The plate (Rawlinson No.118) appeared as No.5 of Vol. in Cooke's Picturesque Views of the Southern Coast of England. The watercolour is No.171 and a pencil study No.170. Turner corrected the proofs of this plate from Farley where he was staying in November 1824 (see also 'Plymouth Dock', No.168). One is annotated: 'You ask me for my opinion; first, I shall say in general, very good: secondly, the figures at Barracks, excellent, but I think you have cut up the bank called Shorncliff too much with the graver, by lines which are equal in strength and width and length that gives a coarseness to the quality, and do not look like my touches or your work ... The marsh is all swamp; I want flickering lights upon it up to the sea, and although I have darkened the sea in part, yet you must not consider it to want strength but that the whole marsh and sea down to the Barracks lies dark and not clear; get it into one tone, flat by dots or some means, and let the sea and water only appear different by their present lines'. On a subsequent proof, Turner wrote: ‘I fear you mistook my meaning, let the water be distinguishable only by its lines, therefore strengthen all the horizontal lines of the Sea which you have to do for I would prefer overtones to the lines [sketch] in the marsh. I do not want more work but filling in to make it flat, and a flickering light somewhat like the Brixham plate where marked [sketch] too dark. I shall not want to see another proof but save me my No four and etching.'