CHAP. V. CAPTAIN 1'KIMIY. 77 



as the first authentic account of flic extraordinary pro- 

 gress of that new empire, was road with great avidity in 

 Kngland, and was shortly after translated into nearly 

 all the I; m places of Europe. 



It will be remembered that all attempts made to stop 

 llic breach at DagenhaJD bad thus far proved ineffectual; 

 and it threatened to bid defiance to the engineering 

 talent of England. Perry seemed to be one of those men 

 wh<> delight in difficult undertakings, and he no sooner 

 heard of the work than he displayed an eager desire to 

 enter upon it. He went to look at the breach shortly 

 after his return, and gave in a tender with a plan for its 

 repair; but on Boswell's being accepted, which' was 

 tln i lowest, he held back until that contractor had tried 

 his best, and failed. The road was now clear for Perry, 

 and again he offered to stop the breach and execute the 

 necessary works for the sum of 25,000/. 1 His offer was 

 this time accepted, and the works were commenced in the 

 beginning of the year 1715. The opening was now of 

 great width and depth, and a lake had been formed on 

 the land from 400 to 500 feet broad in some places, and 

 extending nearly 2 miles in length. Perry's plan of 

 operations may be briefly explained with the aid of his 

 own map. (See next page.) 



In the first place he sought to relieve the tremendous 

 pressure of the waters against the breach at high tide, 

 by making other openings in the bank through which 

 they might more easily flow into and out of the inland 

 lake, without having exclusively to pass through the gap 

 which it was his object to stop. He accordingly had 

 two openings, protected by strong sluices, made in the 

 bank a little below the breach, and when these had been 

 opened and were in action, he commenced operations at 

 the breach itself. He began by driving in a row of 

 strong timber piles across the channel ; and these piles 



price hul IHVM l<i,3<MV., ami lie undertook to do the work in 



lil'teen months. 



