and Proposed Works for its Improvement. 115 



believe we have the slightest evidence of such within the 

 period elapsed since the first settlement of Port Phillip, 

 although there is evidence of it in times past, such as the 

 raised estuary bed of Connewarre and Point Henry; but this 

 evidence, although geologically recent, is historically remote, 

 and has no bearing on the facts now discussed. Whereas we 

 have direct evidence of deposits taking place where none 

 existed before, and we can trace cause and effect in the 

 construction of the works enumerated, and the consequent 

 silting up on the foreshore and in the bay. 



A quotation given by Commander Stanley, from one of 

 the late Chief Harbour Master's (Captain Ferguson's) reports 

 in 1866, alludes to the silting up of the bay as an established 

 fact, and traces much of the mischief to the construction of 

 piers in the bay, although he erroneously attributes the 

 injury to their shutting out the tidal waters, instead of their 

 direct effect in diverting the current of the river; being right 

 in fact, but wrong in theory. 



Captain Cox notes on his chart that from 1864 to 1866 

 two feet of deposit was made in Hobson's Bay, whilst 

 Commander Stanley is most absolute and positive in his 

 evidence as to the rapid filling in of the bay between the 

 period of Captain Cox's survey and the date of his own, 

 and in attributing very much of the mischief to the form 

 and position of the stone walls at the river mouth havino- 

 diverted the muddy waters into the bay ; and in recom- 

 mending the early removal of the cause of such a large 

 amount of injury. 



One valuable result of the late surveys is, the absolute 

 proof given of the rapid silting up and its general direction. 

 Commander Stanley informs us that the six feet water line 

 has advanced towards St. Kilda at the rate of 1,100 ft. in 

 eleven years, and at a similar rate of progression, it will 

 take only eighty years to reach St. Kilda ; but, as a 

 matter of course, long before that period, Hobson's Bay 

 will have ceased to have an existence. Such a statement 

 from so competent an authority is a very serious one indeed, 

 .and gives point to warnings written twenty years ago, when 

 treating on the question of a harbour for Melbourne, the 

 following expressions were used : " Having satisfied ourselves 

 that the process of silting up is going on slowly although 

 surely in the bay, we are prepared to meet this difficulty in 

 the usual way when necessary to do so by dredging, but in 

 this we apprehend none ; and as to the expense, it is 



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