116 
DE LA BECHE ON THIS SUBJECT. 
found in it; and the roundness of the pebbles, and 
existence of these shells in the smoothened rock, 
sufficiently shew that the sea rested there awhile, 
ere it again sank towards its future bed. A few 
years ago a portion of a Roman Galley was brought 
to light in excavating at Newnham Park, which 
again shews how high the sea was situated at that 
time on our coasts, or at least to what extent the 
river was there navigable on occasion of high tides, 
and throws some light also of a negative description 
on the period of the elevation.* 
That its action was not violent may also be fur¬ 
ther gathered from the very partial dislodgment 
effected on the “ Diluvium” of our neighbourhood. 
It indeed may have washed away from their beds a 
vast number of pebbles, and scattered them on what 
would subsequently be, the shingles and beaches of 
the present day, but it had not sufficient power to 
obliterate what we may now rank as the traces of 
diluvial accumulations. 
Mr. De la Beche has as I think on too trivial 
grounds endeavoured to shew, that the beach on 
the Hoe was raised prior to the time of the en¬ 
croachment of the sea above mentioned, and during 
the residence of the hyaenas, rhinoceroses &.c. whose 
bones are found deposited in caves of limerock, 
and of which I have already made record. Now, I 
submit to the readers of that extremely useful book 
the “ Geological Manual,” that the circumstance of 
the occurrence of “ angular fragments of limestone” 
on the old beach is not sufficient evidence that it 
was raised during the period of those creatures 
above whose remains at Oreston ever so large a 
quantity of these fragments have been heaped, I see 
* Sec an account tending to a similar conclusion in respect of 
Scotland, in Lyell, voliii. p. 267. A Roman Galley has also been 
dug out in Romney Marsh very lately. 
