17 



the friction is generally very great. Fresh water in 

 passing through the earth to a bed of salt does not 

 usually make its way direct. Most beds of salt are 

 overlain by beds of impermeable marls, though here 

 and there occur water bearing and permeable strata. 

 Naturally these latter strata become waterlogged, and 

 when the fresh water reaches the salt and becomes 

 saturated, before it can issue as a spring at the surface, it 

 has to pass through the waterlogged strata, and so becomes 

 weakened and mixed with fresh water. If every particle 

 of fresh water that would naturally find its way to and 

 pass over the salt bed did so, and then went on its way and 

 passed out at a spring, there would be great waste; but 

 owing to the specific gravity of brine being greater than 

 that of water there is constantly a body of brine on and 

 near the salt bed, whilst the water flowing down and then 

 out of the spring flows over the top of this brine. Fresh 

 water does not mix quickly with brine unless there is rapid 

 motion equivalent to stirring up. Nothing is more common 

 in the salt districts than after heavy rain to run the "fresh," 

 as it is called, off* the brine reservoirs. As then the whole 

 of the fresh water does not reach the rock salt, but the 

 greater portion of it mingles with the upper layer of brine 

 and flows off", having only partially diff*used itself with the 

 lower layer, there is no violent action and wasting of the rock 

 salt, and consequently no perceptible result on the surface 

 indicating destruction of salt below. After a careful exami- 

 nation of all the evidence attainable as regards England I 

 cannot find one clear instance of any waste of salt, causing 

 subsidence, by the natural brine springs of the districts. 

 Three cases were recently mentioned before the Committee 

 appointed by the House of Commons on the Cheshire Salt 

 Districts Compensation Bill, The first was in 1533, near 

 Combermere Abbey; the second in 1657, near Bickley, in 

 Cheshire; the third in 17 13, at Weaver Hall, near Winsford, 



