DRAINAGE. 117 



not in the country, but in the town, even in the great town 

 of London, and then forgot it until I came in possession of 

 my property in Westmoreland and Cumberland. Many of 

 you, I dare say, know that some portion of the county 

 of Middlesex is low and flat, with a strong clay. We found 

 that what we called shallow draining took a little water off 

 the surface of the roads, but did not strengthen or harden 

 the foundations ; the roads were soon in as bad a state 

 as ever. After various consultations upon the subject with 

 a friend of mine, we determined to drain 5 or 6 feet deep. 

 From that moment their maintenance did not involve half 

 the previous expense. We had extensive powers in that 

 Act, and I remember on one occasion we were driving a 

 drain through a gentleman's garden, which it was necessary 

 to do on that particular spot. The owner, of course, was 

 offended, and cried out : he lustily protested against our 

 interference, appealed to the Legislature, and in every way 

 opposed our measures. We, however, persevered in our 

 drainage ; and two years afterwards the same gentleman 

 came to us and said, ' I can't think what has happened to 

 my garden, for the vegetables come a month earlier than 

 they used to do, and remain good on the ground a month 

 later.' Originally, I admit, then, I learned draining in the 

 metropolitan roads ; and all my other experience in later 

 years leads me to think, notwithstanding what has been 

 said in its favour, that shallow draining of 2 feet, or 2J 

 feet deep, is three-fourths of your money thrown away. 

 I know gentlemen at public meetings are apt to make 

 concessions about draining, but upon that point I am 

 very firm, because I believe, nay, I know, I am sure, that 

 deep draining is decidedly the best ; and I never yet in all 

 my experience and I have gone over as much land as any 

 one in the kingdom, for though late in life I have again 

 taken to the chase, and keep a pack of hounds at Tring ; 

 and, with reference to Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, 

 Oxfordshire, and Bedfordshire, I can say that I am per- 

 petually riding over farmers' lands in those counties, and I 



