1S3S] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



99 



should be placeJ in I lit; suliil, or iKifura! bank, at 

 ciilier siJe, as si'ualion and other circmiistaiices 

 direct, and must he siroiiijiy paved vvitla stone, 

 founded on clay: or it may i)e Ibrmed by a slopinii 

 tunnel of s:one and liaie," ihrouffh the hank, il il 

 rises to a considerable heiirht. This last may, in 

 many cases, be the mostadvi.sable,'allhoLi(fh it is a 

 plan aelduat adopted. Somelimes the fall, or out- 

 let for the waste water is constructed of wood; 

 but this is liable to niiiny objections; such as, its 

 alternate exposure to wet and dry, by which 

 means it becomes warped, and iis joints burst 

 asunder; and its bein<]f subject to quick decay, and 

 apt to be undermined and lifted up by a sudden 

 swell of water. If the head is to be erected across 

 a considerable stream, to be widened and formed 

 so us to com am a irrealer body ol" water, that it 

 may have the ajipearance of a river or lake, it 

 may be construcied according to fig 2. m the 

 plale. 



In these last embankments of earth (for lakes 

 and artificial ponds), it is particularly necessary 

 to attend to any holed or ojienings that may be 

 made by moles or mice; for where the water is 

 always pressing against the bank, and ready to 

 ooze out through the smallest aperture, any outlet 

 of that kind sh mid be immediately closed up. A 

 thin coating of' hard irravel, immediately below 

 the turf, well beaten down, would lend effectual- 

 ly to prevent the workitigof vermin of that kind. 



CONCLUSIOiV. 



In arrautring the subject of this 'Treatise on 

 Embaiikmeiiis, &:c.' into its proper heads and sac- 

 tions, that order has been followed which natu- 

 rally presented iisellj according lo the degrees of 

 importance which the diti'erent branches seem to 

 merit. 



Einbankme.nts from the sea, are no doubt the 

 first in point of importance, and have a strong 

 claim to the consideration and attention of those 

 active, public-spirited, and wealthy ])roprietors, 

 whose estates lie continguous to the coast. Where 

 a great stretch of the shore, capable of being re- 

 covered from the sea, bounds the property of va- 

 rious individuals, the undertaking should be a joint 

 concern; for, in many cases, it would be easier, 

 and more efi'ectually accomplished in that way, 

 than in separate and detached portions. The ex- 

 pense, too, would be infinitely less, by saving the 

 cross banks that would otherwise be necessary, 

 were only part of a bay of the sea to be embank- 

 ed at one time. 



The ideas of some ingenious and enterprising 

 projectors upon this subject have surmounted the 

 bounds of common understanding so far, as, by 

 their speculations, to have deterred those from en- 

 tering seriously upon undertakings of this nature, 

 who otherwise might have been willing to exe- 

 cute such plans, on a more moderate and less ex- 

 pensive scale. Persons of this speculative turn of 

 mind, however, are useful in society, so fiir as they 

 are the means of setting others to'think of enter- 

 piises that some time or other may be carried into 

 eflfect. JVlany great works have, in time, been ex- 

 ecuted, that were originally suggested by projec- 

 tors of this description, whose speculations were 

 then looked upon as tlie mere chimera of a dis- 

 tempered imagination, and absolutely beyond the 

 power of human exertion to accomplish. 



England has already shown the practicahilty of 

 these improvements in the art of embankiiiir, in 

 all its various degrees; and it is lK)|)ed, that this 

 part of the kingdom will profit by her example. 



The second branch of this subject is less open 

 to these objections. Thar the impravhitx the chan- 

 nels of rivers, and embanking ihe land liable to be 

 injured by their overflowing, is an operation of 

 more practicability, must be generally acknowl- 

 ediTf'd. The betiefits to be derived from it are 

 e(]iially certain, ami are more easily attainable. 



7'h(ii (flakes, of the nature and description 

 that has been given, has likewise its claim to at- 

 tention. There are many in Scotland, where a 

 great addition of usefid land might be acquired, 

 and that in pans of the coumry where an acquisi- 

 tion of this kind would be doubly prized. Such 

 woiilc'i the case in those highland districts, where 

 low-lying ground is of tlie greatest value, for the 

 purposes of culture and the produce of hay for 

 the winter maintenance of stock. 



Lastly, the works ihat are erected, both for use 

 and f!)r pleasure, in the amstrnct'nn of dam-dikes 

 and format ion of artificial ponds of water, are of- 

 ten fiiulty in the design, and expensive in the ex- 

 ecution. The rules and directions lor these have 

 been sugirested from observation in dificrent parts 

 of the kingdom, where the writer has had the op- 

 portunity of viewing and examining them, as well 

 as from his own experience in [ilannincj and di- 

 recting works of" the smne kind. Of sea-dikes 

 and river embankments, he has also, in the course 

 of his jOrofession, had the desitrning and direction. 

 Hehns. therefore, with some degree of confidencej 

 treated that part of the subject; and can safely re- 

 commend to the notice of those who may be de- 

 sirous uf undertakingsuch works, the various modes 

 of execution that have been explained. At the same 

 time, in sabmittinjT these observations to the public, 

 he deems it proper to add, that they are, in a great 

 measure, corroborated by the opinion of others 

 who have written partly on the same subject, and 

 wliose communications he has consulted. He 

 has avoided en'ering into a lengthened detail; but 

 has endeavored to explain the whole system of 

 embankment, in as concise and perspicuous a 

 manner as the nature of the sufiject would admit. 



If this short treatise, theretbre, shall be the 

 means of promoting the knowledge, and extend- 

 ing the practice of these useful underlakings, he 

 will feel the satisfaction of having, in some de- 

 gree, contributed to that effect. 



APPENDIX. 



HINTS AND DIRECTIONS 

 FOR THE CULTURE AND IMPROVEMENT OF 

 BOGS, MOSSES, MOORS, AND OTHER UNPRO- 

 DUCTIVE GROUND, AFTER BEING DRAINED. 



It has been wisely remarked by the late excel- 

 lent Bishop of Llandaf?', in liis 'Preliminary re- 

 marks to the Agricultural Report of Westmore- 

 land,' that "the waste lands of the kingdom are a 

 public treasure in the hands of private individuals." 



It is from waste lands, not hitherto completely 

 cultivated, that the greatest profit can be made 

 (when once brought into culture), rather than 

 from land which has been long under the plough; 

 not merely from the rent of such land beinc com- 

 paratively low, but, from all new land, when im- 

 proved, yielding, when properly managed, more 



