THE SILTING UP OF THE DEE: ITS CAUSE. 59 
‘where the sea hath determined that creek which shoots in 
between Flintshire and Wirral, and whereon was founded that 
beautiful city of Chester, which was made the receptacle of 
merchandise from all kingdoms and nations.” 
AN ANCIENT OPINION IN SUPPORT. 
As you may have noticed, I had finished my paper with, to 
my mind, an appropriate peroration, when, a few days ago, the 
City Surveyor placed in my hand a copy of the proceedings of 
the ‘‘Admiralty Inquiry into the Dee Navigation,” which 
opened on September 5, 1849. I had been searching for this 
report, but up to then without success. In it I find a map of 
the Dee in 1732, by John Mackay, mathematician, and a note 
as follows :—“ Between Chester, Flint, and Parkgate, 7 or 8,000 
acres are proposed to be gained from the sea, by which means 
no less than two hundred millions of tons of Tyde will be 
prevented from flowing there (twice in 24 hours), which on the 
reflux, acquireth the greater velocity to scour and keep open 
the Lake (i.e., Hoylake) and Barr (7.e., Chester Bar). Whether 
these ill consequences (which most certainly attend the present 
undertaking, i.c., Nathaniel Kinderley’s Tnclosure Scheme) are 
not more likely to destroy the present navigation in Hyle Lake 
and the River Dee, rather than recover and preserve a better, 
is humbly submitted to the Right Honourable the House of 
Lords.” So much for the originality of my idea that the 
embankments advanced from time to time tend to choke up the 
estuary. Original on my part it certainly was, but John 
Mackay had, however, been before me by no fewer than 152 
years. I find the materials accumulated on my hands so great 
that I cannot deal with them in one paper, so I hope to follow 
this with another on the silting up of the estuary, and the 
effects of Nathaniel Kinderley’s Inclosure Scheme on the Dee 
Navigation. . 
DISCUSSION. 
Dr. Srourerrorn expressed the thankfulness of the Society 
to Mr. Suonz for his very valuable contribution, the fruit of so 
much original labour, inquiry, and reflection upon the facts 
presented on the face of nature. He had dealt ably with a 
difficult question. He (Dr. SrotTERFoTH) thought they ought 
to be careful not to attach too much importance to the state- 
ments of old writers about large vessels coming up the Dee, 
for what would be considered large vessels in those days would 
only be considered small vessels in these days. He believed 
that in the 13th or 14th century the Dee was very much silted 
up, and that silting up had probably been added to in the 
intervening time. He would ask when the causeway was put 
up. 
