GEOLOGICAL AGE AND FORMATION. 49 



part of this line, and within fifty years, as I am informed 

 by Judge Go£Fe, the line of beaches between West Creek 

 and Maurice River was standing where now there is only a 

 low sandy shore. The interval between these two points 

 is less than three miles, and I have no doubt the line of 

 beaches has extended entirely across at a comparatively 

 recent date. 



The marshes on the Bay-shore, and on Tuckahoe and 

 Great Egg Harbor rivers, have evidently all been formed 

 in the broad and shallow valleys of the streams ; and in 

 this respect they have a common character. There is, 

 however, no cedar-swamp bottom in those below Goshen. 



Th6 marshes along the sea-shore in this county are only 

 part of a long strip of salt-marsh which extends from a 

 short distance below Long Branch, in Monmouth County, 

 to Cape May, and has the same general features throughout. 

 They seem to fill a broad valley which formerly extended 

 along the shore. On the side next the upland the marsh 

 is shallow, and the fast land meets it at a very gentle slope. 

 On the sea-side the marsh is terminated by a ridge, or 

 series of parallel ridges of sand beaches. These are not 

 quite continuous, being broken at intervals by the occur- 

 rence of inlets, through which the sea-water finds entrance 

 to the marshes, and the fresh water brought down by the 

 streams escapes. The marshes include considerable bodies 

 of water, which are known as hays and sounds ; and they 

 are traversed in various directions by thorougJifares, which 

 connect the larger bodies of water, and creeks, which 

 branch out from the sounds and thoroughfares, and termi- 

 nate in the marsh or upland, 

 i 



