DRAINAGE AND IRRIGATION. 79 
judicious irrigation. Thus man is the lord and master of the 
earth ; but hitherto he has done but little to reap all the advan- 
tages he might have obtained from his dominion, or even used 
it to his own detriment. Drainage, irrigation, and a judicious 
management of forest-lands, are only beginning to be under- 
stood even among the most enlightened nations. A great part 
of our damp island still remains undrained, and we allow the 
rivers of India to pour their waters into the sea, instead of 
diverting them upon her thirsty plains. But there can be no 
doubt that as knowledge increases, man will gradually learn to 
provide every soil with the exact measure of humidity that is 
requisite to make it bring forth its fruits in the greatest abun- 
dance. Views such as these teach us, that, far from having at- 
tained the summit of civilisation, we are still on the threshold 
of her temple, and that most likely our descendants will look 
down upon our present condition as we do upon that of our 
barbarous ancestors. 
Rocky Mouutains at the bend of Bear Lake River. 
G 2 
