Destroying Effects of Water. 31 The Waller Lake, in the Tyrol, rofe fo much, owing to the melting of the ice of the neighbour ing glaciers, that it broke through its natural bar rier ; and its water was precipitated with fo much velocity and violence into the lower country, that whole valleys and plains were defolated. There are inftances of fimilar emptied lakes in Switzer land, Hartz, Fichtelgebirge, &c. The waters of the ocean all’o ad very powerful ly in breaking down the land. Its waves and cur rents are particularly adive in thefe deftroying operations. They either hollow out the rocks on the coaft into caves of greater or lefs magnitude, or, by walking away fofter fubjacent ftrata, caufe linkings and fallings of great maffes of rock. The caves in the illands of Arran and Jura have been partly formed in this manner. It many ftreams aft in different diredions on the fame coaft, or in conjundion with land-floods, as is often the cafe, the deftroying effed is very great. Frequently alfo the power of the flood is increafed by ebb and flood-tide. In this manner many maritime countries have been overwhelmed h y the fea. T he Ealtic Sea affords examples of thefe de ftroying efteds ; thus the illand of Rugen was formerly joined to the continent, but, by the vio lent adion of the fea, has been much diminifhed in magnitude, and feparated from it. The effeds it has produced on the coafts of Carniola, Dalma tia
