210
MISCELLANEA
   “ It is common knowledge that many human remains have been taken down with the slipping of the ground and have been washed away, and there is at the present time a brick vault projecting from the face of the cliff.
   “The church now stands at a distance of but 80 feet from the edge of the cliff, and the playground wall of the old school but 12 feet.
   “The inroad of the sea is one of the causes of danger to the church, and the foot of the cliff calls for attention; but the greatest immediate source of danger to the fabric is due to the condition of the upper part of the cliffs.
   “The graveyard, for a depth of 10-15 feet, is composed of a light, porous material, through which the water has no difficulty in finding its way; the old excavations for graves permit the infiltration of water, and in some cases the gravestones and surrounding iron railings are tilted over where the water has washed out in its course the underlying ground.
   “The water that thus sinks down converts the clay and shale into a slippery condition, and then finds its way out at the face of the cliffs, carrying much of this silty matter with it. This slips down until it reaches the uppermost limestone bed, where it oozes over the edge and falls into the sea.
   “ It is the loss of material in this manner that is the immediate cause of the close proximity of the top of the cliff to the church building.
   “ When the mixture of clay and shale reaches the limestone bed it has opportunity to become drier before entirely slipping over, with the result that a fresh supply, coming on with the return of wet weather, mounts up above this accumulation, and forms ridges behind which water collects in pools. The water in these pools in turn sinks in and finds its way out at a lower level, forming a slippery foundation for the partially dried portion.
   “This action is again repeated, and the whole amount is thrown into the sea by the pressure of the ground behind.”
   For the arrest of the trouble and the protection of the church the following recommendations were made:—
   “The first step to be taken is the insertion of rubble drains,