THE SOIL. THE DIKES AND POLDERS. 507 



CXXXL THE SOIL. 



A great portion of these countries may be considered as allu 

 vial ; much of it formed from the recession of the sea and the 

 elevation of the land ; much by the gradual encroachments of 

 the land upon the sea, as where, by the meeting of the tides 

 with the streams of some of the great rivers, which here, by 

 various channels, find their passage into the sea, a sand bank is 

 formed, and presently, by successive deposits of mud brought 

 down by the streams, an island or outstretching point is produced, 

 which is gradually raised above the level of the tides; and, 

 lastly, by the actual embankment by dikes of immense tracts, 

 which still remain many feet below the level of the sea, and 

 which form extensive basins or enclosures of almost unsurpassed 

 fertility. 



CXXXII. THE DIKES AND POLDERS. 



The extent and magnitude of these embankments is matter 

 of inexpressible surprise ; and one is compelled to ask, where 

 and who are the men of such unconquerable and gigantic enter 

 prise as to raise these extraordinary mounds ; thus to defy the 

 ocean ; and thus to effect conquests, than which none more 

 brave, illustrious, or beneficent, are recorded in history, and com 

 pared with which, military conquests seem to deserve only the 

 execration of mankind ? 



The external dikes are from one hundred and twenty-five to 

 one hundred and fifty feet in width at the bottom, with spacious 

 roads on the top of them ; arid in several cases the water requires 

 to be lifted twice before it is thrown into the sea. These im 

 mense tracts of land, which have been thus redeemed from the 

 sea, are denominated polders. These polders are said to average 

 more than eleven hundred acres each ; and that four hundred 

 and thirty-six polders, embracing an extent of 475,000 acres, are 

 kept dry by eight hundred and fifteen mills. The water to be 



