NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
367
thirteen stations provide evidence of little change, since ten record no alteration
—a result no doubt of the artificial protections.
" A gain is reported from Walton-on-the-Naze following the lengthening of
the pier, and a loss from near Harwich Harbour, where the sea-wall is broken in,
with local slips at Clacton at unguarded spots. Every station is protected, usually
with sea-walls ; while Harwich, Walton, Clacton, and the eastern side of
Mersea Island are provided with groynes. Shingle is removed in small
quantities from Harwich, Clacton, Colne Point, and from the southern side of the
Blackwater River."
A map, showing the changes all round the British Coast,
accompanies the original report.—F. W. Rudler, F.G.S.
Post-Glacial Deposits of Walton Naze.—The inter-
esting extract, given by Mr. Holmes on pp. 295-6, goes far to
support the suggestion which I tentatively advanced in 1889
(Essex Nat., vol. liii., pp. 223-241), as to the possibly Post-glacial
age of the upper clay and gravel capping the Naze cliff. The
Palaeontological evidence wanted had in fact been found in 1803,
and buried in the Annual Register till re-discovered by Mr.
Holmes. This harmonizes all the East Essex gravels from
Southend to Harwich (where doubtless the cliff-capping is of
like age), an early deposit of the Thames, when its mouth was in
a common estuary with all other East-British and many West-
European rivers.—W. H. Dalton, F.G.S.
METEOROLOGY.
Rainfall of 1903.—A letter from Dr. H. R. Mill, in the
Times of Jan. 88, 1904, which, with tables, occupies more than
two columns, gives the amount of the rainfall of 1903 as taken at
62 stations in all parts of the British Isles. Dr. Mill informs us
that the rainfall was everywhere in excess of the averages
"The rainfall of London in 1903" (he remarks) was greater
by at least three inches than in any other year for which recordd
exist, but a like unprecedented excess occurred at only a few of
the stations outside the lower Thames valley." Considering the
areas over which the percentage excesses were greatest, Dr. Mi.
finds that they were three in number : the south of Englanr
from about Swanage to near Brighton, running northward to
include the whole of the Thames Basin, and extending beyond
it northward from London. The second very wet area occupied
North Wales and the west of Cheshire and Lancashire. The
third lay in Scotland, north of the Caledonian Canal. "The