can scarcely compensate us. How does the sea work this? There are
certain rock-boring animals, such as the Pholas, which help to decay
the rocks. Each mollusc cuts a series of augur-holes from two to four
inches deep, and so assists in destroying the bulwarks of England.
Atmospheric action, the disintegration of soft rocks by frost and by
the attack of the sea below, all tend in the same direction. But the
foolish action of man in removing shingle, the natural protection of
our coasts, is also very mischievous. There is an instance of this in
the Hall Sands and Bee Sands, Devon. A company a few years ago
obtained authority to dredge both from the foreshore and sea-bed. The
Commissioners of Woods and Forests and the Board of Trade granted this
permission, the latter receiving a royalty of £50 and the former £150.
This occurred in 1896. Soon afterwards a heavy gale arose and caused
an immense amount of damage, the result entirely of this dredging. The
company had to pay heavily, and the royalties were returned to them.
This is only one instance out of many which might be quoted. We are an
illogical nation, and our regulations and authorities are weirdly
confused. It appears that the foreshore is under the control of the
Board of Trade, and then a narrow strip of land is ruled over by the
Commissioners of Woods and Forests. Of course these bodies do not
agree; different policies are pursued by each, and the coast suffers.
Large sums are sometimes spent in coast-defence works. At Spurn no
less than £37,433 has been spent out of Parliamentary grants, besides
£14,227 out of the Mercantile Marine Fund. Corporations or county
authorities, finding their coasts being worn away, resolve to protect
it. They obtain a grant in aid from Parliament, spend vast sums, and
often find their work entirely thrown away, or proving itself most
disastrous to their neighbours. If you protect one part of the coast
you destroy another. Such is the rule of the sea. If you try to beat
it back at one point it will revenge itself on another. If only you