204 IRRIGATION. 



genial mud of freshets. Perhaps the effects due to 

 this cause, cannot be better illustrated, than by a 

 statement of those substances, and their amount, 

 which fill the waters of the Merrimack ; a flood of 

 blessings ! which rolls by those engaged in the din 

 and hot haste of manufacture, as unheeded as was 

 the earthquake, which thundered and trembled, and 

 rolled away under the feet of the fierce soldiery, in 

 an ancient battle. In the year 1838, during twenty- 

 three days of freshets, from May till November, no 

 less than 71,874,063 pounds of geine and salts rolled 

 by the city of Lowell, borne seaward. During the 

 five days of the great freshet, from January 28th to 

 February 1st, 1839, no less than 35,970,807 pounds 

 of the same matter rolled by at from the rate of 112, 

 128 pounds, to 20,405,397 pounds per day ; each 

 cubic foot of water bearing onwards, from 1 1-2 to 

 30 1-2 grains. This is only the suspended matter. 

 That which is chemically dissolved by the waters, 

 the fine filmy deposit, which occurs in a few days 

 after the coarser and grosser matters subside — and 

 the matter ordinarily suspended in the water of the 

 river added to the above, for the year 1838, give a 

 grand total of 839,181 tons of salts and geine, which 

 were rolled down in the water of the Merrimack 

 river. 



