1837] 



F A li Al E R S' REGIS T E R 



439 



Fis. 7. 



early in the sprinff, and turf not easily to bi; pro- 

 cured, the inner and np|)er part iniiiiil be sown 

 with grass seeds. In most cases, turl" is prelerahlo 

 to all other materials lor covering the slope; Ibr il 

 the turf is tough, and gets time to grow together 

 belbre the autumnal tloods set in, it will stand the 

 agitation of the water better than a thin covering 

 oi' stones. There are instances, however, such as 

 in reservoirs, of the water often standing so long 

 that the turf becomes rotten, and where the surface 

 of the water is much exposed to the agitation of 

 the iui'/i(fs, that a covering of small stones, from 

 twelve to twenty inches deep, is unavoidable. 



It is likewise necessary, in situations where an 

 embankment is carried up from the hjwest water- 

 mark, that the loot of the slope should be protect- 

 ed with small stones, to prevent minor floods from 

 undermining its base. 



In the construction of an embankment, it is 

 sometimes advis;ible to form part of the inner slope 

 with stone and lime, tor the twofold purpose of sa- 



ving earth and making a fence to the land within 

 the embankment; and, in executing a work of tins 

 kind, the wall ought to be carried up upon its own 

 foundation, and sid)stantially cajjable of resisting 

 the pressure of the bnuk, whose earth ought to be 

 well rammed down, immediately on its back, to 

 prevent vermin from luuboring behind the mason 

 work. By not paying proper attention to this, ma- 

 ny an expensive operation has been iiiiuediuafew 

 years. 



Fence embankments are vvell adapted where the 

 river makes the inarch between two proprietors' 

 lands, or where it runs through lawn ground, or 

 near a residence; Ibr, in d.-'y seasons, there are ve- 

 ry few rivers whose water is sufficiently deep to 

 prevent cattle Irom making depredations without 

 some other lence, which often causes ill-will, and 

 not unfrequently creates expensive litigations be- 

 tween neighboring proprietors or tenants, amount- 

 ing to more than would have both embanked and' 

 liinced tlae lands. 



Fig. 8. 



To illustrate this subject, let us suppose figure 8 

 to be a river running through the grounds of A 

 and B, whose water at floods overflows its banks. 

 A is desirous to embank the land on his own side 

 of the river, and, at the same time, to enclose 

 them, so as to prevent the stock pasturing there 

 from intruding on his neighbor. This is eflxicted 

 by means of the embankment C, with a stone wall 

 raised five feet high in the inner slope D of tlte em- 

 bankment; but although this completely protects 

 the lands of A from floods, and, at the same time, 

 keeps the stock within its own bounds, it does not 

 prevent the stock of B from Ibrcinir its way through 

 the river in dry seasons, and jumi)ing from the top 

 of the wall D into the field of A ; therefore the 

 proprietor B has no other alternative lefl than 

 either to make a lence along the side of the river 

 to prevent his stock from injuring A, or throw up 

 an embankment E, with a sunk fence on the inner 

 side F, as already done by the proprietor A. 



Again, should the proprietor B make a common 

 fence by the side of the river, to keep the pasturing 

 stock within bounds, the land will be more exposed 

 to the ravages of the floods than it was previously 

 to the embankment on the opi)o?ite side of the riv- 

 er. Therelbre, any proprietor who studies his own 

 interest, ought to go hand in haml with his neigh- 

 bor in guarding against all kind of encroachments 

 on river banks, whether by water or pasturing 

 slock. 



j The small portion of land lying between the riv-- 

 {er G and the bank Itjnces D F, can either be cut 

 j for hay by each pro|)rietor, or grazed conjunctly. 

 I Some good specimens offence embankments are' 

 to be Ibnnd on the river Clyde, on the property of 

 David Sim, esq., and on the Tweed, on the prop- 

 erty of Sir James Montgomery, Bart. These em- 

 bankments, but more especially the former, are ve- 

 ry eubstaniially made, so that there can be no 

 doubt of their durability, and they are a good pat- 

 tern to imitate. 



Some very substantial earthen embankments 

 have, wittiin these lew years, been made on the 

 rivers Clyde and Tay, and on the Frith of Forth, 

 which have given satisiaction to all ftarties ; but 

 there are others in diiierent parts of the country 

 that have been so superficially made, that they not 

 only disgrace the planners, but every one who has 

 been any way concerned with them. The failure 

 of such undertakings is sufficient to prevent pro- 

 prietors from laying out their capital in one of the 

 most important branches of rural economy; and it 

 is very much to be regretted that better advice is 

 not obtained before an undertaking becommenced, 

 when the whole success of the improvement de- 

 pends on a \^id\w pounds more being expended than 

 may be thought necessary by improper judges. 

 To prove this assertion, I could point out many in- 

 stances where embankments have been made with- 

 in these lew years, whicli, for want of proper di- 



