president's address. 161 



invariably understood to be Jersey. This itinerary was, 

 according to Mr. Metivier,* compiled in the 4th and 5th 

 centuries, and the islands are Arinia, Sarnia, Sarnica and 

 Caesarea. 



Still this is only a list, not the smallest particulars are 

 given ; but, if trustworthy, we have Jersey, Guernsey, Sark 

 and Alderney existing as separate islands in the 5th century. 

 A century later, we have the island frequently mentioned in 

 the Histories of the Saints who introduced Christianity 

 among the inhabitants. In reading these accounts it should 

 be always borne in mind that they were not reduced to 

 writing until the f 10th century, indeed few of them assumed 

 their present form before the 11th century, and, consequently, 

 the geographical terms may be made to fit with what existed 

 at the later period. Again, the lives are full of naive exag- 

 gerations! and absurd inventions and errors of dates, so that 

 we must not put too much reliance on them. From them we 

 gather that the islands existed then as separate islands exactly 

 as they do now, even the details of the coast can scarcely have 

 changed. For St. Helier, who died 558, embarked from 

 Genest, a little port then, as now, on the bay of Mont St. 

 Michel. He made his cell on a rock§ only joined to the 

 main island by a natural causeway. Sark and Herm are 

 mentioned as separate islands, and St. Samson sailed into the 

 creek which divided Guernsey, at high Avater, from the Clos 

 du Val, and built his church on the left, or south shore, of 

 that [| opening ; while later the monks of St. Michael built their 

 monastery on the north side of the same strait, and later were 

 instrumental in getting erected a castle at the East end of it 

 to protect them from invaders ; so that the great subsidence 

 of which we hear so constantly had certainly taken place 

 before the 10th century, and, if it had occurred between the 

 4th and 10th it would inevitably have been claimed as one of 

 the miracles of the great missionary bishops ; its not being 

 mentioned in any of the " Lives of the Saints," seems to me 

 pretty conclusive proof that it had happened before the period 

 to which they refer, that is before the 5th century ; and this 

 is certain if dependence can be placed on the " Itinerary of 

 Antoninus." 



A great subsidence has undoubtedly taken place not 

 only in Guernsey, but in all the neighbouring parts of 

 Europe. It will be generally conceded that the same 

 phenomena which caused the change in one part of the 



* Monthly Selection, p. 292. t Dupont, p. 28. t Dupont, p. 24. 



§ Dupont, p. 33. II Duncan's History, p. 315. 



