154 History of Inland Transport 



quantities of manufactures and the materials of manufactures 

 are likewise sent to Diglis to be conveyed by the Severn in 

 vessels that cannot navigate higher up the river." 



In the Trent frequent shallowness of water was due, partly 

 to the excessive breadth of the stream, in places, and partly 

 to the large quantity of " warp," or silt, brought into the 

 river from the Humber estuary by the tides, and left there 

 until scoured out again when the river was in flood. 



The Wash group of rivers was specially liable to the silting- 

 up process. Nathaniel Kinderly, writing of the position at 

 Lynn in 1751, said : " The Haven is at present so choaked 

 up with sand that at Low-water it is become almost a Wash, 

 so as to have been frequently fordable." Of the Nen he 

 says it " cannot possibly be preserved long, but is in danger 

 of being absolutely lost," owing to the silting-up of its bed. 

 As for the Witham, the welfare of the port of Boston was 

 threatened so far back as the year 1671, judging from an 

 Act (22 & 23 Chas. II. c. 25) passed in that year, the pre- 

 amble of which stated : 



" Whereas there hath been for some hundreds of yeares a 

 good navigacion betwixt the burrough of Boston and the 

 river of Trent by and through the citty of Lincolne, and 

 thereby a great trade managed to the benefit of those parts 

 of Lincolnshire, and some parts of Nottinghamshire, and 

 Yorkshire, which afforded an honest employment and lively- 

 hood to great numbers of people. But at present the said 

 navigacion is much obstructed and in great decay by reason 

 that the rivers or auntient channells of Witham and Fossdyke, 

 which runn betwixt Boston and Trent are much silted and 

 landed up and thereby not passable with boats and lyters 

 as formerly, to the great decay of the trade and intercourse 

 of the said citty and all market and other towns neare any 

 of the said rivers, which hath producet in them much poverty 

 and depopulation. For remedy thereof and for improve- 

 ment of the said navigacion, may it please your most excellent 

 Majestic that it may be enacted," etc. 



Among various other conditions of river navigation may 

 be mentioned the extremely serpentine courses of some of 

 the rivers, two miles often having to be made for each mile 

 of real advance ; the ever- varying channels in some of the 

 streams ; the arduous labour of towing against strong cur- 



