bow REPORT—1896. 
Near the point where the Mersey leaves the wide portion and enters 
the comparatively narrow channel abreast of Liverpool, it assumes the 
condition of a magnificent deep-water river passing shore lines largely in 
rock, and midway of its course of about six miles to the sea it gradually 
narrows to a width of 1,000 yards, widening again towards its mouth to 
about 1,800 yards. There is ample width in this deep reach of the river 
for the convenient handling and anchoring of a large number of the 
largest ships, the soundings at low water for the most part ranging from 
40 to 50 feet, with considerable areas below 60 feet. It is here well 
sheltered by the high lands on the Cheshire shore from all winds from 
south to west, and by the Lancashire shore from south to north. The 
Bay, as has been said, is open to north and north-west gales, and these 
cause heavy seas on the banks, which, however, having their crests for 
the most part much above low-water level, act to a very considerable 
extent as breakwaters, and modify greatly the force of the waves through 
the sea channels as well as at the mouth of the river and along the line 
of docks. From the point where the river Mersey enters the sea at 
New Brighton on the Cheshire shore, that shore trends westerly in a 
straight line to the mouth of the Dee, a distance of about eight miles, 
and the Lancashire shore in a straight line northerly for a like distance. 
Within these coast-lines are contained about 23,000 acres of sand- 
‘banks, which dry at low tides, and form the formidable barrier fronting 
the port. 
Doubtless a large proportion of this enormous mass of sand is brought 
from the adjoining coasts of Wales, by the action of the sea and currents, 
and deposited within this rectangular area, which it cannot pass, to 
which is added the large quantity that is necessarily brought down by 
the river from the continual wasting of its banks and foreshores, as also. 
from the quantity of detritus that is constantly being conveyed seawards. 
by floods and freshets. . 
Over and through these banks the flood and ebb tides force their 
way, maintaining, however, one large well-defined deep channel, used by: 
all the important ships of the port, with two subsidiary channels of 
less value. 
The main channel is known as the Crosby, and for the first six miles. 
of its course it takes a straight and northerly direction, running parallel 
‘with the Lancashire coast, and at low tide skirting its extended sandy 
foreshore in front of the suburbs of Seaforth, Waterloo, and Formby,,. 
while the main body of the great Burbo Bank forms its seaward barrier 
and boundary. The continuity of the inner face of the Burbo is. 
frequently broken by creeks, depressions, and shallow channels, evidencing 
the efforts of the ebb currents to find their way to the open sea through a 
shorter course than that of the main channel. At the end of the six-mile 
reach, which is marked by the Crosby Lightship, the Channel trends, 
with a gradual curve seaward, in a north-westerly direction to the Bar, 
which is about five miles from the Crosby Light, and thence forces and 
maintains its way through the enormous mass of. sand, which forms the 
great Burbo and Taylor’s Banks, and which, but for this severance, would 
‘present a solid unbroken mass, with a sea face in the form of an ordinary 
beach. The outer portion of the main channel is known as the Queen’s 
Channel. 
The Crosby Channel, considering its leeshore position, and its being 
flanked and almost surrounded by vast masses of mobile sand, has main- 
