On the Bise of the Shores of the Firth of Forth. 281 
by the Esk may be shown to be sufficient to have formed all 
the land gained from the sea, but there is reason to believe 
that these deposits are augmented from the land lost by 
encroachment of the sea between Leith and Joppa, where 
of late several acres have been carried off to the depth of 
about 20 feet, leaving large boulders upon the shore which 
had been formerty mixed with the soil. 
Mr Hay observed the Esk, during inundations, coming 
down with a body of water having a cross section of at least 
80 yards in area, with a velocity of three yards per second, 
bearing down stones of some hundred pounds weight. 
Now, allowing that the water was charged with only 
^l^-g-th of its volume of other matter (which is a very low esti- 
mate), or 1'2 cubic yard per second, or 4320 yards per hour, 
and allow this to continue only ten hours annually, there 
would, at the end of 300 years, be deposited 12,960,000 cubic 
yards — a quantity sufficient to cover 400 imperial acres 
to the height of 20 feet 1 inch. There are some of the 
feu charters of the small properties in Newbigging, that 
declare these lands to be bounded by the sea ; now, they are 
nearly three-quarters of a mile from the sea, with many pro^ 
perties intervening. The most ancient of the charters are 
of those lands furthest from the sea, and they become the 
more modern the nearer they approach the sea, till at last 
all those nearest the sea have been feued and built during 
the memory of men now living. The same may be observed 
of the bridges. All the land not now near the sea has been 
sold or given away at a nominal rent ; but the land next the 
sea is very high in the feu-duty, having been feued after the 
sea had receded in modern times, when the rights of the 
public began to be regarded. Inveresk gives name to the 
parish, and signifies the mouth of the Esk. No town of any 
note had been nearer the river mouth when it was named. 
There are men who remember the sea near the mouth of the 
Esk being just at the north w^all of what is called Chambers's 
Park, that is about 10 imperial chains further south than 
it is now. It was so deep, too, as to be a harbour for fisher 
boats. A field of above eight acres is now enclosed between 
that and the sea. They also remember the sea coming into 
