354 



REPORT 1895. 



of what is so inned" — these, it must be admitted, are all acts likely to be 

 done by the owners of the soil, and they afford colour that he who does 

 such acts is the owner ; but these acts may be usurpations or intrusions 

 on the King's ownership, a,nd prima, facie are so.' 



The late Mr. R. B. Grantham, M.Inst.C.E., F.G.S., in 1888, then 

 Chairman of the Committee, stated — what is equally true in 1895 in the 

 light of experience gained in the interval — that ' the papers hitherto pre- 

 pared are very valuable ; but they are unconnected, and do not give the 

 means of enabling us to promote a system of protection in all parts of our 

 coasts. Tt seems essential that the information, to be practically useful, 

 should point out how a connected method of proceeding and operation could 

 be formed to prevent the wearing away of land.' 



The preservation of the coast, and the conservation of our seaboard 

 counties, are matters of urgent necessity : — they affect many varied inte- 

 rests — the Government, County Councils, Crown rights, and private owner- 

 ship, but as to the department which should take charge of the work, the 

 Committee do not oflfer any suggestion ; tliey are unanimous as to how a 

 working result could be most quickly obtained. 



APPENDIX T. 



SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS REPORTS. 



Form of Inquiry circulated. 



1. Wliat part oE the English or Welsh 



Coast do you know well ? 



2. What is the nature of that coast ? 



a. If cliffy, of what are the cliffs 



composed ? 

 I>. What are the heights of the 



cliffs above H.W.M. ? 

 Greatest ; average ; least. 



3. AV'hat is the direction of the coast- 



liae? 

 *. What is the prevailing wind ? 

 t.. What wind is the most important — 



a. In raising high waves ? 



I>. In piling up shingle ? 



c. In the travelling of shingle ? 



S. What is the set of the tidal currents 1 



7. What is the range of tide ? 



Vertical in feet. Width in yards 



between high and low water. 

 At spring tide ; at neap tide ? 



8. Does the area covered by the tide 



consist of bare rock, shingle, sand, 

 or uiud .' 



9. If of shingle, state — 



a Its mean and greatest breadrb. 

 ■& Its distribution with respect to 

 tide-mark 



c. The direction in which it travels. 



d. The greatest size of the pebbles. 



e. Whether the shingle forms one 



continuous slope, or whether 

 there is a ' spring full ' and 

 ' neap full.' If the latter, state 

 theirheights above the respec- 

 tive tide-marks. 



10. Is the shingle accumulating or di- 



minishing, and at what rate ? 



11. If diminishing, is this due partly or 



entirely to artificial abstraction? 

 («ee No. 13.) 



12. If groynes are employed to arrest 



the travel of the shingle, state — 



a. Their direction with respect to 



the shore-line at that point. 



b. Their length. 



c. Their distance apart. 



d. Their height — 



(1) When built. 



(2) To leeward above the 



shingle. 



(3) To windward above the 



shingle. 



e. The material of which they are 



built. 



f. The influence which they exert. 



