114 REPORT—1858. 
the fresh water, as was shown by the existence of channels filled with marine silt 
running up into the blue clay. In this stratum grew up trees of various kinds, as 
oaks of vast size, firs, alders, birch, and hazels, whose roots were yet firmly fixed in 
the soil, while their innumerable trunks lay prostrate beneath the black peaty earth 
composed of decayed vegetable matter. It might safely be assumed, that the period 
of the growth of these trees lasted for five centuries. How long these fen districts 
continued to be covered with stagnant fresh water after they had wrought such ter- 
rible ruin upon thousands of acres of the finest forest lands, was not deducible from 
any internal evidence; but they certainly were for the most part still prevalent when 
the Romans appeared upon the scene. They proceeded to encircle the coast with a 
vast sea bank, to deepen and defend the outfalls of the rivers, and to construct drains. 
But besides the coastal line of fen-lands, there were vast tracts in the interior of 
Lincolnshire of a similar character, forming in the aggregate 522,000 acres, lying 
from 4 to 16 feet below high-water level. The largest of these extended from the 
Trent, through the isle of Axholme, into Notts, and far into Yorkshire, in the direc- 
tion of Doncaster, It might fairly be assumed, that during the Roman occupation, 
this vast tract of fen-land bore quite a different character to what it had since done; 
that it had a gravelly subsoil, and an ordinary earthy surface, covered with trees ; 
not usually, if at all, subject to floods ; but that subsequently it became more or less 
constantly submerged, so as to destroy its previous forest growth, and to cover the 
bodies of the former vegetable giants of the district beneath an earthy deposit. This 
great change had usually been attributed to the burning of the forests by the 
Romans, on account of the covert which they afforded to swarms of suffering Britons. 
There were apparent signs of burning about the stumps of some of the trees, but 
others had clearly been cut down, and many had been torn up by the roots. The 
felled trees would never so have impeded the flow of the inland waters as to convert 
an immense district of previously dry land into a permanent swamp, as had been 
suggested ; he would therefore endeayour to find another solution of this difficulty 
in connexion with a still more remarkable fact, namely, the existence of the remains 
of a submarine’ forest off the present Lincolnshire coast. Along the shore of that 
county, from Sutton to Cleethorp, many banks or islands were from time to time 
exposed to view. These were usually covered with silt, but when occasionally 
stripped of that marine deposit, they were found to possess a substratum of moory 
vegetable soil, filled with the roots and prostrate trees of very large size, accom- 
panied by their berries, nuts, and leaves. Two questions arose in connexion with these 
facts, namely, When were these districts severally submerged by fresh and salt 
water? and by what agency? Various theories had been advanced for the purpose 
of solving these problems, the principal of which were :—1st, the interference of the 
Romans with the natural drainage; 2nd, a change in the coastal line through the 
action of-the sea; 3rd, the agency of earthquakes causing subsidence of the earth. 
The author examined in succession each of these theories, and gave his opinion in 
favour of the last. He referred to the existence of other submarine forests at various 
points of the shores of Scotland, England, and Wales. He observed that this theory 
might seem to be more marvellous than the preceding ones, and therefore less likely 
to be true in the opinion of those who were unacquainted with geology; but when, 
from the study of that science, they found that certain strata, the undoubted deposit 
of water, were now upheaved far abeve the reach of that element, and that large 
tracts of land had sunk beneath it, they could only regard such changes as one of the 
usual, but always wonderful operations of nature. 
The author cited other instances of similar phenomena, and in conclusion said 
that he was inclined to think that a slow upward movement had begun to take place 
in large districts of Lincolnshire long ago, and that by means of carefully conducted 
scientific observations this would hereafter be certainly proved and accurately mea- 
sured. The filling up of channels and estuaries of large size that formerly existed, 
and the rapid growth of its coast at various points, apparently indicated this; while 
the known gradual but continually increasing elevation of the Danish coast and parts 
of Norway greatly strengthened such a supposition. 
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