242 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh. [sess. 
On the Date of the Upheaval which caused the 25-feet 
Raised Beaches in Central Scotland. By Robert 
Munro, M.A., M.D., LL.D. 
(MS. received March 28, 1904. Read May 2, 1904.) 
About forty-two years ago Mr Archibald Geikie (now Sir 
Archibald), then an energetic member on the staff of the Geolo- 
gical Survey, propounded and advocated the doctrine that the 
change in the relative level of sea and land, indicated by the 25- 
feet raised beaches which have been long known to geologists as 
fringing the winding shores of the firths of Central Scotland, took 
place subsequent to the occupation of the district by the Romans. 
Further researches, together with a more careful examination of 
the archaeological phenomena on which Sir Archibald mainly relied 
as evidence, convinced later observers that the facts did not justify 
this conclusion. Hence for some years I have been under the 
impression that the post-Roman theory was abandoned, not only 
by the general body of geologists and archaeologists, but, as I 
understood, by the author himself. The following statement of 
opinion on the subject,* recently urged in the interests of the 
Trustees of the British Museum by a distinguished Professor of 
Geology, and one who has had exceptional opportunities of making 
himself conversant with all the factors of the problem, will, how- 
ever, show how wide of the truth that impression must have been. 
Professor Edward Hull, F.R.S., said “ that he was formerly Director 
of the Geological Survey of Ireland. The spot where the articles 
were found was part of what was known to geologists as a raised 
beach. The raised beach extended all along the north coast of 
Ireland, and down the east coast as far as Wicklow. In the north 
it was about 15 feet high, but towards the south its height was 
only about 4 ft. Its general character was, that it was a nearly 
* Evidence given in the recent case of the Attorney-General v. The Trustees 
of the British Museum with regard to the remarkable hoard of gold ornaments 
found near Lough Foyle, Ireland. ( Times Law Reports, June 13, 1903.) 
