



The present is tlierefore apparently an exceptional and reconstructive year. 

 In construction, all the groynes along this coast are on a uniform local plan, 

 consisting of two parallel rows of small round oak piles driven down about half 



