Chapter II: Preface: TO

THE FIRST TWO EDITIONS.

For years my daily walks have been upon the beach, and I have learnt to love the ocean as the Swiss mountaineer loves his native Alps, or the Highlander the heath-covered hills of Caledonia. May these feelings have imparted some warmth to the following pages, and serve to render the reader more indulgent to their faults!

G. Hartwig.

Göttingen: _July 17, 1860_.

CONTENTS.

PART I.

THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE SEA.

CHAPTER I.

THE MAGNITUDE OF THE SEA.

Extent of the Ocean.--Length of its Coast-Line.--Mural, Rocky,
and Flat Coasts.--How deep is the Sea?--Average Depth of the
Atlantic Ocean.--The Telegraphic Plateau between Newfoundland and
Ireland.--Measurement of Depth by the Rapidity of the Tide-Wave.
--Progressive Changes in the Limits of the Ocean.--Alluvial
Deposits.--Upheaving.--Subsidence.--Does the Level of the Sea
remain unchanged, and is it everywhere the same?--Composition and
Temperature of Sea-Water.--Its intrinsic Colour.--The Azure Grotto
at Capri.--Modification of Colour owing to Animals and Plants.
--Submarine Landscapes viewed through the Clear Waters Page 3