126 ALTERATIONS IN OTHER SPOTS. 
“ The best lands in the valley beneath the city 
“ appear to have been once overflowed, and the 
“ ancient boundaries of the stream may even now 
“ be traced up and down the river.”* 
The following passage points to similar geological 
proceedings in another neighbourhood. “ At Tiver- 
££ ton, the alterations in the bed and course of the 
“ river Exe are remarkable. In 1771, St. Peter’s 
££ Church and Tower were declared to be in danger 
££ from the encroachments of this river, and that it 
“ was navigable much higher than at present, there 
“ is no doubt. Anchors have been found at Cowley 
“ Bridge,farabovethepresentnavigation. Formerly, 
“ mills were at work on the banks of the river a 
“ little under the road towards this bridge, from 
“ which spot, the water has now retired to a con- 
£C siderable distance. In the suburbs of Exeter, 
££ some of the lands now dry were once overflowed. 
“ Half a century ago, a man digging for a well in 
££ his garden in the parish of St. Thomas, found 
c< first a stratum of sand, after this, several other 
“ strata of different kinds ; and under the whol e 
“ about fifteen feet deep, a bed of hazel leaves five 
££ or six inches thick, on the removal of which, nuts 
££ swam about on the surface of the water. Hither 
££ therefore it should seem they must have been 
££ drifted, and afterwards covered.”f Did not other 
causes conspire, the mere ££ filling up of estuaries” 
would tend greatly to a retreat of the sea from 
those spots, and accordingly, T3e LucJ on this sole 
account argues that our estuaries were at one time 
much larger. Many centuries ago, there was a 
harbour at Seaton of considerable importance. Le- 
land who wrote about the year 1538, takes notice 
of this fact in the following terms. ££ Ther hath 
* Moore’s “ Devon,” p. 37. f Ibid. p. 29. 
J Travels in England. 
