and a worn coast, are universally to be acknowledged. If again
the coast is shallow, this is a proof that the land affords more
materials than the sea can carry away; consequently, instead of being
impaired, the coast may here increase and be protruded from the land.
Such is the case in many places along the coast of North America, where
several reasons concur in accumulating sand upon that coast; for, not
only is the shore plentifully provided with sand from the rivers of that
continent, but also the sand of the Mexican Gulf would appear to be
carried along this coast with the stream which flows here towards the
north, and which has thus contributed to form the banks of Newfoundland.

The second general observation is to be considered as respecting
the shape of coasts, in like manner as the first had in view their
elevations. Now, it is plain that the shape of the coast, in any part of
the land, must depend upon a combination of two different causes. The
first of these is the composition of the land or solid parts of the
coast; if this be uniform and regular, so will be the shape of the
coast; if it is irregular and mixed, consisting of parts of very
different degrees of hardness and resistance to the wasting operations,
the coast will then be, _cet. par._ irregular and indented. The second,
again, respects the wearing power. If this wearing power shall be
supposed to be equally applied to all the coast; and, if every part of
that coast were of an equal quality or resisting power, no explanation
could be given, from the present state of things, for the particular
shape of that coast, which ought then to be wasted in an equable manner
by the sea. But neither is the coast, of any extensive country at least,
composed of such uniform materials; nor is the application of the
wearing power to the coast an equal thing; and this will form the
subject of another observation. The third general observation,
therefore, regards the operations of the sea upon the coast, and the
effects which may be perceived in consequence of that cause, independent
of the qualities of the coast, or supposing them in general to be alike.
Here, according to the theory, we should expect to find deep water and
an indented coast upon a country, in proportion as that coast is exposed
to the violence of the sea, or is open directly to the ocean. We have
but to look along the west coast of Norway, the north-west of Scotland,
the west of Ireland, and the sou