280 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



— about three quarters of a mile. That on the west side of 

 the river is in general of the most recent formation — on 

 the Musselburgh side it is generally more ancient. The 

 greatest accumulation has been at the mouth of the Esk, and 

 it has diminished gradually east and west, until little or no 

 change has taken place at the extremities of the town lands. 



The frequent floods of the river Esk bring with them im- 

 mense quantities of earth, sand, gravel, and stones from the 

 hills and other lands through which it passes. The velocity 

 of the flood is immediately checked when it meets the tide 

 at the mouth of the river ; and the matter with which the 

 water is charged is there deposited. The same deposit 

 must take place during the low T water , also. The flood in 

 that case expands over the immense shoals already formed 

 there, where it loses its force and leaves the materials 

 behind — according to the general law of subsidence, the 

 stones lowest down, the gravel in the middle, and the earth 

 and sand upon the top. Now, at every tide when there 

 is any wind, but more especially during northerly winds, 

 these materials formerly deposited are thrown up by the 

 waves upon the beach at both sides of the Esk ; the gravel 

 and sand mixed together, leaving the larger stones behind, 

 where they form as it were a foundation to receive a new 

 deposit. 



The gravel and sand thrown upon the beach by the 

 waves are, however, thrown no higher than the tide mark. 

 Another agent besides the sea is therefore necessary to 

 raise them higher in order to form the dry land. That 

 agent is the wind that blows from the northern half of the 

 compass, during dry weather, and low water. These winds 

 blow up the fine sand (leaving the gravel behind) until it 

 has by slow degrees raised the land into gentle undula- 

 tions varying from nothing, to 10 feet above tide mark. 

 A fine species of sea bent binds the sand as it is formed, 

 whose roots gradually creep forward as the sea retires, and 

 this bent is again extirpated by finer grass, wild liquorice, 

 and a vast variety of other plants which follow. This bent 

 is frequently covered with sand after a storm, but it 

 speedily reappears. The quantity of matter brought down 



