i>irxS] 



FAR M !-: R S ' R F: (i 1 S T K R . 



29 



iiiro the .Revv chtinnd. When the mouih oflhe 

 iMMV cut ivui he ninde to fall in wilh a bend of llie 

 oM chanirel. the chaiiire may be iiuule with com- 

 p irntive ease, as the current will flow into the 

 ti.-w chaFiiiel in a slraifrlit lin^. In tliis case, the 

 niaicrials diiij out in liirminjr the mouth of tiie 

 new cut. may be sufficient, wheii thrown across 

 the old stream, to turn its course. But rt the al- 

 teration of the channel he abrupt, atid the stream 

 strontr, it will be reciuisiie to raise a pier of stone 

 upon the bank of the old channel, to direct the 

 current Ibrward to the new one; a water-tiirht 

 dam beiuiT ibrnied between the point ol the pier 

 and the ne-w bank. 



The materials dufjout from the new channel 

 may either be emplo\ed in fillinn: up the old one, 

 and thus fHcilitatinij its future conversion into ara- 

 ble or pasture land ; or if the stream be liable to 

 high floods, thev mav be used in erecting embank- 

 ments on each side of the new channel. 



hi the case ol' vale rivers,* the expedient of 

 etraiiihteninjT ihe channel is equally advisable, 

 thoufrh not so easily practicable, as it is upon al- 

 pine streams. In the latter case, a cut three or 

 four feet deep may frequently suffice, and stones 

 for erecting piers, and facinn; the banks, are found m 

 abundance; while in thelormer, a depth of from six 

 to twelve feet is sometimes necessary, and siones 

 are not obtained without considerable difficulty, 

 There may, nevertheless, often be situatioiit 



ires of this partial improvement soon become so 

 obvious, that the greiitest part of tlie contermin- 

 ous heritors concurred with Sir ArchibaKI, in pro- 

 secuting the plan, though not altogether upon 

 such hberal terrns, as a just sense of their own in- 

 terest n\ight have diciaied. Early in the course 

 of the second year, the cut was completed. 



The diuiensions of ihis cut were varied judi- 

 ciously, according to the gradual increnu^nt whiih 

 the river receives in its course. For the first 

 mile from above, where llie river is of considera- 

 ble extr-nl, it is from eiglileen to twenty feel wide 

 at the surface, by ten to twelve at the bottom. 

 Throi;ffhout the second mile, it is fiom lw(Mity-two 

 to Iwenty-luur feet wide at the snrliice. iiy (bur- 

 teen or sixteen at the botton). Throuiihoul the 

 the remaininir parr, it is about lwt'nty-ei<rht Ji'et 

 at the surliice, by sixteen to eighteen at the bot- 

 tom. 



'I'he first part of this cut was undertaken by the 

 contractor at two-pence per cubic yard; but he 

 was only bound to lay down the earth regularly at 

 the distance o( a yard from the cut, without any 

 obligation to fibrin it into a regular sloping bank. 

 It was understood that the conterminous heritors 

 woidd execute this part of the operation. As 

 thev, however, proved negligent in this respect, it 

 was tbund necessary to enlarge the contract; and 

 two-pence larthing per cubic yard was allowed for 

 ciittiniT, and lor forming the bank. The low rate 



where the extent of ground to be acquired by a j at which this contract was entered inio, maybe 

 new cut through a valley, will amply repay every 'accounted for at this day, not merely from the la- 

 expense and trouble attending the operation. " | cility of working in a rich loam or clay, but chiefly 

 Of many similar instances,' 'he fijilowing is one, ! from the well-known, and by many severely-felt, 

 where nearly 1000 acres have been secured in this i depreciation of money at that period. Such a 



way, at a very trifling expense; and, as a parlicu 

 jar descri[)lionof it may \>e useful, in directing the 

 execution of operations of the same kind, it is giv- 

 en at length. In the parish of Kilsyth, Stirling- 

 shire, the river has its course, lor upwards of four 

 miles, over a plain of small declivity, and of a 

 soft loamy soil. It formerly slragjiled in many 

 directions over this plain, in a channel of very lit- 

 tle depth. At every turn it took, it was gorged up 

 into a pool, and was overgrown with aquatic ve- 

 getables. At every flood, the whole valley pre- 

 sented the appearance of a lake; the hay and 

 corn harvests were frequently ruined; and several 

 fields, naturally of a rich soil, were rendered inca- 

 pable of cultivation. 



About the year 1793, Sir Archibald Edmon- 

 ptone, of Duntreath, Bart, who was proprietor of 

 the lands on the north side of the river, for more 

 than four miles, employed Mr. Whitvvorth, an 

 eminent engineer, to fJirm the plan of a new cut 

 sufficient at all times to contain the waters of the 

 river, and as nearly in a straight line as the situ- 

 ation of the grounds and the course of the river 

 would admit. To induce the proprietors on the 

 Bouth side to join in this useful undertaking, he 

 generously offered to lay out two-thirds of tiie ex- 

 pense himself So slow, however, are persons of 

 unenlightened minds in discerning their own in- 

 terest, that only a few of them, at that period, ac- 

 ceded to these advantageous terms. During the 

 first year, only about a mile and three quarters of 

 the new cut were executed. But the advanta- 



* Those flowing through holms, haughs, or mea- 

 dows, in the loic country. 



work would not probably be now undertaken for 

 less than fburpen^-e per cubic yard. The expense 

 of the whole of this cut did not exceed £600. 



The embankment on the sides of the cut is erect- 

 ed about three feet fiom the brink, and is, for the 

 most part, somewhat more than three feet in 

 height; and could contain nearly double the quan- 

 tity n{ water than now runs in the new channel. 



The improvement, which has been now de- 

 scribed, has been productive of' very important 

 advantages in this naturally liirtile district. Tlie 

 declivity or fall of the river, throughout the tract, 

 is about eighteen feet. The waters which former- 

 ly, in their crooked course, were almost wholly 

 stagnated, now run at the ordinary rate of the de- 

 clivity which is given them. They never overflow 

 their banks. Cattle can now pasture upon those 

 grounds, in which they would h:»ve formerly been 

 swamped. The surlace of the water being now, 

 for the most part, four, and sometimes six feet be- 

 low that of the adjacent fields, this cut serves as a 

 general drain to the whole valley; so that three 

 hundred acres of meadow may be converted into 

 arable land; sixty acres of moss maybe convert- 

 ed into meadow; and five hundred acres of ara- 

 ble land are already rendered of double value. 



If the windings of a river cannot be altered, 

 either from natural obstacles, or from the opposing 

 interests of proprietors — or if the expense of the 

 alteration be such as to reader it unprofitable — it 

 becomes the duty of proprietors then to consider, 

 how far the subsisting channel can be improved, 

 so as to lessen the ravages of the stream; or what 

 means can be adopted for guarding their own 

 lands, without injuring those of their neighbors. 

 1 As the impediments a river meets are the cause 



