1 



COMMUNICATIONS, hrc. 



No. I. 



An Acronnl of the Moss l.nprovements a/ John Wilkinson, Esq. of Castlehead in 

 Lancashire. By Sir John Sinclair, Bari. M. P. 



JtLaving heard much of Mr. Wilkinson's moss improvements in Lancashire, and 

 being desired, by that spirited agriculturist, to examine them upon the spot, I was 

 tempted to quit the line of the great Vvesleni road from Edinburgh lu London, and 

 from Kendal to go to Casdehead, a place situated on that arm of the sea which 

 divides the district called Furness, from the rest of Lancashire, It is well known, 

 that the sea overflows there an extensive tract of country, which Mr. Wilkinson 

 and some other friends to improvement, would gladly have rescued from its present 

 miserable state ; but however practicable the plan was considered to be, yet various 

 obstacles of a legal, a local, and a personal nature, have hitherto prevented its being 

 carried into effect.* 



On approaching Castlehead, the appearance of the country denotes, that a spirit 

 of improvement could only have been recently introduced into it. The roads are 

 in some places very steep, going over the ridges of hills, instead of being conducted 

 round them. Large tracts of moss land are seen in a state of nature. The fields, 



• In the general view of the agriculture of the county of Lancaster, published by the Board of 

 Agriculture, anno ijg;, there are some interesting observations on the embankment of Lan- 

 caster sands, from which it would appear, that at an expence of from ^150,000 to /■ 200,000, 

 about 38,710 acres might be recovered from the sea, which are of no value in their present 

 state, but whicli, if improved, would soon become worth ^Ti, 348, 400. Mr. Wilkinson offered to 

 subscribe ^(^50,000 for carrying on this great national undertaking. 



VOL. V. B 



