Reviews — Royal Commission on Coast Erosion. 35 



value to England and Wales of 30,752 acres; the total gain being 

 31,171 acres, and the net loss 419 acres. In this estimate the fore- 

 shore, or the area between ordinary tide-marks, is not reckoned as part 

 of the land ; but the loss in the amount of foreshore, principally due 

 to ai'tificial reclamation, is estimated at 31,000 acres. 



Among the particulars given in reference to the gain and loss of 

 acreage in counties during about 35 years, the following are of special 

 interest : — 



Loss, Gain. 



2178 



9106 



3480 

 151 

 562 



It was admitted that a certain amount of the reclaimed land is still 

 under water at high-tide spring-tides. 



Suffolk has suffered the greatest loss of any county in England and 

 Wales, and Southwold in particular has been a great sufferer in recent 

 years. 



The Board of Trade have no power to construct works to protect the 

 coast ; all they can do is to prevent, if necessary, the removal of 

 shingle or other beach materials. 



It is admitted that land protected in one place may mean loss in 

 another. Individual rights may thus be opposed to the general benefit. 

 There is thus need of general control on the coasts with regard to the 

 removal of shingle or stone from foreshore, and to the erection of 

 groynes and sea-walls. There is much information regarding groynes 

 constructed of wood, ferro-concrete, chain-cable, and sheet-iron. The 

 utilization of chain-cable is interesting, as possibly it may act as 

 a nucleus for the formation of a protective iron-pan or conglomerate. 



Much interesting information was given on the movements of beach 

 material, as influenced mainly by wave action due to prevailing winds, 

 and partly by flood-tides. Each district, however, has to be studied 

 independently in connection with local circumstances, for on parts of the 

 Cumberland coast the beach material is moved by the flood-tide from 

 N. to S., in a direction contrary to the prevailing wind. In heavy 

 gales, of course, the movement is in the direction of wind and sea. 



In the Channel the drift is mainly from west to east, but the 

 strength of the ebb-tide is said to be, if anything, greater than that of 

 the flood-tide. On the west side of Selsea Bill the shingle is moved 

 from east to west. 



The influence of the lateral movement of water manifested by the 

 breaking of waves is said to extend to a depth of at least 40 fathoms. 



There is considerable travel of heavy shingle in moderately deep 

 water of 5 to 10 fathoms, where there are strong bottom-currents. 

 Indeed, material is said to be moved in depths up to 40 fathoms, but 

 the enormous displacements in shoals off the eastern coasts do not 

 appear to take place below 5 fathoms. It is clear that we have much 

 yet to learn of the transport of shingle, etc., along the sea-bed below 

 low-tide. 



Thus the material of the foreshore was considered rightly to be not 

 wholly derived from the waste of adjacent cliffs, but opinions differed 



