46 



It is formed by the watershed line, a line on the other side 

 of which all the water running off the surface takes some 

 other course— either first joining the Len which runs from 

 Lenham to Maidstone, and there falls into the Medway ; 

 or, secondly, joining the Sluggish Beutt, which, rising at 

 Shadoshurst, passes through Sinarden and empties itself 

 into the Medway at Yalding ; or, thirdly, along the rocic 

 ridge from Kingsnorth and Orlestone to Aldington, falling 

 towards Romney Marsh, and, taking the course of the 

 Ancient Leraeu, empties into the Harbour of Eye ; or, 

 fourthly, beyond Sandling, falling into the Hythe Valley ; 

 or, fifthly, over the high chalk range shedding towards the 

 Nore, but which after filling the chalk strata discharges a 

 large portion of its waters into the Ashford Basin by those 

 pores which I shall presently describe as the sources of the 

 Eiver Stour. These sources, which first supply this river 

 in ordinary seasons, and which come almost entirely from 

 tho chalk, are in many cases powerful enough to turn the 

 wheels of water-mills near their first exit from the surface 

 of the ground. The principal of them are Lenhara, West- 

 well, Eastwell, Brooke, and Postling, that of Westwell 

 being the most remarkable for quantity and regularity of 

 supply. The chalk strata, in common with all the others in 

 this part of the county, is known to dip at a considerable angle 

 to the North ; it is underlaid by the gault or blue 

 clay, for the slight vein of upper green sand which 

 intervenes is too thin to be of any importance in a 

 popular point of view. This chalk strata presents a 

 steep face to the south of about 300 feet psrpendicular 

 depth ; it is very porous, full of chasms, and becomes the 

 receptacle of all the rain which falls on the northern half 

 of the county, lessened only by the small portion which 

 runs off the surface, or the much larger portion which 

 escapes by evaporation. The clay known by the name of 

 gault, and which is so much used for the manufacture of 

 tiles and pottery, underlays the chalk and is impervious. 

 It is about 50 feet in thickness, and retains on its surface 

 all the moisture which enters above. A species of raarle 



