1854.] 



TORONTO HARBOUR— ITS FORMATION AND PRESERVATION. 



22? 



as actively engaged in its destruction, by fencing in, as it were, the 

 ■whole smooth water basin they have made, and justify the infe- 

 rence that, if left entirely to themselves, will at some future period 

 unite the Peninsula to the mninlaud west of the Queen's Wharf, 

 in the same manner as it was originally connected by the ridge 

 from near Privat's to the Wind-mill. This stage of the deposit is 

 illustrated by Fig. 15, at which period the surplus water of the 

 Don would in all probability find egress over the bar by a shallow 

 channel, fluctuating in position as well as depth during every 

 southerly gale, or by such gaps as are occasionally opened in the 

 narrow belt of sand separating Ashbridge's Bay from the main 

 Lake. 



The progressive motion of the beach, observable only on close 

 examination, and apparently of little moment, is when continued 

 durino- incalculable periods of time, thus proved to be productive 

 of very extraordinary results. Nor is it confined to this neigh- 

 bourhood, for we discover unmistakeable indications of its opera- 

 tions along the shores of all the great inland lakes. 



Round Lake Ontario its effects can be traced at Burlington 

 Beach, the mouth of the Niagara River, Presque Isle, Oobourg, 

 Port Hope, Windsor Bay, and at innumerable points along the 

 east and south boundaries of the Lake. 



Round Lake Erie we see its residts at Sandusky Bay, Point 

 aux Pins, Long Point, Port Colborne, Buffalo, and at Erie. 



At Saganaw Bay, Thunder Bay, Riviers Aux Sable, north 

 and south, at Nottawasaga, and the Christian Islands, on Lake 

 Huron. 



Round Lake Superior we also have many examples of a like 

 kind ; at Fond du Lac, a gravel beach resembling in a marked 

 degree, both in appearance and position, the Burlington beach 

 near Hamilton. At the mouth of the Bad River, and at Point 

 Iroquois, also, are found beach formations. 



Many of these closely resemble in outline the Peninsula at 

 Toronto. Some of them are kindred to the hypothetical stage 

 denoted by Fig. 15; all "of them are identical in geological charac- 

 ter, and exemplify the workings of one of Nature's ever active 

 agencies, co-existent and co-extensive with the lakes themselves. 

 One fact which very strongly confirms the theory of the forma- 

 tion of the Peninsula here propounded, is worthy of notice: all 

 the examples above mentioned invariably conform with the rule 

 laid down — the trend of the deposits bearing in a direction oppo- 

 site to the longest fetch of the waves, or the largest area of open 

 water traversed. The entire absence of boulders is also very 

 remarkable, and whenever gravel forms part of the drift, the 

 largest sized is generally found nearest its source, the finest kinds 

 being at the greatest distances. This circumstance is explained 

 by Fig. 2, and the accompanying remarks, which show that small 

 bodies are moved onwards with the greatest facility. Large boul- 

 ders, in consequence of being able to resist the mechanical force 

 of the waves remain at rest, and therefore can form no part of 

 beach formations. 



To arrive at a knowledge of those changes more particularly 

 referred to, which have taken place on the shoal at the-mouth 

 of the harbour, I have with permission carefully examined the 

 old maps and charts in the Surveyor-General and Ordnance De- 

 partments; many of them are wanting in detail, and in this 

 respect of little service to the enquiry ; others are of considerable 

 value, the most reliable of which appear to be the charts of 

 Bouchette, Bayfield, and Bomvycastle, dated respectively 1796, 

 1828, and 1835; for . although they do not profess to much 

 nicety of detail, yet emanating from these sources we have no 



reason to doubt their general accuracy. Fig. 2 shows the position 

 of the shoal at the several dates of these charts, and as it now 

 exists; the soundings have reference to its present state. I have 

 much to regret being as yet unsuccessful in procuring a copy of 

 one very old chart, the possession of which would be invaluable, 

 seeing that it is without doubt the earliest record of Toronto 

 Harbour in existence. This chart is said to have been made by 

 a corps of engineers who accompanied the first pioneers from 

 France nearly 200 years ago. A copy, perhaps the only one on 

 the Continent, was unfortunately destroyed with the Parliament 

 Buildings in Montreal, in 1847; the original is supposed to be 

 deposited in a Jesuit College in Paris. 



On comparing the charts of Bouchette, Bayfield, and Bonny- 

 castle, with my own from a recent survey, showing the state of 

 the Peninsula at the present time, we obtain results as follows: — - 



First, that the channel between ten feet water lines was, 



In 1796 about 480 yards wide. 



" 1828 " 210 " 



"1835 " 260 '• 



" 1850 " 120 " 



Second, that the quantity of sand deposited at the south side 

 of the entrance by an approximate estimate is as follows: — 



From 1796 to 1849-50 nearly 660,000 cubic yards, being in 

 53 years about 12,400 yards per annum. 



From 1828 to 1849 nearly 235,000 cubic yards, being in 21 

 years about 11,200 yards per annum. 



From 1835 to 1849 nearly 155,000 cubic yards, being in 14 

 years about 11,000 yards per annum. 



The alarming progress of the shoal landward is from these 

 figures very apparent Fifty-three years ago the entrance is shown 

 to have been four times its present width, and fourteen years 

 ago more than double, thus decreasing at the rate of from seven 

 to ten yards annually, by the deposit of about 11,000 cubic 

 yards. 



If such be the case, and it is founded on the most authentic 

 information relative to the past condition of the Harbour as yet 

 in our possession, we have substantial reasons for believing that 

 if left unheeded it will in ten or twelve years be inaccessible 

 except to the smallest craft. 



The extension of the shoal may be attributed to the same 

 causes which are proved to have formed the whole Peninsula. 

 The beach sand having reached the Light-house point cannot by 

 reason of the great depth of water, as shown by the contour 

 lines, Fig. 14, make much progress in extending the Peninsula 

 from thence westerly; there is therefore nothing or at least not 

 much to prevent the southerly waves from acting in full play, 

 they having a fetch of forty miles in opposition to the northerly 

 immediately off the land, and washing along the bar (scarcely 

 under water) towards the north "dump," as it were periodically, 

 large quantities of sand into the channel. 



Certain outward and inward currents occasionally exist at the 

 entrance, caused probably by gales slightly varying the level of 

 portions of the lake, or, as it is also supposed, by local variations 

 of the atmospheric pressure on its surface ; these may assist to a 

 limited extent in prolonging the existence of the channel, but 

 from all the observations I have as yet been able to make, they 

 appear to be surface currents only, having little or no appreciable 

 effect five or six feet under water ; even this supposition therefore 

 is very problematical. 



