RIVER. 



thefe refpedts, vail benefits might, in a variety of cafes, 

 where it has never been even fo much as fufpected, be de- 

 rived, and thereby immenfe favings in manure be made for 

 the amelioration of the lefs favourably fituated knds. But 

 befides this vaft fource of advantage, rivers may often be con- 

 verted, with little trouble or expence, to other ufeful pur- 

 pofes, fuch as the fupplying of live-ftock with water, the 

 turning of different kinds of farming machinery, the con- 

 veying of cattle food, and manures of various delcriptions, 

 as well as different forts of farm produce, and- a great number 

 of other ufes, which can only be difcovered by the particular 

 circumftances of them, and thole of their fituations. But 

 though in thefe views they may bejuftly conlidered as of 

 much advantage, in others they are often dangerous, trou- 

 blefome, and highly detrimental to the farmer, as where they 

 are much accuilomed to overflow their banks, injure the 

 crops, fweep away the live-ilock, and carry down much of the 

 lands on their borders. Where they are apt to prove hurt- 

 ful by thus overflowing their banks, the bed modes of con- 

 fining them in particular cafes have been pointed out in 

 fpeaking of the nature of embankments and haugh-land. See 

 Embankment, and HAVGH-Land. 



There are, however, other cafes that deferve to be con- 

 fidered in this place, fuch as the directing and altering the 

 courfes of torrents coming from mountains, changing the 

 courfes of rivers, fecuring the banks of rivers in vallies, and 

 ftraightening the narrow, crooked windings of fmall rivers 

 in the fame fituations, and other hollow parts of lands. By 

 the firft of which much advantage may, in different circum- 

 ftances, be procured, and great fecurity be attained for the 

 valuable lands below. By the fecond, extenfive tracts of the 

 mod valuable kinds of land may be obtained, while the whole 

 is rendered more fafe and proper for the purpofes of paftur- 

 age or thofe of tillage. By the third, much ufeful land may 

 be fecured, as well as much mifchief from the high floods 

 be guarded againft. And as by the laft much ground is 

 often loft, or rendered of but trifling value to the farmer, by- 

 proper means thefe inconveniencies may be obviated, and 

 the land rendered of much greater utility. Befides thefe, 

 the methods of iecuring the banks, in other inftances where 

 they are liable to be carried away by large floods, may alfo 

 prove a vaft benefit and improvement. 



In the former of thefe cafes, the remedies are, in general, 

 thofe of rendering their courfes more free, open,Jlraight, and 

 regular, by which they muil obvioufly fuffer leis obftruction, 

 and of courfe be lefs apt to overflow their banks, and prove 

 injurious to the grounds below, or on the fides of them. It 

 is, however, remarked, that this is a lort of work that ought 

 to be maturely conlidered in all cafes before it is attempted ; 

 but that in fuch upland fituations the bufinefs may often be 

 performed with facility by fmall cuts made along the flat 

 bales of fuch elevations, while it is very different in thofe of 

 ftraightening vale rivers, as much larger openings are requi- 

 fite. Befides, fhallows for piers and ftops are moftly found 

 there, while in thtle cafes they are in general wholly want- 

 ing. But in all cales, and in every point of view, the bufi- 

 nefs is evidently of the greateil interelt to the proprietors 

 of laud, as the deftruction produced in this way is not only 

 often committed on the moft valuable forts of land, but is 

 frequently the caufe of difputes between the neighbouring 

 proprietors ; this fort of work has, however, been little at- 

 tended to, and is in common very imperfectly underllood. 

 In many inftances a great deal may be effected by proper ac- 

 commodation between the different proprietors, whofe inte- 

 refls are affected. 



But in undertaking works of this nature, there are dif- 

 ferent circumftances that require to be particularly con- 



4 



fidered. The peculiar fcite or place of improvement fhould, 

 Mr. Marfhall fays, be well fludied, in order to fix upon the 

 bell method of executing the work. And when this has 

 been done, accurate plans and ellimates of the expence that 

 may be incurred, as well as of the grofs profits that may 

 refult from it, be made out with care. And it is advifed that, 

 where the bufinefs is extenfive, and the perfon who has the 

 management not perfectly acquainted with the nature of it, 

 to contract with proper experienced labourers, or a refpon- 

 fible undertaker, for the execution of the whole, binding the 

 party who is to perform the work to uphold it for a certain 

 number of years after it is finifhed. It is remarked, that for 

 want of thele precautions, fums of money are annually ex- 

 pended, and in great part thrown away, fo as to become, in 

 fome inftances, a heavy tax upon eftates, and a ferious de- 

 falcation of timber. It does not follow, it is contended, 

 that, becaufe a few fquare yards of land are annually .carried 

 away, an expenfive work fhould be erected, and upheld at 

 ten times the value of the ground it will protect ; nor that, 

 becaufe one fide of a river is (lightly injured, an over-fized 

 work fhould be raifed to the greater injury of the oppofite 

 banks. It will be found, it is obferved, that in ordinary 

 cafes, oppofite proprietors have one and the fame interell ; 

 and that fmall injuries may generally be remedied by fimple 

 means, and at a fmall coft. What the writer is folicitous to 

 inculcate is, that the remedy ought to be proportionate to 

 the diieafe ; and that it Ihould be applied in fuch a manner 

 as not to injure another: confequently, that it behove* a 

 proprietor to fee that no one about him has an interell in 

 erecting expenfive and abortive works, or any profpect of 

 advantage from the annoyance of his neighbour in any refpect 

 from fuch works. It is added, that every perfon has an 

 undoubted right to defend his property. It is often his 

 duty, as well as his interefl, to do it. And that there are 

 cafes on which even large funis of money may be prudently 

 laid out, and ought to be expended in order to accom- 

 phlh the work ; as By neglect great injury may be fuf- 

 ftained, which at firft might have been remedied at a very 

 trifling coft. 



Rivers, wherever they are properly fituated, fhould always 

 be converted to the ufe of watering the grafs lands which 

 lie below their levels. See Watering of Land. 



RlvvR-BanAs, Securing of, the means of guarding and 

 protecting them from the encroachment and injury of the 

 ftreams when in flood or otherwife. It is a work of much 

 difficulty and labour in many cafes, and that requires the 

 careful management of an experienced director. It is indeed 

 remarked by the author of the Treatile on Landed Property, 

 in fpeaking of the nature of this bufinefs, that fuppofing the 

 uniform, and evenly-poifed, current of a reach or flraight 

 part of a river to be difturbed by the body of a large root 

 of a tree, or any other matter, brought down and lodged by 

 a flood, on this fide, which, in brooks and narrow rivers, is 

 an ordinary caufe of mifchief, it is found that through this 

 apparently trifling incident the current may be faid to lofe 

 its balance. For, when the flood falls to the level of the 

 obftruction, the water becomes confined in that part ; its 

 height, above the obftruction, is confequently increafed ; 

 and its current oppofite and below it not only accelerated, 

 but gently turned from its direct courfe toward the oppo- 

 fite bank of its natural channel ; which, if it be of an earthy 

 crumbling nature, becomes undermined : the land, or upper 

 part of the bank, confequently fhoots down, and is carried 

 away by fucceeding floods. And what tends to increafe 

 the evil is, the circumltance of the channel, immediately 

 below the obftruction, becoming occupied, even in minor 

 floods, with comparatively ftagnaut water. It is in confe- 



quence 



