232 Disruption of a Bog. 



tents of the two bogs which have been evacuated. But, per- 

 haps, a still more important inquiry is, What can be done to 

 prevent a recurrence of similar irruptions ? This is rather a 

 difficult question; there is, however, no doubt that the drainage 

 of the moss would remove the danger, as no instance exists of 

 either the bursting or floating away of a drained bog. Pro- 

 bably the channels now made, should they remain open, will 

 give the requisite stability to the peaty soil. This inundation 

 of bog water has been very fatal to the fish, which have been 

 poisoned or rather suffocated by it in large quantities. 



The floating away of a portion of Chat Moss, in the six- 

 teenth century, and of Solway and Pilling Mosses, in the years 

 1772, and 1744-5, have some remote resemblance to this phse- 

 nomenon ; but the case most analogous to it is that furnished 

 by the mighty discharges from Pendle-hill, in the neighbour- 

 ing county of Lancaster, of which Camden says, " This hill is 

 chiefly remarkable for the damage which it lately did to the 

 country below (about the year 1580) by the discharge of a 

 great body of water ;" and Mr. Charles Towneley, in a com- 

 munication to Richard Towneley, Esq. in the year 1669, de- 

 scribes a mighty torrent which issued from " the butt-end of 

 Pendle" on the 18th of August, 1669, as so overwhelming 

 that it presented a breast of water of a yard high, and set 

 afloat furniture in the houses of the village of Wooston, at a 

 distance of two miles from the point of disruption. 



Since writing the above, we have received a letter from our 

 correspondent at Colne, dated the 9th instant, which confirms 

 our conjecture as to there having been a further considerable 

 discharge from the bog at Crow-hill. He states that " a great 

 quantity of rain fell in that neighbourhood yesterday (Wed- 

 nesday), and the water again flowed violently from the bog." 

 Our correspondent adds, that it was apprehended that much 

 further injury would be done to the mill dams, Sec. 



On Thursday, there were not fewer than four irruptions. 

 A gentleman who witnessed the last of them, thus describes 

 it : — About a quarter to 7 o'clock in the evening, he says, the 

 phenomenon began to exhibit itself. On approaching the ca- 

 vity or canal made by the former irruptions, and which is now 

 about three quarters of a mile in length, himself and his 

 friends perceived a vast body of peaty earth in motion, im- 

 pelled by the water in the rear, and floated to that which gave 

 the impulse. Soon the substance became stationary, and re- 

 mained in that state for about ten minutes. By and by, it was 

 again in motion, and moved very gradually down the channel, 

 all the while receiving fresh accessions of mud and peat, till at 

 length the whole cavity was filled with enormous masses, 



partly 



