r 312 ] 



be any merit in the difcovery^ I have, alTuredly, a juil title to 

 claim it. 



" I wifli not to throw out any infinuations to the preju- 

 dice of Mr. Elkington ; who, by a proper degree of ma- 

 nagement on his part, has great merit in having turned the 

 attention of the nation towards a mode of draining, which, 

 when the principles upon which it is grounded are fully un- 

 derftood, and properly applied, will be found to be equally 

 cheap and efficacious, as I, from an experience of it for near 

 thirty years, can fafely aflert. But it is a miftake to think it 

 can be univerfally applied. There are many cafes in which 

 it can be of no ufe ; and if it be there attempted, it will be 

 only labour in vain, as I have fully demonflrated in the trea- 

 tife referred to. Whether Mr. Elkington did actually 

 difcover this mode of draining of himfelf, or adopted it from 

 the very plain directions given in that treatife, is of little 

 confequence to the publick. In either cafe, he has equally the 

 merit of having introduced it into pradiice in the Southern 

 parts of this Ifland : For the fingle fadt, that he has been 

 fuppofed to be the firfl: inventor of it, is the cleareft proof that 

 this part of my treatife, by bow many fo ever it may have been 

 readf has been allowed to remain, in a great meafure, a dead 

 letter even until the prefent hour. 



*' As my intention in publifhing that eflay, doubtlefs, was 

 to benefit the publick, I owe, perhaps, thanks to Mr. El- 

 lington for having forwarded that defign. It is not im- 

 poffible that the time may not be far diftant, when 1 (hall be 

 laid under an obligation to fome other perfon for bringing 

 into notice, as a new invention^ the mode of embanking 

 rivers, which is defcribed in thefe eflays with equal clearnefs; 

 and which will, in pradice, be found to be alike cheap and 

 pfficacious. An obligation of this kind was conferred upon 



me 



