486 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



ever, or by the teuact of lauds, either by himself or by his 

 direction or permisaion. 



3. The pursuing and killing of hares respectively by cours- 

 ing by greyhounds or by hunting with beagles or other 

 hounds. 



4. The pursuing or killing of deer by hunting with hounds, 



5. The taking and killing of deer in any inclosed lands by the 

 owner or occut>ier, or by his direction or permission. 



KUGBY. — The New Game Laws.— Our correspondent 

 writes, that, at the last Petty Sessions at Rugby, Mr. Duck, 

 an officer of Inland Revenue, applied for a summons against 

 Stephen Rathbone, of Leamington, Hastings (who was ordered 

 to pay 403. for shooting a hare about three months ago by the 

 Rugby magistrates), for shooting at game without taking a 

 game certificate,, the penalty for which is not above £20 or 

 under £5. The application, which is the first of the kind 

 that has been made under the new law, was granted. — 

 Leicestershire Mercury. 



HARES NOT GAME. 



It will be seen by the following letter from the Board of 



Inland Revenue, received by a gentleman in Ireland, that 



hares may be coursed or hunted by greyhounds or beagles, 



without the owner being required to produce a game licence : — 



"Inland Revenue, London, 25th October, 18G0. 



" Sirs,— In reply to your letter of the 4th instant, referring 

 to an advertisement from the board respecting the liability to 

 game licence duty of persons coursing hares in Ireland, and 

 stating your opinion that such persons are not now liable, 

 being within an exception in the act of last session, I am 

 directed to state that, in consequence of that letter, and of 

 several others on the same subject, the board have had recourse 

 to legal advice, in order to ascertain whether the technical 

 interpretation of the Act 23 and 24 Vic, c. 90, is that which 

 you contend for. 



"The board are now advised that the liw will bear the 

 construction which you put upon it, and that persons may now 

 pursue and kill hares by coursing with greyhounds, or by 

 hunting with beagles or other hounds, in Ireland, as well as in 

 England and Scotland, without a game certificate. 



" You are at liberty to inform your correspondents that no 

 licence is required for the purpose above described, and to give 

 publicity to this letter. 



" I am. Sir, your obedient servant, 

 (Signed) "Thomas Dobson, Secretary." 



LAND DRAINAGE AND OUTFALS. 



SiE, — The present wet season will surely open the eyes 

 of muny of the lundowneis of England as to the necessity 

 of attention to arterial drainage. The question of surface 

 drainage hns long been decided; but so long as the rivers 

 remain in their unimproved state it is useless altempting 

 to pour out the water more quickly from the land wliere 

 there is not a great natural fall for it. Even where such a 

 fall exisis, it only makes a greater necessity for improvement 

 of outftils to prevent the damage which must ar=se to the low 

 lands by the sides of rivers in consequence of the pressure 

 from above. Agreeing generally with your correspondent 

 under this head, in your paper of Oct, \b, I cannot help 

 calling his attention to the Act 3 and 4 Will. IV., cap. sxii. 

 commonly known as the Sewers Act. Under the provisions 

 of ihis, the outfals of several rivers have been improved in 

 Kottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, and there is no reason 

 why this act should not be put in force in every county in 

 England. J J 



The act authorizes the appointment of Commissioners of 

 bewers, each having a certain qualification, who hold Courts 

 periodically. Any pioprietor having cause of complaint 

 can present a petition to the Court, who, if they think it a 

 ht case, order a view to be taken by a committee of the 

 members of the Court. If their report is favourable thj 

 Court proceeds upon the requisition, or with the consent of 

 the owners and occupiers of three-fourths in value of 



the lauds proposed to be improved, to order a survey 

 to be taken, and a rate to be made upon the whole of the 

 lauds in the level, A day is appointed to hear appeals 

 against the rate, and in all the cases I have known, the re- 

 sult has been most satisfactory. 



The work of cutting and embanking the rivers, and the 

 amount of compensation to be paid to those whose land 

 is taken for any purpose, is under the control of the Com- 

 missioners, through whom the money is paid when they are 

 satisfied the work is properly executed, 



I can illustrate this by referring to the works on the 

 Witham and Devon rivers; the Spaldford and Torksey 

 drainage, the Dunham, &c,. embankment, and the Girton 

 and Spaldford embankments, all in the neighbourhood of 

 Newark-on-Trent. Numerous instances of the beneficial 

 exercise of the powers of the act may be found in Lincoln- 

 shire ; but I have referred only to cases which I have known 

 personally. 



In all these a variety of conflicting interests opposed the 

 execution of the works for a long time, and it was only that 

 the Sewers Act gives such full powers that the plans were 

 carried out. I may add, that many who were the loudest in 

 denouncing the schemes at first, were afterwards amongst 

 the first to appreciate the benefit. 



My object in writing will he attained if public attention is 

 called to the subject, and 1 shall be happy to obtain for any 

 one further information upon it, the question being of such 

 immense importance to the country, 



I am, sir, your obedient bervant, 



6, Milrc Cowl, Temple. John Pakkinson, JaN. 



It will be seen from the following letter addressed to the 

 Economist of this week, that something more is now to be 

 done : 



Sir, — Aa I observe from your remarks upon drainage, on 

 the 3rd inst., you take an interest in this subject, I should 

 esteem it a favour if you would announce that it is the inten- 

 tion of certain landholders much interested in obtaining better 

 outfalls for their estates, to call a meeting of agriculturists, 

 engineers, and other persons next month, in London (the time 

 and place of which will be duly announced), to take into con- 

 sideration the present state of the drainage, and to ask the 

 Government to prepare a bill which will secure sufficient out- 

 falls, and for other purposes. It has become an acknowledged 

 fact, that all low grounds require under-draining to render 

 them profitable in these days of high taxation; a large return, 

 moreover, is received from a judicious expenditure upon such 

 works. Land-draining, however, and laying out money in 

 cutting drains, are not always synonymous. It is now begin- 

 ning to be felt that large sums have been, with the best inten- 

 tions, ill spent; the works having been commenced at the 

 wrong end, instead of outfalls of sufficient width and depth 

 being cut upwards, to carry off the water, from an area capa- 

 ble of being dried by such main drain or drains. To effect 

 this, it will not only be necessary to pass a general Act, but 

 also to repeal a number o! local ones, (or how stands the law 

 at present? Act 9ih and 10th Vict., chap. 101, empowers 

 the Treasury to advance £5,000,000 to landowners for drain- 

 age purposes; but other Acts, very little known, but in full 

 force, prevent their applying this money to any great profit — 

 «. ()., I may mention the Market Weightou Drainage and 

 Navigation Act, passed in 1772, with the double object of 

 draining and navigating a large district ! the consequence 

 being the impossibility of draining it, if even the whole five 

 millions were expended, such an Act remaining unrepealed. 

 The Economist is a journal well calculated to unite the monied 

 with the landed interest, the first requiring investments for 

 their capital, and the second funds to bring out the resources 

 of their estates. There is not better security in the world 

 than English green fields, under the various Acta passed for 

 draining them, such loans taking precedence of all charges 

 with the exception of tithes ; but it will be a national loss if 

 estates are still attempted to be drained without reference to 

 each other, and without proper outfalls. The difference be- 

 tween the amount of the produce of the low lands in England 

 thoroughly or imperfectlj^ drained, not being a question of 

 thousands of pounds, but of millions ; therefore in behalf of 

 townsfolk, as well as countryfolk, I entreat your co-operaticu 

 in this movement.— I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient 

 servant, Lowlander. 



