8 Upheaval of South Coast. 



into the sea when the water, close at hand, offered itself as 

 the nearest place for getting rid of the useless fragments. 

 These observations were made on the west shore of Hobson's 

 Bay, where no deposit of the river Yarra influences the change 

 of the ground. A deposit from that river does influence a 

 similar change, which is more visible on the south-east 

 from the month of the river, along Sandridge, St. Kilda, and 

 nearly as far as Brighton. The beach along these places ap- 

 pears even more upheaved; but it is impossible to draw a cer- 

 tain conclusion therefrom because of the interference of the 

 Yarra deposit. 



In South Australia, so I learned from Captain Cadell, the 

 railway between the City of Adelaide and the Port of Ade- 

 laide rose, in the first year after its construction, nearly four 

 inches. 



Flinders, in 1802, found ten fathoms of water on a certain 

 point in Lacepede Bay, where, on a late survey, only seven 

 fathoms of water were found. 



The newspapers, a few days ago, brought word that the 

 Government of South Australia have considered it necessary 

 to re-survey the whole sea-coast of that colony, and have 

 started a vessel to commence the work forthwith. 



It appears, therefore, that since the expedition of Minders, 

 the soundings of that navigator are rendered useless by the 

 action of subterranean powers. 



All these figures, when reduced to inches and months, 

 show a rise of the land of about four inches per annum. The 

 motion of the earth's crust in the southern part of Australia, 

 so far as yet ascertained, is at present slowly upwards and 

 permanent. Whether sudden rises, during or after an earth- 

 quake, have happened, I cannot say at present. 



We hear that Melbourne was formerly visited by great 

 floods, but the wharves near Flinders-street, the lowest part of 

 the city, have not, in recent times been inundated by the 

 Yarra, although rain and snow in the mountains have lately 

 sent down great bodies of water. But if the wharves at Mel- 

 bourne have risen about six feet during the last twenty years, 

 their present freedom from floods is quite natural. 



I thought it worth while to draw the attention of the Phi- 

 losophical Institute to these few facts. If further observa- 

 tions should confirm what I have stated here, useful conclu- 

 sions might be drawn therefrom, and the practical advantages 

 become evident. I need only point out that care must be 

 taken in forming piers, dams, breakwaters, &c, in Port 



