Page:The aquarium - an unveiling of the wonders of the deep sea.djvu/232

Rh within Portland Roads, and then reaching in-shore towards the ferry, as far as we dared for the shallows, dredged the ground over with the tide, in various traverses off Smallmouth Sands, and under Sandsfoot. The sand shoals off in some places very gradually, and one day we scraped along and stuck fast, the boat's keel deep in the mud and silt, and immoveable, though the shore was more than half a mile distant. The tide, however, took us off after some delay, which no doubt seemed longer than it really was, and allowed us to go on with our dredging.

From this Bay a favourable view is obtained of the equestrian figure of George III, which is cut on the slope of a hill above Preston, and which by the exposure of the chalk is very conspicuous on the green turf. It is a very remarkable work of art on several accounts; first, that it was executed by a private soldier with only his own resources; secondly, for its colossal dimensions, being 174 feet in height; thirdly, for its vraisemblance not only to a man on horseback, but to the king himself: and fourthly, because being intended to be viewed at some miles distance, on a very inclined surface, the drawing had to be made, not in natural proportions, but very considerably distorted, yet the success is complete.

In raking the bottom of this Bay, we meet with various kinds of ground. In many places it is smooth sand; in others a whitish tenacious mud; off Sandsfoot Castle the low ledges crop out, and offer their abrupt margins across the course in which we are working; these have to be carefully avoided. Again in some places there are extensive beds of Zostera;