26 



THE GREAT LEVEL OF THE FENS. 



PART 1. 



studying a revenge, the one took an opportunity to 

 murther the other." l 



PART 



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a "^Wfc^-^X R A MAPP t 



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MAP OF THE FENS AS THEY LAY DEOWNED.2 

 [After Dufedale.] 



These attempts at reclaimment, however, made com- 

 paratively small impression on the vast extent of 

 drowned lands forming the great Fen Level. They 

 touched only the higher points, and being conducted on 

 no defined plan or system, the efforts made to drain one 

 spot often had the effect of only sending a flood of 

 water upon another, or perhaps diverting in some new 



1 Dugdale, ' History of Draining and 

 Imbanknient.' 



2 The map represents the Fens as 

 they lay drowned at a much later 

 period than that above described. 

 The parts dark shaded were covered 

 with water as late as the reign of 

 James I. The map is corrected from 

 Pugdale's * History of Drainage and 

 Imbankmcnt,' and rendered more in- 



telligible to modem readers. In Dug- 

 dale's book, the south is at the top of 

 the map, and the west to the right 

 hand the reverse of our present ar- 

 rangement. But the old map-makers 

 wer,e by no means particular; and 

 there are other maps in Dugdalr in 

 which the north is to the right of the 

 map, and the west is at the top. 



