AND PROTECTION OF AGRICULTURAL LAND 35 



which the water is to escape along the land side of the sea bank 

 or wall, and along the edge of the higher lands of the adjoining 

 country. Having surrounded the level with these fences and 

 drains, the next operation is to divide it into marshes of such 

 convenient size as may be judged most judicious ; and this size 

 will be partly governed by the soil, clayey soils parting with 

 their salt most reluctantly, and sandy soils most easily. It will 

 also be more strictly governed by the size most convenient for 

 occupation in the particular locality, and also by the desire to 

 save expenses ; but in general, sandy marshes may be considerably 

 larger than other soils, and there may even be some advantages 

 in leaving the interior of the level for some time without sub- 

 division, since it will be by no means wise to hasten the 

 process of freshening by sudden saturation, but on the con- 

 trary, to allow a considerable period of time to elapse before 

 any thought of cultivation is entertained, and during that period 

 to allow the level to remain sodden, only leading the surface 

 waters away gently into the circular dykes already described ; 

 and it may be very judicious to fill up the nearest of such 

 hollows with the stuff out of the circular dyke. This sodden- 

 ing or stagnation of the soil in a watery state is considerably 

 more applicable to sandy soils, and to such of those as have 

 before embankment been covered by every tide, than to clayey 

 soils, and will be quite unnecessary in such high fringes or 

 salts as have only been occasionally covered by the tide. But 

 the benefits of allowing the soil to remain for a length of time 

 under the influence of stagnant fresh water are great, since 

 it affords time for the decomposition of such animal and vege- 

 table matter as the sea -may have deposited in it, macerates 



