BU irOTEE — 01^ THE SOUTH OF lEELAlN^D. 



253 



The last fact in tlie history of the recent elevations and depressions 

 of the land, is the occurrence of submarine bog along the south and 

 south-east coast of Ireland. Prom the position in which this bog is 

 found, it is evident that the coast-line as it now appears had been 

 jirst formed, and that an elevation, sudden or gradual, took place, 

 sufficiently great to lay dry the shores now under the sea for a dis- 

 tance seaward from the clilfs, sufficient to allow of the formation of 

 marshes and lagoons, which after the lapse of ages became covered by 

 a dense forest ; but how far this forest tract extended from the an- 

 cient coast-line it is impossible to say ; eventually, this forest decayed 

 and bog was formed. The land then subsided, till, strange to say, it 

 regained the exact level at which it stood before the existence of the 

 bog, and the sea once more beat against its former cliffs and soon 

 covered up the peat at their bases with sand and silt as we now 

 find it. 



The most southern locality where this submerged peat is observed 

 is at Tralong Bay, a little rocky indentation on the coast, two miles 

 to the south-west of Eosscarbery Creek ; the bog lies close against 

 the cliff, and is well exposed at low water. In E-oss Creek, to the 

 east of Eosscarbery, the bog at low water is denuded by the country 

 people of the slob which covers it, and is cut and dried for fuel. 

 Eeech and hazel nuts, with small branches of these trees, are fre- 

 quently found in the peat. To the east of this, at the head of Clo- 

 nakilly Bay and Dunworly Creek, a similar deposit of bog is observed 

 at low water. The same fact is noticed at the head of Courtmarshery 

 Bay. Prom this place, following the coast to the N.E., we pass the 

 entrance to Cork Harbour, and when we reach Ballycotten Bay, a 

 distance of thirty-five miles, the submerged bog is again apparent 

 close to the shore At the head of Youghal Harbour it is again seen. 

 It also occurs to the north of Ardmon Head, and has lately been 

 described by the Eev. Professor Haughton, F.T.C.D., as present in 

 Dungarvan Bay. Still following the coast, we find it at the head of 

 Tramore Bay ; and it appears up the mouth of Waterford estuary as 

 far as Duncannon, a distance of eight or nine miles from the main 

 coast-line. 



The occurrence of this submarine bog in a well defined estuary so 

 far inland is very interesting, as it proves that the creek was first 

 formed, and therefore we may argue that the general coast-line 

 had its present outlines before the growth of the timber required 

 to make this bog. In Bannow Bay there is a similar formation, and it 

 again is seen in Wexford Harbour. 



