52 ON THE RECLAMATION 



ultimately a belt of marsh land would be formed all along the 

 shores. The Act directed that a plan of the banks of the 

 estuary should be made before the commencement of the 

 works, and that a similar plan should be made every tenth year 

 thereafter, showing the quantity of land gained from the river 

 within each such period of years. It further enacted that at the 

 end of every successive ten years three persons should be no- 

 minated one by the Eibble Navigation Company, another by 

 the owners of the adjoining land, and the third by the two 

 persons so nominated as arbiters to fix the quantity of land so 

 gained, to settle its value, and fix the annual rents to be paid to 

 the company by the landowners. 



By a subsequent Act, obtained in 1852, the company were 

 directed to make a statement of the amount of land then gained, 

 and at the end of every five years thereafter ; and landowners 

 were declared to be entitled to the right of pre-emption in the 

 event of their wishing to become owners of the reclaimed land 

 ex adverse* of their property. 



Mr Garlick, engineer to the Eibble Navigation Company at 

 Preston, has kindly furnished me with the following details, show- 

 ing how this arrangement has been carried out, and its results : 



A. r. p. 



Up to the year 1853 there had been regained, . 913 2 4 



1853 to 1858, . 760 1 12 



1858 to 1863, 590 1 18 



1863 to 1868, 335 2 



Total, . 2599 36 



" Generally, but not in all cases, the landowners fronting the 

 reclaimed land have claimed the right of pre-emption. With the 



