on the Raised Beach in Barnstaple or Bideford Bay. 283 



In addition to what has been said, we may remark, that the interior of the 

 country near Barnstaple, has the configuration which we might expect on our 

 hypothesis : for we may follow, both on the north and south side of the low 

 tract near the mouth of the Taw, ridges of hills extending far into the inte- 

 rior, and having the exact form of an ancient coast-line. 



2. Similar Phenomena on the Coasts of Devonshire and Cornwall. 



Were the appearances above stated without any parallel on the English 

 coast, they would be comparatively of small interest. In fact, however, they 

 form but one of a long series of phenomena, all tending to the same con- 

 clusion, viz. the changes of sea level during the modern period. We have 

 no reason to look for frequent examples of raised beaches on the eastern 

 shore of England : for, supposing them to have once existed, most of them 

 would have been long since swept away by the encroachments of the sea line. 

 But on the iron-bound coasts of Devonshire and Cornwall, this line is nearly 

 stationary; and, where the forms of the land have favoured the manifestations 

 of changes of sea-level, raised beaches may be traced in so many places, as 

 to form an almost connected series of phenomena. The raised beach of 

 Hope's Nose has already been described by Mr. Austen ; and after an exami- 

 nation of the spot, we think his description exact, and his conclusions true*. 

 We there find shingles and shell beds alternating in thin layers, utterly unlike 

 any thing drifted by Avind, or placed in their present position by the hand 

 of man, and admitting of no rational explanation, except that which we have 

 given of the similar beach in Barnstaple Bay. 



The Rev. Mr. Hennah long since pointed out to one of us, a shingle beach at 

 Plymouth. Similar phenomena were observed by us, in 1828, on both sides of 

 the western extremity of Cornwall : and in the elaborate work of Dr. Boasef, 

 not only are numerous examples cited, of horizontal deposits of shingle and 

 shelly marine sands at various levels above high-water, but the true cause is 

 assigned for some of them — a change of sea level. Unfortunately, however, 

 his descriptions are obscured by language derived from the then prevalent 

 diluvian theory; and on that account do not produce their deserved im- 

 pression. 



The accurate survey of Cornwall, by Mr. de la Beche, cannot fail to give 

 us all the information we want on this interesting subject; and we may expect 

 from him a detailed account of all the phenomena of elevation and depres- 

 sion (for there are proofs of both) exhibited on that coast. We may, how- 



* Proc. Geolog. Soc, vol. ii. p. 102. 



t Trans. Roy. Geol. Soc. of Cornwall, vol. iv. pp. 259, 270, 273, 320, 466. 

 VOL. V. SECOND SERIES. 2 P 



