183S] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



27 



schemes of improvement : — •' From a charier 

 granted to ihc bur^h of Dumbarton, in the year 

 1G09, it appears, that a great part ol" liio larul;? be- 

 longinjT to the coniinuiiity had been recently over- 

 flowed by an inundation of the Clyde and Leven, 

 and even tiie foundations of many houses and 

 gardens overturned. No less than 37,000 marks 

 Scots (a large sum in those days) is granted "for 

 the pur()ose of erecting dikes or bulwarks, to con- 

 fine the river Leven within its old bounds." 

 Though vestiges of a mound of large stones nn; 

 eiill ditJC'.'rnible, and aflord proof that some attempt 

 was made to reclaim the land thus lost, the at- 

 tempt appears to have heeu unsuccessful. The 

 whole common, extending to about tvyo liundred 

 acres, is often nearly overllowed. i^jvcti tfie high- 

 est part of it is insulated every tide, and the re- 

 mainder consists 0: bare sand, covered with wa- 

 ter twice a-di'y. Tlie only use to which it is put, is 

 nasluring a lew cows belon^ring to burges-sos, with 

 which it is at all times greatly overstocked, yield- 

 ing a tridc to the town's treasury, and not much 

 profit to individuals. About the year 1738, JMf. 

 Whitu'orth the engineer, who superinietided the 

 finishing ol the Forth and Clyde Canal, was em- 

 ployed to survey this piece of ground, with a view 

 to iis being embanked. He accordingly made out 

 a profile of the embankment necessary, wilh an 

 estimate of the expense ; which, after making an 

 ample allowance for unlbreseen accidents, did not 

 exceed jSiiOO. This would have anioutiied to no 

 more £7 tor each acre ; but though it should have 

 cost double that sum, it would have been a trilling 

 price lor such excellent iand, created, as it would in 

 a great measure have been, by this operation. The 

 plan, however, has not been carried into execu- 

 tion, owing probably to the narrow revenue of the 

 burgh, and the diiiicuity of i>alisfying the claims, 

 and reconciling the competins interests of the bur- 

 gesses, many of whom would not readily consent 

 to relinquisli their ancient right of pasturage, or 

 exchange the insignificant profit derived i'vom it, 

 for the contingent benefit resulting from the melio- 

 ration of the common on which it is exerpised. h 

 is scarcely probable that it vv^ill be shi. about in ear- 

 nest, till a recurrence of violent floods and high 

 tides, which fjrmer experience has phown to be 

 not impossible, shall endanger the existence of the 

 town, and compel the inhiuiinuits to unite in this 

 work as a measure of tjelf- preservation." 



The last branch of sea .ejnbanking, of wh'ch 

 it is necessary to lake notice, is that fi»r recovering 

 tracts of land, uiinecessarily occupied at the estu- 

 aries or mouths of rivers. Jfi consequence of flie 

 regorging action of the sea, a!! streams spread 

 greatly at dieir mouths, and the earth they bring 

 down is deposited there, and accumulates into 

 shoals and islets. The soil which is thus f()rmed, 

 is invariably of the richest kind, and the recovery 

 of it becomes of course an object of proportional 

 advantage. 



The most advisable and eJectual plan ((jrlhis 

 purpose, when it can be executed at a remunera- 

 ting expense, is to alter the course of the river al- 

 together, and make it discharge itself' at some new 

 point of the coast, where the land that would be 

 occupied by its channel, might l)e of less value, 

 and its discharge less exposeil to be choked or 

 shifted by the regorging action of the tide. Where 

 this has been done, it has been lijuudi that tlic oiu 



channel, in the course of a fiiw years, was filled 

 up, and the sea quite excluded. If such a com- 

 plete change cannot however be eflected, the 

 whole river should be collected into one stream, 

 the channel should be deepened, to mv.ke the wa- 

 ter How with celerity ; and embankments should 

 be raised on each side, to prevent it from spread- 

 ing in fliture, over a space that may be converted 

 into useful land, 



PART 11. 



ErVBAWKMKNT ON RIVKRS. 

 SECTION I. 



On protecting land from thz encroachment of riv- 

 ers, by defending and securing their banks, fyc. 



A river that flows in a confined channel, is apt to 

 conmiit ravages on adjoining land, by the contin- 

 ued action of the stream gradually breaking down, 

 and carrying away the banks, where they are of 

 a soft, loose, and friable or penetrable nature. 

 The danger of the soil being carried away in 

 floods, js increased or diminished, according to cir- 

 cuiDstances; such as the form of the banks; the 

 nature of the soil; the rapidity of the current; and 

 the quantity of water that, after floods, lodges on 

 the margin of the banks, or fills over them into 

 the river. 



When the banks of a river are perpendicular, 

 or nearly so, if the soil be of a sandy or moulder- 

 ing quality, the danger of their being washed 

 down and carried away by floods, is greater than 

 where they slope gently, li'om the surface of the 

 field to the bed of the river. But, if the soil and 

 sub-soil be of a clayey or adhesive loam, and the 

 current presses equally, and not more upon one 

 [lart than upon another; a simple and efficacious 

 improvement may be made, by sloping the bank 

 ■ so, that it forms an easy declivity, from the sur- 

 face of the field to the bed of the stream. This 

 slope soon becomes closely coated with grass, and 

 the water, by gliding gently along, is in no danger 

 of making a breach or encroachmeent nt in any 

 part of ii. 



Asa proof of tliis, it always appears, that wher- 

 ever (here is a gradual slope u])on the btink of the 

 river, and the grass growing upon it naturally, 

 that (he greatest flood makes no impression, nor 

 does it any injury; as the water passes over it 

 gently; and, not being confined or opposed, has 

 room to expand. On the contrary, when it comes 

 against a rafrijed or abrupt bank of earth, it soon 

 undenriines, and brings it down in great quantities. 

 This is so obvious to the sliirli'est observer, that it 

 is astonishing so simple and icasy a remedy should 

 not be resorted to, in all cases where the banks are 

 of ihi.=; last description. 



A stream of water bavins naturally a greater in- 

 clination to recede from, than to surmount the ob- 

 siiscies if meets, it always takes an angular or ser- 

 pentine course; and it is in con.sequence of the riv- 

 er thus dashing from side to side, thai injury is ^ 

 done to the banks. Were a river to flow in a 

 straight line, or nearly so, \yhich it would invaria- 

 i)ly do, if not interrupted, it would make no en- 

 croachment on its banks. 



. Ths most eiTectual remedy, in such cases, must, 

 therefore, be to straighten the course of the stream. 

 Tiiis is an operation, which, in respect of natu- 

 ral circunisiance, mig'u in many cases be perform- 



