OCT. — mar. 1859-60.] Scientific Intelligence. 



343 



2. Previous to these useful works being sanctioned and com- 

 menced, oftentimes little or no Beach was left at some places, and 

 that so abrupt, as to render it difficult to the boats laden with 

 cargo, as well as dangerous to the lives of passengers in accommo- 

 dation boats, by throwing them off their seats, from the violence 

 with which they were impelled on shore against the uneven and 

 perpendicular hummocks along it, which, it is presumed, were 

 chiefly formed by the sudden opposition which the waters met 

 within the erection in 1821 of a Bulwark (consisting of a revet- 

 ment of 16 feet by 9 and stones brought from a great distance 

 being placed over it) by Colonel DeHaviland of the Engineers, 

 aided probably by the advancing strong sea, meeting and stopping 

 the weak receding one, thereby the former preventing the latter 

 carrying the sand back again to seaward. 



3. The longest Groyne is opposite Messrs. Arbuthnot and Co.'s 

 projecting out directly seaward, causing the widest part of Beach, 

 namely 100 yards and closely approaching the site where several 

 vessels have of late years been wrecked (including the ill-fated 

 " Salimany" in 1850) and which may through this process be 

 eventually recovered, which is highly desirable, as they are thus 

 long so many dangers to the boats. The 100 yards before men- 

 tioned is a clear reclaim of Coast, as it was always remarkable, 

 that before the Groyne at that place was erected not 1 yard there- 

 abouts could be depended upon for beaching of the boats. 



4. Although at the commencement the experiment was doubt- 

 ed by some officers belonging to the Scientific Corps, the great ad- 

 vantages gained by the erection of these works must now be as 

 apparent to them as they are admitted by others. Not judged by 

 fair weather criteriqns, but principally from the experience of 

 no bad effects of the hurricane in 1846 upon the Groyne previous- 

 ly constructed opposite the Nawab's palace. Also from subse- 

 quent gales, the force of which has been felt both perpendicularly 

 as well as obliquely to the shore. The only evil to be apprehend- 

 ed, as far as I am aware, from a severe storm, is a temporary 

 steepness of Beach, but certainly I do not expect an encroachment 

 of the sea. 



The advantages of the Groynes are as follows, 



