REPORTS ON TORONTO HARBOUR. 



beach, from fifty to two hundred feet -wide, and rising from three 

 to twenty feet high. The greater part of the beach has accumu- 

 lated within the lastly years. At that distance of time it was 

 very low, and scarcely covered with grass ; it is now overgrown 

 in some places with large trees. The sand and silt brought down 

 by the streams into this bay are gradually filling it up, and 

 eventually it will become a marsh, with the stream winding 

 through it to the Lake." 



From these quotations it is evident that extensive formations, 

 such as beaches from four to twenty feet high, swamps with vast 

 accumulations of vegetable growth far exceeding the Don marshes, 

 have sprung into existence during the last few centuries, adopting 

 a wider margin than Mr. Hall, who merely says, " more than 

 100 years ago." Now in the absence of any evidence of greater 

 antiquity than that which may be embraced within a period of a 

 few centuries, it does not appear reasonable to assume such anti- 

 quity, when every existing phenomena may be accounted for by 

 comparison with surrounding and nearly contemporaneous events. 

 It is again urged that the great depth of water (12, 16, and even 

 18 feet) between the marsh boundary and the mouth of the Don, 

 together with the great distance by which they are separated, are 

 geologically, quite sufficient to exclude the idea that any connec- 

 tion whatever has existed between the formation of the one and 

 the detritus of the other. The peninsula beach would have existed 

 in nearly its present form and extent if the Don had never begun 

 to flow. A perfect type of the peninsula, only of larger extent 

 and more complete growth, is found at the Rondeau, Lake Erie. It 

 embraces an area of 6,000 acres of water. The shallowness of 

 Lake Erie readily explains the giant size of this and other similar 

 formations in that Lake ; the long swells and tempestuous waves 

 which distinguish that easily agitated Lake are due to its small 

 depth. 



It now remains for the writer to explain the views he entertains 

 of the formation of Toronto Harbour, and then proceed to the 

 discussion of those remedial measures which the conditions of the 

 case appear to require. These views are not submitted without 

 due acknowledgement of the great interest wdiich distinguishes 

 the theories of Mr. Fleming and other gentlemen who have 

 recorded their opinions ; and the writer would never have publicly 

 appeared in this controversy, if he had not thought it the bounden 

 duty of every one whose thoughts had been turned to the subject, 

 to discuss, to the best of his ability, a question involving the very 

 existence of the City of Toronto as a commercial emporium. 



The subject of ' Travelling Beaclies,' is one which has long 

 engaged the attention of Geologists, and is in the present instance 

 of peculiar interest. Sir Henry de la Beche, in the Geological 

 Observer, points to the action of the Sea on coasts in the driving 

 forward of shingle, in a- particular direction, by breakers produced 

 by the action of prevalent winds, under the influence of 

 Headlands. — (Geological Observer, page 8.3. Phil, edit., 1851.) 

 The illustrations given by that eminent geologist, are perfectly 

 applicable to the great North American Lakes, due allowances 

 being made for the height and length, and, consequently, the force 

 of the waves, as well as to the difference in the specific gravity 

 of fresh and salt water. 



Mr. Fleming has correctly described the effect produced upon the 

 Scarboro' beach, as regards its westerly motion, under the in- 

 fluence of winds impelling waves or undulations over the greatest 



expanse of the Lake. It is believed, however, that a few points 

 of material importance may be added, by way of illustrating the 

 action of waves on the coast, and the subsequent distribution of 

 the beach they transport. Any wave raised by winds blowing in 

 a direction east of a perpendicular drawn to the general direction 

 of the coast, (see Mr. Fleming's Chart, also, Chart No. 8,) will 

 begin to curve inwards the moment the wave become retarded by 

 the increasing shallowness of the water. The time when this 

 influence on the direction of the wave begins to be appreciable is 

 entirely dependent upon the height of the wave ; for it has been 

 ascertained that a wave begins to break when it reaches water of a 

 depth equal to its own height. (See Reports of the British Associa- 

 tion for 1837 — Report on Waves.) Its influence upon the bottom 

 is exerted before it attains a depth of water equal to its own 

 height, and the retarding effect of a shoaling coast is felt at some 

 considerable distance from the Shore — dependent, of course, upon 

 the depth of water. These effects give to all w r aves the curved 

 form shown in fig. 8. But there is another and a far more power- 

 ful influence which gives a curved form to waves as they approach 

 the coast (Scarboro') when the wind is blowing in an easterly 

 direction, or to the North of East. The influence of protecting 

 Headlands. The shallowness of the water induces the waves to 

 break when they approach the shore, which they do in the form 

 of a curve, but the influence of a protecting headland is felt long 

 before the wave reaches shallow water on a shoaling coast like 

 that of Scarboro.' The influence of a protecting Headland is 

 extended to waves in water of any depth. By reference to the 

 chart, No. 8, several systems of waves will be seen, some merely 

 curving inwards by their approach to a shoaling coast, others 

 (A, B, C, D, E, F,) curving to a much greater extent under the 

 influence of the protecting headland shown on the Chart. The 

 same argument applies, though in a far less degree, to the waves, 

 P, Q, R, S, which, although coming from the East, will have a 

 tendency to move the sand, of the west shore of the peninsula 

 northwards, where one would suppose it to be entirely safe from 

 the effect of easterly waves. Sir Henry de la Beche is very pre- 

 cise on this subject, he says '■ The lines of waves are shown by 

 dotted lines made to curve inwards by protecting Headlands." 

 (page 84, Geo. Ob.) It is urged by the writer that waves driven 

 by belts of winds acting in the direction and position of the 

 arrows, 1, 2, 3, 4, (Chart 8) would be obstructed by the headland 

 at Y, which, when clothed with pine forests, was far more in- 

 fluential than it now is, although now it affords protection to small 

 craft anchoring outside Ashbridge's bay from all winds to the 

 North of East. It is well known that the influence of headlands 

 is manifested every where on the sea coast and often gives to 

 certain harbours their value against the destructive effect of parti- 

 cular winds. It appears manifest that a travelling beach from 

 K to Y, would be arrested after it had passed Y, and begin to be 

 deposited at OOO, (See note C. Appendix; — remnant of an 

 ancient Beach.) Belts of wind 1, 2, 3, 4, could have no effect 

 upon the beach at 0, nor would belts 5 and 6, as they 

 would act under the lee of the land. The argument applies, a 

 fortiori, to all winds blowing from the North of East. 



The origin and formation of the peninsula appears to the 

 writer to have been as follows. At a period far within the 

 Christian era limits, the coast lino of the township of Scarboro' 

 and York was continued without interruption round the north 

 shores of Ashbridge's Bay and Toronto Harbour. The Don 



