242 O/Ridges. Chap. XVI. 



The Two Sorts of Land moft liable to be over- 

 glutted with Water, are Hills, whereof the Upper 

 Stratum (or Staple) is Mould lying upon a Second 

 Stratum of Clay •, 



And generally all ftrong deep Land. 



Hills are made wet and fpewy by the Rain-water 

 which falls thereon, and foaks into them as into other 

 Land ; but being ftopp'd by the Clay lying next the 

 Surface or Staple, cannot enter the Clay ; and for 

 want of Entrance, fpreads itfelf upon it-, and as 

 Water naturally tends downwards, it is by the in- 

 cumbent Mould partly ftopp'd in its Defcent from 

 the upper towards the lower Side of an Hill •, and 

 beino- follow 'd and prefs'd on by more Water from 

 above, is forced to rife up into the Mould lying upon 

 it, which it fills as a Cittern does a Fountain (or Jet 

 d'Eau). The Land of fuch an Hill is not the leis wet 

 or fpewy for being laid up in Ridges, if they be 

 made from the higher to the lower Part of the Field ; 

 for the Force of the Water's Weight continued will 

 raife it fo, as to caufe it to iffue out at the very Tops 

 of thofe Ridges ; the Earth becomes a fort of Pap or 

 Batter, and being like a Quagmire, in going over it, 

 the Feet of Men and Cattle fink in till they come to 

 the Clav. 



There are two Methods -of draining fuch a wet 

 Hill : The one is to dig many Trenches, crofs the 

 Hill horizontally (a), and either fill them up with 

 Stones loofe or archwife, through which the Water, 

 when it foaks into the Trenches, may run off at one 

 or both Ends of them into fome Ditch, which is lower, 



(a) For it* they are made with the Defcent, and not acrofs it, 

 then they will be parallel to the Rills of Water, that run upon the 

 Surface of the Clay under the Staple (or upper Stratum of Mould), 

 and would be no more efFeclual for draining the Hill, than the 

 Jigging of one River parallel to another, without joining it m 

 any Part, would be effectual for draining the other River of its 

 Water. , 



and 



