478 ON THE RECENT ENCROACHMENT OF THE SEA AT WESTWARD HO! 
I may mention that when the sea in 1876 washed away the old 
road leading to the Burrows, there were laid bare the foundations of 
some building, a rough stone pavement, and a round well with stone 
sides. J have never been able to ascertain anything about these 
buildings ; there is no sign of them in the parish map, nor is there 
any tradition about them in the neighbourhood. 
Discussion. 
' Prof. Prestwicn expressed his regret at the absence of the 
author, who, he said, had special opportunities of observing the facts, 
as he had resided on the spot. The encroachment had evidently in- 
creased in amount within the last fifteen years, as indicated by the 
author. The ground washed away was not of a nature to be easily 
removed, the pebble-bed being derived from an old beach, not of 
mere shingle, such as that of Brighton, but containing rounded 
blocks of very large size. If the erosion continues, the lower ground 
will, in course of time, be washed entirely away. The idea of the 
clay underlying the locality being of glacial origin was confirmed 
by an observation of Mr. Maw on some clay near Bideford, in 
which he found large erratic boulders. The submerged forest was 
described by Mr. Pengelly as containing bones of recent species of 
animals and worked flints. 
Mr. R. W. Mytne inquired if any indication was given in the 
paper of the amount of loss since the year 1600. 
Mr. W. T. Branrorp read a passage from the paper, stating that 
a book published between 1600 and 1630 mentions the fact of a 
cairn having been washed away, but gives no precise indication of 
its situation. 
