280 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL socizTy. [Mar. 8 
middle of the length of what is called Witton Brook. In the year 
1811 (he being resident engineer to the Trustees of the Weever Na- 
vigation) great complaints were made to the Trustees that the raising 
of the water at Witton Brook Lock was injurious to the land, and 
also to Witton Mill, which were then considerably sunk. He was 
ordered to lower the surface of the water four feet, and to connect 
that part of the navigation to the pond below Witton Brook Lock ; 
for which purpose he had occasion to deepen or take out the bottom, 
so that there might be six feet deep of water for vessels to sail in or 
navigate: this was done in the year 1811. 
“This lowering of the surface of water (four feet) by the removal 
of the lock and weir again brought the water off the meadows into 
its proper channels, which before had overflowed the lands. The land 
has continued to sink since that time. 
“He in 1842 or 1843 had a survey and admeasurement taken of 
the land that was covered with water, and found the area, exclusive 
of the course of the navigation and of the course of the stream, to be 
about twenty statute acres. He had the depths of the water taken 
along the line of the navigation where he had in 1811 to take out the 
bottom to make the depth of water six feet, and found the depths in 
1843 to vary in the different places from ten feet at the parts near to 
where the lock stood, to all the numbers up to thirty feet and more ; 
so that some of the land has between 1811 and 1843 sunk twenty- 
four feet. A timber-lock was made new in the year 1827 for the 
purposes of the trade higher up the river at Winsford, &c., but not 
to raise the water in Witton Brook or near to Witton Mill, and m 
nine years (or in 1836) he had to raise the lock to its former level, 
in some places five feet. It was in 1843 become useless, likewise the 
weir to which it was connected. 
“There are some wharfs and loading quays at the top of Witton 
Brook, near to Witton Mill, which were formerly used, but in 1843 
sunk so much as to become useless. He had their heights taken in 
May 1839, since which time they had in 1843 sunk more than three 
icc 
Another subsidence is hereinafter mentioned as taking place in a 
field by the side of the brook connecting Pickmere and Budworth 
Meer, pieces of water themselves, probably owing their origin to 
former subsidences. 
The subsidences caused by pits falling in it is not needful to regi- 
ster ; they have been mostly caused by the miners not leaving sufficient 
pillars, or by the irruption of the brine. The following example will 
suffice to show the distant effect arising from a pit falling in. 
In 1842 the brine got into three of the rock-pits at Dunkirk. The 
brine ran from the surrounding land into these pits, and the rapid 
drainage had a visible effect on the surface. Thus at the fork of the 
roads to Warrington and Marbury a row of cottages leant towards 
the west. During the time that the brine was running into the pits 
these cottages gradually settled towards the east, and the cracks 
closed. In March 1843 the cracks were almost closed, and the 
