ENGLISH CHANNEL

narrow sea between England and France (50° N., 2° £.-6° W.); joins the North Sea at Strait of Dover, its narrowest part (c. 21 m.), and, owing to chalk ridge, also its shallowest (12 to 13 fathoms); stretching W., joins Atlantic between Scilly Isles and Cape Ushant. Area is average breadth, over 70 m.; highest tide, 42 ft. at St. Germain. Cliffs and lowlands alternate on both coasts; Eng. coast extends from Strait of Dover to Land’s End. Only important river it receives is Seine, from France. In English Channel are Isle of Wight and Channel Islands. The chief seaports are (in England) Falmouth, Plymouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton, New haven, Hastings, Folk est one, Dover; (in France) Cherbourg, Le Havre, Dieppe, Boulogne, Calais. English Channel is called in French La Manche (the sleeve), owing to its shape; was scene of defeat of Span. Armada 1588. A proposal to construct a Channel Tunnel was made in France in 1856, and several other schemes to avoid the sea pa age have been mooted since. Captain Webb swam the Channel in 1875, Burge in 1911. Bleriot was the first to fly acro in a monoplane,July 1909. E For war operations in English Channel, see Dover PATROL, E (3/4) e (3/4)