of Seine Bay. These gentlemen advised the erection of
two dikes, one on the Eclat shoal in the very axis of this reef, and the
other at Heve. Between these two masonry dikes was to be placed a floating
breakwater. This project, which was submitted to Admiral de Hell in 1845,
had a favorable reception, and the Admiral especially applauded the trial
of breakwaters, "which were much talked of in England, although the
effects that they might produce were not well known." Deloffre, Bleve, and
Renauds' project comprised two forts--one to the north and the other to
the south of the roadstead. For a long time nothing more was said about
it, and it is only during recent years, when the peril has become imminent
for Havre (threatened as it is of being abandoned even by the French
transatlantics), that the question has again became the order of the day.

[Illustration: FIG. 3.--FROIDEVILLE'S FLOATING BREAKWATER.--END VIEW.]

Mr. Bert, a merchant, would protect the Little Roadstead by means of two
jetties, 1,000 and 1,600 meters in length, built, one of them upon the
Eclat and the other upon the eminences of the roadstead. These would be
constructed by forming a foundation of loose rocks, and using earth and
brick above the level of the water. Mr. Vial has likewise proposed a
rockwork of 2,000 meters in length, to form a dike 10 meters in height and
width, whose platform would be on a level with the highest tides.

Next comes the more recent project of Mr. Coulon. Seeing that it is the
deposits of the ocean and not those of the Seine that accumulate upon the
estuary, Mr. Coulon advises the construction of a dike about 2,000 meters
in length, starting from the Havre jetty, and ending at the southwest
extremity of the shoals at the roadstead heights, and a second one
returning toward the northwest, of from 500 to 1,000 meters. A third and
very long one of not less than 8 kilometers would be built from Honfleur
to the Ratier shoals.

This latter one, in contracting the bay, would contribute to increase the
force of the current, which, throwing back at the ocean its mud and
pebbles, would give us the depths of 15 and 20 meters indicated on the map
of Beautemps-Beaupre.

This year, again, two projects have arisen; one of them due to Mr.
Thuillard-Froideville, and the other to Mr. Hersent.

According to Mr. Hersent, it would be necessary to surround the Little
Roadstead with an insubmersible dike built upon the rocky shoals, which
w