﻿240 
  kev. 
  j. 
  f. 
  blake 
  on 
  some 
  [May 
  1 
  89 
  7, 
  

  

  that 
  before 
  the 
  sea 
  left 
  in 
  comparatively 
  recent 
  times 
  it 
  stood 
  

   20 
  feet 
  higher 
  than 
  the 
  present 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  Ran. 
  

  

  Standing 
  by 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Kan, 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  shore 
  of 
  

   Patcham, 
  Kharir, 
  or 
  Bela, 
  one 
  might 
  fancy 
  oneself 
  looking 
  over 
  

   flats 
  which 
  have 
  just 
  been 
  deserted 
  by 
  the 
  tide. 
  Save 
  for 
  the 
  

   absence 
  of 
  the 
  scraps 
  of 
  sea-wrack 
  and 
  the 
  greater 
  firmness 
  of 
  the 
  

   mud, 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  to 
  distinguish 
  the 
  appearance 
  from 
  that 
  which 
  

   might 
  be 
  seen 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Britanny 
  and 
  Normandy 
  between 
  

   St. 
  Malo 
  and 
  Mont 
  St. 
  -Michel. 
  Here, 
  too, 
  are 
  the 
  clean-swept 
  

   foreshore, 
  the 
  low 
  cliffs 
  on 
  its 
  landward 
  margin, 
  1 
  the 
  broken 
  

   tumbled 
  masses 
  on 
  the 
  slopes, 
  and 
  the 
  frowning 
  scarps 
  above, 
  all 
  

   recalling 
  the 
  aspect, 
  though 
  wilder 
  in 
  type, 
  of 
  the 
  TJndercliff 
  of 
  

   the 
  Isle 
  of 
  Wight, 
  where 
  the 
  lie 
  of 
  the 
  strata 
  also 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  

   it 
  is 
  here. 
  But, 
  since 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  laterites 
  and 
  other 
  minor 
  

   deposits, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  sea 
  has 
  stood 
  at 
  a 
  higher 
  

   level 
  than 
  when 
  it 
  washed 
  the 
  low 
  cliffs 
  that 
  now 
  edge 
  the 
  Ban. 
  

  

  Why 
  then 
  has 
  the 
  sea 
  departed, 
  as 
  it 
  were 
  yesterday, 
  and 
  left 
  its 
  

   bed 
  to 
  be 
  dried 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  sun 
  ? 
  Two 
  explanations 
  are 
  possible 
  : 
  

   either 
  the 
  sea 
  has 
  been 
  dammed 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  by 
  deposits 
  on 
  its 
  

   surface, 
  or 
  the 
  land 
  has 
  relatively 
  risen. 
  If 
  the 
  former 
  were 
  the 
  

   sole 
  explanation, 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  the 
  Ran 
  would 
  still 
  be 
  

   uniform. 
  But, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  figures 
  on 
  the 
  Trigonometrical 
  

   Survey 
  maps, 
  it 
  would 
  require 
  a 
  depression 
  of 
  about 
  30 
  feet 
  to 
  bring 
  

   the 
  sea-water 
  to 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  inner 
  Ran 
  along 
  the 
  northern 
  

   shores 
  of 
  the 
  mainland, 
  whereas 
  on 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  

   Kharir 
  it 
  would 
  require 
  no 
  more 
  than 
  5 
  or 
  6 
  feet. 
  The 
  land 
  

   therefore 
  must 
  have 
  risen 
  unequally, 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  improbable 
  

   counterpoise 
  to 
  the 
  depression 
  that 
  has 
  taken 
  place 
  over 
  the 
  Sindree 
  

   basin. 
  

  

  But 
  that 
  deposits 
  also 
  have 
  taken 
  place 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  peculiarities 
  

   of 
  the 
  Ran 
  result 
  from 
  these 
  will, 
  I 
  think, 
  appear 
  probable 
  from 
  

   what 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  place 
  the 
  Ran 
  proper 
  is 
  extraordinarily 
  

   level 
  ; 
  this 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  figures 
  on 
  the 
  Trigonometrical 
  

   Survey 
  map, 
  where, 
  over 
  wide 
  areas, 
  we 
  find 
  1, 
  3, 
  5, 
  4, 
  8, 
  1 
  1, 
  12 
  feet, 
  

   showing 
  a 
  difference 
  of 
  very 
  few 
  feet, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  myself 
  ridden 
  

   over 
  10 
  miles 
  of 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  rainy 
  season 
  with 
  water 
  on 
  it 
  almost 
  all 
  

   the 
  way 
  of 
  never 
  greater 
  depth 
  than 
  the 
  knees 
  of 
  the 
  coolies. 
  Yet, 
  

   beneath 
  the 
  lofty 
  scarps 
  of 
  Patcham 
  and 
  Kharir 
  with 
  their 
  broken 
  

   undercliff, 
  the 
  shores 
  are 
  swept 
  quite 
  clean, 
  and 
  the 
  debris 
  must 
  

   have 
  been 
  carried 
  away 
  when 
  these 
  shores 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  making, 
  and 
  

   when 
  the 
  small 
  cliffs, 
  sometimes 
  30 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  were 
  being 
  worn 
  

   away. 
  Now, 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  shallow 
  sea 
  as 
  the 
  Ran 
  would 
  be 
  if 
  the 
  

   water 
  returned 
  no 
  waves 
  or 
  currents 
  could 
  originate, 
  nor 
  would 
  the 
  

   harbours, 
  of 
  which 
  tradition 
  tells, 
  be 
  restored, 
  and 
  I 
  conclude 
  that 
  

   in 
  former 
  times 
  the 
  bottom 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  deeper 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  

   since 
  filled 
  up. 
  

  

  1 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  specially 
  quote 
  in 
  this 
  connexion 
  the 
  curiously 
  worn 
  cliff 
  figured 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  Wynne 
  as 
  ' 
  ? 
  sea-cliff,' 
  because 
  it 
  happens 
  to 
  be 
  composed 
  of 
  irregularly 
  

   hardened 
  sandstone 
  which 
  even 
  inland 
  weathers 
  into 
  similar 
  fantastic 
  shapes, 
  

   as 
  near 
  Mundhan. 
  

  

  