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140 



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to Outwell. and consist* of two cuts forming on obtuse angle 

 with one another. 



The original navigation from Lynn Kepis to Standground 

 Sluice, near Peterborough, was carried from Sailer's Lode 

 Sluice, through Well Creek and the Nene, to Flood Fern-, 

 and thence through Ramsay, Ugg. and Whitilosea Meres, 

 passage at all times tedious, and often difficult and dan- 

 gerous. In 1764 an act wan pasted for improving this navi- 

 gation, and a new line wan made from Sailer's Lode through 

 Well Creek to the town of Oulwell, thence through the Old 

 Nene or Wiabeach River by Unwell and March to Flood'* 

 Ferry, and thence to Ramsay High Lode. A out was also 

 then made from Outwell to \Vi-bearh, and the navigation 

 of the None from Wisheach to Peterborough was improved, 

 by which means a safe navigation was provided from Lynn 

 Regis to Peterborough by Outwell, Wisbeocb, and Guy- 

 him. 



Hy far the greatest and most effectual modern improve- 

 ment in the draining and navigation of these fens bos been 

 completed under acts passed in 182" and 1 829 for improving 

 the outfall of the river Nene. for the drainage of the lands 

 discharging their waters into the Wiabeach River, for im- 

 proving the navigation of the Wisbeach River from the 

 upper end of Kinderley's Cut to the sea, and for embanking 

 the salt marshes lying between Kinderley's Cut and the sea. 

 The act of 1829 amended and enlarged the powers granted 

 in 1827. Under these acts a new tidal channel has been cut 

 for the discharge of the waters of the Nene into the sea. 

 This channel begins at Kinderley's Cut, near Buckworth 

 Sluice, about six miles below Wisbeach, and extends to Crab- 

 hole in Lincolnshire, a distance of six miles and a half; thence 

 the river has shaped for itself a natural channel, about 

 a mile and a half long, into the Wash. The excavation 

 of this channel was begun in 1827, and finished in June, 

 1 830, when the old channel was closed, and the water rush- 

 ing into the new one carried away the earth at the bottom 

 with so much force as to give to the channel ten or twelve 

 feet greater depth than had already been given by manual 

 labour. The sides of the channel were then secured by a 

 thick lining of stones. The whole course of this new cut is 

 through quicksands of the lightest and least cohesive na- 

 ture of any on this part of the coast. The width of the 

 channel at bottom is NO feet at Kinderley's Cut, and at 

 about half its length, at Scale's Corner, 200 feet. The sur- 

 face width varies from 200 to 300 feet. The depth, mea- 

 suring from the surface of the adjacent land to the bed of 

 the river, is about 24 feet throughout. The spring-tide 

 rises about 22 feet at the end nearest to the sea, and 1 8 feet 

 at the junction with Kinderley's Cut. A bridge has been 

 thrown over this channel at Sutton Wash, about eight miles 

 below Wisbcach, and an embankment has been made a mile 

 and a half in length across the sands, forming a new line of 

 road between Norfolk and Lincolnshire, in place of the 

 former dangerous ford through a tidal tcstuary, or the very 

 circuitous route through Wisbeach. 



Nearly 1500 acres of marsh lands have been reclaimed 

 from the sea, by embankments made under the acts of 

 1827 and 1829, and are now (1835) nearly all under cul- 

 tivation : about 6000 acres more arc rapidly coming to a fit 

 state for inclosure. 



The old channel afforded only a tedious and dangerous 

 paisagc, and that too at spring tides, and with a favourable 

 wind to vessels of about sixty tons burden, drawing about 

 six feet water. The new channel affords a safe ana unin- 

 terrupted communication between Wisbeach and the sea at 

 all variations of the tide, and in all weathers, fbr vessels of 

 the above burden, and at spring tides for ships of much 

 larger dimensions. 



Wisbeach is the emporium for a large part of the counties 

 of Cambridge, Norfolk, Lincoln, and Northampton, and the 

 advantages of this improved communication arc conse- 

 quently very great ; but by far the most important effects 

 which are expected to follow from this extensive under- 

 taking will result from the judicious system of draining tin- 

 north level, which there is no doubt will be imitated with 

 equally good effects in the other levels. 



In consequence of the more rapid discharge through this 

 new channel the Nene Outfall the danger of inundation 

 from a breach of embankment in greatly diminished, as 

 regards the fens on each side of the Nene, between Peter- 

 borough and Wisbeach, and the value of the adjacent 

 land is much increased. Its efficiency for draining the 

 land may be appreciated by the fact, that the tide in this 



new channel ebbs out nearly ten feet lower than it did in 

 lli.- old channel, immediately opposite to the South Holland 

 and North Level Sluices, (both below Wisbrach.) which are 

 the outlets for the waters of about 100,000 acres of fen land. 

