M O N I V A. 377 



had performed their office. To lay the gravel 

 on, I was obliged to make roads with hurdles, 

 to bear up fmall horfes, which carried the gravel 

 in bafkets upon their backs, and to remove the 

 hurdles from place to place, as occafion requir- 

 ed; the boats laid the gravel and manures upon 

 the fides of the rivers and the drains, from 

 .whence the horfes conveyed them. The fub- 

 fiding of this bog is remarkable; if I lhould lay 

 from fifteen to twenty feet, I think that I fhould 

 not exceed: when I firft cut the new river, the 

 bog rofe in a hill between it and the old river j 

 there is now a fall the whole way, except where 

 the hill flood, which is the loweft part. The 

 bog is now fo firm as to bear a loaded cart. I 

 floped the fides of the hollows, where for fome 

 years I had cut turfs ; being advifed to cut the 

 bog away, but that would be the work of ages; 

 and where the furface was cut off proved moft 

 barren, and required moil manure: thefe hol- 

 lows are now little green vales • and pofterity 

 will puzzle, as fome do at prePjnt, to find the 

 caufe of them. After the firft crops were taken 

 off, and mowed for two or three years, I ob- 

 ferved little tufts of heath began to appear in 

 the meadows ; where thefe appeared, fome parts 

 I tilled again; put dung upon others ; but lime 

 effectually banifhed them; and fc did a mixture 

 of kelp and afhes, the refufe of the bleach- 

 green, which proved the richeft manure. I 

 fpread river-mud upon one or two acres, which 

 had little effect, only produced a fedgey fpirey 

 grafs, until dung was laid over it; marie had 

 fomewhat a better effect than the river-mud, 



but 



