STATEMENT BY HERR WEX. 193 



and established by myself, that in the brooks, streams, and rivers in 

 central Europe, within the period of observations, extending over 

 about 140 years, high floods now appear oftener and attain a greater 

 height; on the contrary, the lowest, and the yiiean levels of the 

 rivers are falling, and consequently the delivery of the water by these 

 streams and rivers is being continuously diminished to a very great 



There follows an expression of the views of the author on the 

 great practical importance of the fact brought to light. In the 

 second chapter he describes the reduction observed in the flow of 

 springs and in the quantity of water yielded by them, and after 

 citing numerous facts, illustrative of these points, he thus con- 

 cludes : — 



"In regard to the diminishing of subterranean waters, we can 

 adduce the following evidence : — 



" As we have in the preceding chapter shown, from observations 

 on the water level continued through long series of years, that there 

 has been seen in later decades a lowering of the level of the lowest 

 and of the mean annual flows, while the high floods, consequent on 

 storms of rain, have become of more frequent occurrence — from which 

 it comes to pass that a greater quantity of water is thus carried away 

 at such times than formerly — it follows as a consequence that if the 

 quantity of the rainfall remains the same, the proportion of this 

 flowing away on the surface of the earth in such circumstances has 

 increased. On the other hand the proportion sinking below the 

 surface must be less ; and from this it comes to pass that the 

 quantity of the subterranean water supply, the drainage and super- 

 ficial waters, and with them the springs which are fed by them must 

 have been reduced ; and the correctness of this conclusion can be 

 established by the following facts : 



" From these long continued observations on river levels we have 

 further proved that on brooks, streams, and rivers in these later 

 times, the lowest and the mean levels, and also the quantity of water 

 delivered, have been being continuously reduced, and that to a marked 

 degree ; and that in the very months during which the water courses 

 have been fed almost exclusively from subterranean flows of water 

 and from springs the diminution of the water delivered has been 

 greatest. Whence it may with all justice be concluded that in these 

 later times the water supplies in subterranean reservoirs and in 

 the water bearing strata have decreased, and also that drainage 

 waters and the springs in a river basin in their collective contribu- 



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