Aiklow Beach and Rivers. 251 
and continuous winds from the eastward stop the travelling of the 
beach, pile it up, and form fulls ; while “ ground swells ” and winds 
from the N.E. and N., meeting the tidal current, generate “ dancing 
waves” that churn up the sand and cut out the beach. From 
these data the changes in the position of the river mouth can be 
easily understood. Naturally it ought to be at the north end of 
the strand, but after heavy gales or continuous winds either from 
the southward or the eastward, this mouth may be banked up, and 
the waters thereby impounded ; after which they will rise until 
in some place they overflow; when in a few hours the outflow 
will cut a deep and wide channel.* Such new channels, if they 
were only effected by the tidal driftage, would cut back gradually 
to the north end of the strand; but as they are liable at any time 
to be banked up by southeast or east winds, new channels form in 
various places ; as the pounded water cuts outlets whenever the 
banks may be lowest and they are able to overflow easiest. 
Of the actual course of the ancient river there are no reliable 
records ;—Speed’s and Pelly’s maps being too general to afford in- 
formation ; the oldest reliable map is that of Lieut.-Colonel 
Hardy (Pl. 16), made in December, 1821. From this survey we 
learn that the mouth of the river at this time was more than half 
a mile further north than at present ; and that it was from 3 to 4 
feet deep, while the water on the bar ranged from 18 inches to 
4 feet in depth. We also learn that pricr to this date the old 
course of the river which ran northward from the bridge had 
been cut off by a stone wall and sod embankment, thus con- 
fining the river to the channel on the east of the island; and 
it was proposed to extend a wall across this channel between 
the Island and the Sandbank, while through the latter a direct one 
to the sea was to be cut, 45 perches long, 60 feet wide, and 7 feet 
deep. This proposed cut seems to have been subsequently made, 
but not the wall, for in the next Survey (Plate 17) (which un- 
fortunately has no date, but evidently was constructed between 
the years 1821 and 1835), there seem to have been two channels, 
one near the present one and a second a little to the north. The 
southern of these, however, is only marked “ Proposed outlet” and 
a structure like a pier is indicated along its north margin. Some 
* A small artificial cut, only a few feet wide during one tide will have the same 
effect. 
