THE RIVER WANDLE. 27 



runs uninterruptedly over the blue clay and empties itself into the 

 River Thames at Wandsworth. 



The second branch rises by many springs almost entirely within a 

 radius of a mile south-west ; one spring, indeed, rises on our eastern 

 boundary and traverses the garden to form the Central Brook. A 

 second rises near the mill, and discharges itself into the backwater. 

 One, yielding a very large supply of water, comes from the grounds 

 of Wellington House, and makes the Crystal Waterfall. Another large 

 spring rises in Carshalton Park, and, after traversing the grounds of 

 Mr. Philpotts, drives a water-wheel. Near Carshalton Church a great 

 body of water rises from the ground. One of these springs is sup- 

 posed by the villagers to have been caused by Anne Boleyn's horse 

 making a hole in the ground, from which water has flowed ever since 

 (fig. 38) : another large stream rises from the ground in a pond at 

 Carshalton House. All these latter springs discharge their water into 

 two large ponds in front of Car- 

 shalton Church ; thence they pass 

 to a flour mill, thence to a paper 

 mill, and then from a second flour 

 and snuff mill, to the grounds of 

 Shepley House, to unite with the 



* FIG. 38. Anne Boleyn's Well. 



Croydon branch. 



The snuff mill, in the occupation of Mr. Ansell (plate 7), is very 

 picturesque, and I am enabled to give a graphic view of it from the 

 pencil of Mrs. Jackson, of Beechwood Lodge, Carshalton. 



The River Wandle depends upon springs for its water, and receives 

 but very little from immediate rainfall. The river may be discoloured 

 for a short time by heavy rainfall from road-Xvashings, but the addition 

 to the water is but small. 



The rationale of this phenomenon is interesting, as the rain which 

 falls upon the porous chalk to the south is immediately absorbed, and is 

 only given up slowly in the springs. In the hard impermeable chalks 

 of the south of France and Italy, the rainfall runs off in a desolating 

 mountain torrent ; and when it ceases the water is lost, and the bed 



