SPRING. 



mous boiling well, which was difcovered in June 17 ii, by 

 an uncommon noife in the night, fo great, that .t awakened 

 feveral people, who being defnous to find what it was owing 

 to, at length found a bogev place under a little lull, not far 

 from the Severn ; and perceiving a great (hakmg of the 

 earth, and a little boilin.,- up of water through the gials, 

 they took a fpade, and digging up fome part of the earth, 

 the' water flew to a great height, and was fet on lire by a 

 candle. This water was for fome time afterwards conllantly 

 found to take fire, and burn like fpirit of wine ; and after 

 it was fet on fire, it would boil the water in a veilel fooner 

 than any artificial fire, and yet the fpring itfelf was as cold 

 as any whatever. Phil. Tranf. No. 334. 



This well was at length lolt for many years, and not re- 

 covered till May, 1746, when by a rumbhng noife under 

 gronnd, like to what the former well made, it was hit upon 

 again, though in a lower lituation, and thirty yai-ds nearer 

 the river. 



The well is four or five feet deep, and fix or leven wide ; 

 within that is another lefs hole of like depth, dug in the clay, 

 in the bottom of which is placed a cylindric earthen veflel, of 

 about four or five inches diameter at the mouth, having the 

 bottom taken off, and the fides well fixed in the clay, rammed 

 clofe about it. Within the pot i^ a brown water, thick as 

 puddle, continually forced up by a violent motion, beyond 

 that of boiling water, and a rumbling hollow nolle, rifing 

 and falling by fits five or fix inches. It may be fired by a 

 candle at a quarterof a yard dillance ; and it darts and flafhes 

 in a violcRt manner, about half a yard high. It has been 

 left burning forty-eight hours, without any fenfiblc dimi- 

 nution. It may be extinguifhed by putting a wet mop upon 

 it, which mull be kept there afmall time. On the removal 

 of the mop there fucceeds a fulphureous fmoke, lalting about 

 a minute, and yet the water is very cold to the touch. 

 Phil. Trauf. No. 482, fett. 6. 



Spring, Lancnrlm. See Laxcarim. 

 Springs, Ahilicinal. See Water. 

 Springs, Artificial, thole kinds of fprings, or coUeftions 

 of water, which are made by art in different views and in- 

 tentions, by the farmer and land proprietor. 



The methods of proceeding in thcle forts of undertakings 

 may be thofe of making a fufficient number of under-drain 

 fprings for the purpofe of the above kind, in different direc- 

 tions, fo as that they may unite in one, at or near their ter- 

 minations in the wells or citterns, as, in theie ways, the 

 water may be drawn from a much larger fpace of ground 

 than would otherwife be tlie cale, and, of courfe, better 

 iupplies of water be afforded. 



Country-houfes and refidences may fometimes be fupplied 

 with good water in fomewhat this way, where there is either 

 a deficiency in the quantity or quality of that which is pro- 

 vided. A very diltinguiflied proprietor in the county of 

 Berks, E. L. Lovedcn, clq. of Bufcot Park, had recourfe, 

 it is faid, to the following very ingenious and fucccfsful con- 

 trivance, in order to accompli Ih this purpofe, which deferves 

 to be particularly noticed, as it may be applicable to many 

 other fituations, where the fcarcity of water, or of fuch as 

 is good, is felt. It is Hated in the Agricultural Report of 

 the above diltrift, that, the feat of this proprietor ftanding 

 near the very brow of the eminence on which it is built, 

 there was only a fnperficies of about an acre and a half of 

 ajrafs-land in front, from which there was not the leatt de- 

 fcent. A femicircular drain with a mole-plough, fcarcely 

 perceptible on walking over the ground, in the line of the 

 grcateft elevation, was made to communicate with two fmall 

 iron grates on the fide of the gravel-drive up to the principal 

 front. All the water which falls on this drive paflcs to one 



or other of thofe grates, between which there is an under' 

 ground drain, with a very moderate fall to that which is the 

 mod weilerly, where a channel commences which is capable 

 of receiving all the water within the compafs of the femi- 

 circular dram, and which paffing through proper ftraincrs, 

 is conveyed to a larc;e funk refervoir, in a court to the weft- 

 ward of the manfion ; and a pump being placed there, 

 the family is fupplied, it is laid, with a pure foft water, no 

 lefs falutary than ufeful for every domeltic purpofe. 



Springs of the abijve artificial kind may likewife be ap- 

 plicable in many other cafes, w here there is a want of water 

 for particular ufes. 



Springs, Land, fuch of the more fuperficial kind as rife 

 and exid in fituations where the colleding furface of the 

 water, together with the containing ftratum, are of a rather 

 fmall and confined extent. They are often met with about 

 the bafcs of hilly lands, on (lopes, at the feet of the little 

 rifings in valley trafts, in their variouHy mixed banks, as 

 well as in manv other fituations and circumllances of land. 

 The term is alto fometimes applied to the drains which 

 are made by art for the procuring of water for different 

 purpofes. 



They are always fuch as are of the more fuperficial kind. 

 The writer of the work on " Landed Property" confiders 

 thefe fprings as partial effefts, partaking of the nature of 

 cold, or of weak lands, according to the quality of the foil 

 that covers them. They may, it is faid, be confidered as the 

 molt common difeafe of land where water is concerned. 



It is fuppofed that the caufes of thefe forts of fprings are 

 moftly of a topical nature, the difeafe being commonly pro- 

 duced by rain-water falling on an abforbent foil which has a 

 broken fub-Uratum. A broad, flat-topped fwell of fandy or 

 gravelly loam, befet with plots or malles of clay, is, it is 

 thought, fingularlv produftive of this fort of v.atcry lands. 

 The mea'.^s of remedying the injurious wetnelles arifing from 

 tiiefc kinds of fprings, arc fliewn in Ipcaking of fpring- 

 draining. See Spring- Dniiniiig. 



Si'niSG-Drnin, that fort of drain or channel wliich 15 

 prepared and conltructed in land for the purpofe of taking 

 away fuch kinds of over-wctnels in it, as is caufed by in- 

 ternal or other fprings. Thefe drains are made in many 

 different methods, according to the nature and circumftance* 

 of the grounds, and the degrees of the wetnefles which 

 are prefent in them ; but, for the molt part, in a deeper and 

 more fubltantial manner than in the other modes of form- 

 ing drains. 



Drains of this fort are conftrufted of many different 

 kinds of materials, but moltly of thofe which are of the 

 more folid and durable defcriptions, luch as the common 

 brick, bricks made in different forms and fhapes for the 

 purpofe, pipes made in different ways, flat ftones of the 

 free-ltone and other kinds, common Itones laid in different 

 modes, and fome other fimilar fubftances. Where common 

 bricks are employed, they a:e often built in a firm manner 

 on the fides and arched over the tops, but in other cafes 

 laid lengthwife over each other to the neceliary height, and 

 then covered over with flat ftones, and the earth tilled in 

 upon them. They have alfo other modes of conllruftion, 

 which are fometimes much lefs expenfive, according to the 

 nature of the drainage, as will be more fully feen and ex- 

 plained in fpeaking of furface-drains. But where bricks 

 made for the purpofe are ufed in thefe cafcs, other m.ethods 

 are followed. There are many different forms of bricks con- 

 trived in this intention ; one of which is fo conftrufted, as 

 to form, when laid, a fmall neat arched drain four inches in 

 diameter, and is principally made ufe of where only fmall 

 drains are neceliary, as in the conveying of the water of 



fprings 



