1836.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



621 



it permitted by the laws, and not opposed by any 

 exisiing ri<i'lits or interests. 



In comparison with the magnitude of the oI)jectj 

 it would seem to be botli a cheap and certain op- 

 eration to drain this whole body of land. All the 

 water, except the rain that falls directly on its sur- 

 face, it may be supposed flows from the streams 

 cominff in wilhin the extent of some 10 or 15 

 miles of maro-in,from the highland on the weslern 

 side. If a canal was dug throuifh the western 

 side of the swamp, its northern end emptying into 

 the Shingle Yard CreeU near Suffblic, and the 

 southern end emptying into the head of Perqui- 

 mans River, wiiich rises in the swamp and flows 

 southward into Albemarle Sound, this canal would 

 divert from the swamp all the waters which now 

 run in and continually flood it, and the level of the 

 water would be souk just as deep as tiie bottom 

 of the canal might be niade. Lake Drummond 

 would be deprived of its supplying source, and 

 would become dry, exce|)tthe deepest central part. 

 Nearly the same extent ol' land might be drained, 

 and the same objects effected, liy deepening the 

 Land Company's canal, and giving it a northern 

 outlet to tide \vater, and by opening another cut 

 from the Perquimans into the lake, and both parts 

 so deep as to lower the water 7 or 8 feet. Either 

 of these modes however would dpstroy the navi- 

 gation of the Dismal Swamp Canal, for which 

 such a vast a^nount has been ^pent. But probably 

 the water miijht be enough reduced to lay the 

 land dry, without hurting 'he navigation, or ma- 

 terially diuiinishmo; the present extent of the sur- 

 face of the lake. If lowering the water of the 

 lake 5 feet only, would make the land dry enough, 

 that reduction of level need not deprive the great 

 canal of any of its present sup[)ly of water, be- 

 cause its feeder from the lake now has 5 leet of de- 

 scent, and ol' course miirht be as much deepened at 

 the highest end. But if the middle section of the 

 canal, between its highest locks, could be deepened 

 60 much as to dis|)ense with those locks, every 

 difficulty would be removed, and the navigation 

 would be greatly improved and facilitated in future 

 use, and the general drainage be made far more 

 perfect. 



But there is a prior question of some importance. 

 If a ssneral plan of drainage is ever so cheap in 

 execution, and certain in immediate results, would 

 it be advantageous to so change the state of the 

 swamp? The policy is at least doubtlLiI, though 

 the balance of advantages seem to be in favor of 

 the drainage. An immense body of most lerlile 

 land would be brought into cultivation : but it 

 would rapidly rot away, and while rotting, would 

 probably be as unhealthy, as it now is remarkable 

 for healthiness. 



But every tiling on the subject of draining large 

 Bwamps, held by many different proprietors, in 

 Virginia, is mere matter for theoretical reasoning 

 and o[ useless speculation. Nothing can be done 

 in practice, no matter how great the promised ad- 

 vantages, or the existing evils. The laws, indi- 

 rectly, yet completely, forbid the making of any 

 such improvements on a large scale: and still 

 greater obstacles are presented in this case, where, 

 in addition to the existence of separate rights of 

 hundreds of individual proprietors, there would be 

 the chartered and landed rights, and conflicting 

 claims, of two great joint stock companies. Under 

 these various circumstances, it may be safely pre- 



VoL. IV— 66 



dieted that the possible good or ill effects of a gen- 

 eral plan of draining the Dismal Swamp will ne- 

 ver be practically known — at least, not during the 

 continuance of the present legal policy of Virginia. 



PROPOSAL TO DRAIN THE DISMAL SWAMP. 



By William. Byrd of Westover. 

 Written more than a Iiundred years ago. 



[It was after the preceding article on the Dismal 

 Swamp had been written, and was partly in type, that 

 we received and for the first time saw the manuscript 

 from which the following article is printed, and also 

 the full and minute journal of Col. Byrd, of the sur- 

 vey of the line between Virginia and North Carolina, 

 which he superintended as one of the Commissioners 

 of the Colony of Virginia. For the use of this antique 

 paper, we are indebted to the owner, George E. Harri- 

 son Esq. of Brandon, and also for the original journal 

 of his distinguished ancestor. This proposal, was 

 founded on the information obtained by the survey, and 

 recorded more fully in the journal — and upon these 

 grounds and suggestions it is probable that the present 

 Land Company was formed at a subsequent period, 

 and in which Col. Byrd, or his son, was a partner, and 

 his shares are still held by some of his descendants. 



The journal (written in 1728) is interesting not only 

 for its antiqtnty, but for the early views, and then sup- 

 posed facts, which it presents. In our next No. will 

 probably be inserted the portion of the journal embra- 

 cing the passage, probably the earliest made by man, 

 of the Dismal Swamp 



The account of Col. Byrd given here, and in his 

 journal, is erroneous as to several particulars which rest- 

 ed then merely on report, and therefore could not be 

 more correctly known by him. For example, as to the 

 supposed pestilential effects of the air — the total absence 

 of animals — and as to the general width of the swamp, 

 which be greatly underrated. It will be also observed, 

 both from this piece and still more from his journal, 

 that there was then no suspicion of the existence of the 

 lake; and }'et according to the maps of highest author- 

 ity, its southern margin is within less than a mile of 

 the state line, which was so long in being traced and 

 marked by the surveying party which Col. Byrd in 

 part directed and superintended. 



The manuscript, in our charge, is the original, in 

 the hand writing of the author — and though time-worn, 

 and requiring much care to handle without injury, is 

 perfectly legible. It is here copied literally. — Ed. 

 Far. Reg.] 



A Description of Vie Dismal, 



The Dismal is a very large swamp or bogg, 

 extending from north to south near 30 miles in 

 length, and in breadth, from east to west, at a 

 medium about ten miles. It lyes partly in Vir- 

 ginia, and partly in North Carolina. No less 

 than 5 navigable rivers, besides creeks, rise out of 

 it, whereof 2 rtm into Virginia, viz. the South 

 Branch of Elizabeth, and the South Branch of 

 Nansimond Rivers — and 3 into North Carolina, 



