49 



other subsoils composing this bed, but they are individually 

 so small as not to be worthy of note, nearly all the waters 

 coming from the north side of the channel of the river. 

 Many of these springs also break out along the east coast 

 and never come into the Stour valley, and the celebrated 

 Lyddcn spout, between Folkestone and Dover, is probably 

 known to many of you, as also thosa of Newington and 

 Folkestone. The purity and clearness of the waters in this 

 river are strongly contrasted to those of the river Medway, 

 which is principally supplied from the wealden clays until 

 it approaches Maidstone, where it receives some tributaries 

 from the chalk. The impurities which are discharged into 

 the river from Ashford and Canterbury do not seem mate- 

 rially to affect the pureness of its water ; but I trust the 

 time is not far distant when these impurities will be turned 

 to better account. There are times when the Stour assumes 

 a character totally unconnected with the sources I have 

 described. I allude now to the floods which occasionally 

 cause it it overflow its banks, doing much injury to the 

 pastures along its margin. The Ashford Basin, which con- 

 tains an area of nearly 80 square miles or 50 thousand 

 acres, is almost the only feeder for these overflowing 

 waters ; for the arable lands along the sides of the Stour 

 valley absorb nearly all the moisture which falls upon them, 

 and therefore I consider that by far the larger portion of 

 the flood water which enters Canterbury flows through the 

 Ashford Bridges. A careless observer might wonder from 

 whence this constant supply of water is derived, and fancy 

 that at some period or other it might cease to flow. The 

 more thoughtful mind can trace these waters from their 

 discharge into the sea back to the recesses in the hills, 

 from which they are to emerge again and again for the 

 fructiflcation of the earth and the benefit of mankind. 

 The exact process by which they rise in vapour from sea 

 and land, then float in the air as clouds, the small particles 

 being separated from each other by electric influences, until 

 by some other atmospheric change they become united, and 

 by the excess of gravity descend in showers of rain, hail, or 