 Means are thus afforded for obtaining a perfect ihuinaM 

 for the whole tract of marsh and fen land 1\ ing between the 

 Nene and Wcllund, which hitherto has been only imper- 

 fectly drained. 



A new sluice has been constructed for the outlet of the 

 waters of the North Level into the Nene Outfall, and laid 

 eight feet deeper than the sluice by which it formerly 

 drained into the Old River Channel. The width of the 

 water-way of the old sluice was seventeen feet; the width 

 of the new sluice is thirty -six feet, and a new main drain has 

 been formed, leading to this sluice from Clow's Cross, at 

 which point all the waters of the North Ixtvel are colleeted. 

 This drain commences and terminates nearly at the same 

 points as the Old Shire Drain, for which it is substituted ; 

 it is only eight miles and a quarter long, about two-thirds 

 ofthe length of the former dram, hut it i eight feet deeper, 

 and its capacity, taken in corresponding sections, is inure than 

 six times as great: it has a descent from ('low's ( r 

 four inches per mile. From Clow's Cross two new drains 

 diverge in different lines; one of them, called the New 

 South-eau, is much straighter and wider than the Old 

 South-nan, which it is intended to replace ; the New Wryde 

 proceeds first in a curve, and then in a straight line to the 

 counter drain. These cuts possess a superiority o\er the 

 old ones, fully equal to that slated in the comparison made 

 between Old Shire Drain and the New Main Drain. All 

 these drains may be navigated, and will afford u much 

 readier means of transit for goods, than any hitherto pos- 

 sessed by the districts through which they pass. 



The works just described as having been executed under 

 the acls of 1827 and 1 829, were begun in 1828, and are now 

 (1835) completed. The Nene Outfall was made at the co.-t 

 of 200.000/., arid the drainage of the North Level, for which 

 the Act was obtained in 1830, occasioned a further outlay of 

 150.000/. The great supporter of both these Useful under- 

 takings was the present Duke of Bedford, who carried them 

 through with much patience and perseverance, under cir- 

 cumstances that would have discouraged a person of less 

 steady purpose, and one who could not look forward with 

 confidence to future advantage rather than present gain. 

 In this conduct he was ably supported by the exertions of 

 his confidential friend W. G. Adam, Esq., the accountant- 

 general. But even they could not have carried them into 

 effect without the scientific knowledge, great zeal and ac- 

 tivitv, and incessant labour which were displayed by Mr. 

 Tyclio Wing, his Grace's intelligent and able local agent, 

 the third of his name who in succession have managed that 

 property of the Russell family, and have enabled them to 

 direct their influence to the continual improvement of this 

 district. 



Various auxiliary means have been used for the complete 

 drainage of the Level. In many parts windmills have been 

 erected for raising and carrying off the water through a 

 safe channel, and more recently steam-engines have been 

 employed for the same purpose. But the late improvements 

 have rendered windmills and steam-engines unnecessary in 

 the North Level, and if equal skill and enterprise were em- 

 ployed in draining the other levels, all the waters of these 

 marshes might find an outfall with equal facility. 



(Sir Jonas Moore's Hittory of the Bedford Lrrcl ; 

 Colonel Dodson's Design for the perfect Draining of the 

 Great Level of the Pent called Bedford Level ; BiirreU's 

 Rriff Relation as to the Practicability, Src. of draining the. 

 I.ei'fl ofthe Fens; Dugdale's History t\f Kmbanking and 

 Draining, <^e. ; Carter's Hittory of the County ^Cam- 

 bridge; Lysons's Afagna Britannia ; Priestley's Historical 

 Account of navigable Riveri, Cano.lt, <$-c. ; Afemoir of the 

 Nfnr Outfall and the North Level Drtdnasf, printed for 

 (private) distribution on the occasion ofthe public inspection 

 of those works, 23rd May, 1 834.) 



BEDFORDSHIRE, an inland county of England, of 

 very irregular shape. It lies between 51 49' and 52' i!l' 

 N. lat., and 0" 8' and 41' W. long. It is bounded on the 

 N.E. by Huntingdonshire, and on the N.W. bv Northamp- 

 tonshire: nn the E. by Cambridgeshire, on the W. and S.W. 

 by Buckinghamshire, and on the 8.E. and 8. by Hertford- 

 shire. Its greatest length is 36$ miles, measured nearly 

 N. and S., and its greatest breadth is 22$ miles, measured 

 nearly E. and W. Bedford, the county town, is situated 



