. Ceylon : an account of the island, physical, historical, and topographical with notices of its natural history, antiquities and productions. Natural history. ClIAP. I.] SAND FORMATIOX. 45 suspension by tlie currents, soon extend to north and south, and force the rivers to flow behind them in search of a new outlet. These formations once commenced, their groAvth pro- ceeds with rapidity, more especially on the east side of the island; as" the southern current in skirting the Coromandel coast brings with it quantities of sand, which it deposits, in tranquil weather, and this being carried
. Ceylon : an account of the island, physical, historical, and topographical with notices of its natural history, antiquities and productions. Natural history. ClIAP. I.] SAND FORMATIOX. 45 suspension by tlie currents, soon extend to north and south, and force the rivers to flow behind them in search of a new outlet. These formations once commenced, their groAvth pro- ceeds with rapidity, more especially on the east side of the island; as" the southern current in skirting the Coromandel coast brings with it quantities of sand, which it deposits, in tranquil weather, and this being carried by the wind is piled in heaps from Point Pedro to Hambangtotte. Hence at the latter point hills are formed of such height and dimensions, that it is often necessary to remove buildings out of their hue of en- croachment.^ At the mouths of the rivers the bars thus created generally foUow the direction of the current, and the material deposited being dried and partiaUy consohdated in the intervals between the tides, long embankments are graduaUy raised, be- hind which the rivers flow for con- siderable distances before entering the sea. Occasionally these embouchures become closed by the accumulations without, and the pent-up water as- sumes the appearance of a still canal, more or less broad according to the level of the beach, and extending for miles along the coast, between the mainland and the new formations. But when swollen by the rains, if not as- sisted by ai'tificial outlets to escape, they burst new openings for them- selves, and not unfrequently they leave their ancient channels converted into shallow lagoons without any visible exit. Examples of these forma-. ^ This is occasioned by the waste of the banks further north during the violence of the N. E. monsoon; and the sand; being carried south by the cm-rent, is intercepted by the head- land at Hambangtotte and thrown up these hills as Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images t
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Keywords: ., booka, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectnaturalhistory
