SPRING. 



Formed at a greater Jepth. The perpetual fprings which 

 may be faid to be every where iffuing from the fides of hills, 

 are ftrong evidences, it is thought, in favour of fuch a po- 

 fition. For what, it is afked, but an extended furface of 

 embodied waters, could lend forth thefe conjlant, and, in feme 

 inltances, almoll uniform dreams? A lake, it is well 

 known, thus reifulates the ftream which flows from it. 

 But to produce this efFedt, it is not requifite, it is fuppofed, 

 that the lake fliould be formed in the interior of a mountain. 

 It matters not what the receptacle is, provided it be of fuf- 

 ficient extent, and its feveral parts, if anomalous, have a 

 free communication with each other ; whether it be a cave, 

 an extended ferics of fidured rocks, or an extenfive ftratum 

 of gravel, or any other freely condufting material, the fur- 

 face of the water will be equally level, and equally capable 

 of regulating the fupplies received, fo as to difcharge an 

 uniform or a moderated ftream ; as the wide naked waters 

 do, which are feen to fpread on the furface in mountain 

 lituations. A fudden fhower does not fenfibly afFeft, it is 

 faid, the overflow of a lake, nor does a heavy fall of rain 

 caufe a fudden flood ; as it does where there is no fuch ex- 

 tent of furface to regulate the fupply : neverthelefs, after 

 much rain, and ftill more after a long continued wet feafon, 

 the overflow is increafed, and the ftream enlarged. And 

 precifely fo, it is faid, are thefe forts of fprings or fountains 

 afteded. 



The marles which abound in calcareous matter are moftly 

 of an open, porous, and abforbent nature, and not unfre- 

 quently form the fubflrata of lands in different places, which 

 may receive and hold water, in fome cafes fo as to let it break 

 out and produce fprings on the furface, which are highly 

 injurious to the foil?. Some marles are, however, of an im- 

 pervious and retentive quahtv. 



There are alfo fome forts of materials which are highly 

 impervious under fome circumftances, but which become 

 porous or open in others, as clay in certain itates ; this, 

 however, has little to do with the nature of fpring-draining. 

 See Draining of Land. 



In laying down the general principles and theory of 

 draining land under its proper head, the manner in which the 

 principal agents and caufes which operate in the produclion 

 of fprings are capable of producing fuch efl"eas m different 

 circumftar.ces, has been particularly explained, though the 

 great internal fprings which fupply the interfefting rivers of 

 countries have not been touched upon, as they have not 

 yet been by any means fufiiciently inveftigated or explored ; 

 and befides, they moftly lie at fuch great depths, as not to 

 afFeft the furface, confequently have nothing, or very little, 

 to do with the prefent inquiry. 



Draining, on the principle of removing fprings, not 

 only produces extraordinary effefts in the laying" of the 

 lands dry which are near to them ; but in cauling fprings, 

 in wells, wet grounds, and other places, at very confider- 

 able dillances, to become dry, though they had no evident 

 communication or coiineftion. 



Drahuige of Boggy, Morajfy, Stuampy, and ether wet 



Land, produced ly Springs See BoG and Draining of 



Land, under which articles this fubjeA is difcufl'ed as far as 

 our limits will allow. 



A pump has been lately contrived by Mr. Wakefield, 

 the ingenious drainer of Traff'ord and other mofl'es in Lan- 

 caftiire, for afcertaining the lines of fprings in this fort of 

 draining, which is faid to anfwer well. See Svni^G-Draimns! 

 Pump. ^ 



In many cafes of this fort, it may be known, it is faid, 

 whether the channel of the water lie deep or not, by the 

 appearance of the furface. Where the land is dry imme- 



diately above the place where the water fprings up, it is an 



evidence that the channel or refervoir lies deep, and that the 

 water is forced up fo as to ifl'ue in a perpendicular manner ; 

 but, on the contrary, where the land is wet for fome diftancc 

 above the principal outlet of the fpring, it is a fare fign that 

 the water is flowing in a channel near the furface, and 

 that the overfowings of it caufe this wetnels. It will 

 be a certain evidence of this, if there be only one fpring in 

 the wet ground ; but if the internal ftrata do not lie hori- 

 zontally, or regularly, and feveral fprings appear, arifing 

 from water running in diflVrent channels, the land above the 

 largeft or principal fpring may be wet, not from the backhtg- 

 up of that fpring, or its channel being near the furface, but 

 by the breaking out of the lelfer fprings in their defceni, the 

 channel of the waters of which has thus found a vent and 

 exit to and out of the furface, higher than that of the larger 

 fpring. It is in cafes of this kind that draining is attended 

 with moft difficulty ; and where all the cutting and other 

 matters necefl'ary cannot be fo ealily afcertained at tirft, until i 

 fuch time as what is abfolutely requifite be executed, which 

 will lead to the difcovery of what further is wanted, and in 

 what manner it Ihould be accomplillied, by expoflng to view 

 the fubfoil, or under ftrata, in which the water flows. The 

 making of exploratory bores with the auger, is, it is faid, 

 ufeful in this and all other difficult cafes. 



Where, in fuch cafes as the above, there are different lines 

 of drains cut one below another, from the highermoft 

 fprings between the wet and dry land, not of fuch depth as 

 to catch and intercept the water all the way down the 

 Hope, as formerly praCtlfed, however they may be filled 

 with loofe ftones, though they may render the furface drier 

 while they continue to run, they foon choak up, and burft- 

 ing out in different parts, the land foon becomes equally, if 

 not mor,i wet, than it was before they were made, and fo 

 formed out. It is more difScult to drain this ground a fe- 

 cond time, even in the proper manner ; as the furface, by 

 means of the former drains, bei.Tg io much altered from its 

 natural appearance, the true filuation of the fprings cannot 

 fo eafily be hit upon, and the frequent burfts of the old 

 drains increafe the perplexity in no Imall degree. It fre- 

 quently happens that the uppermoit, where they are the 

 flrongefl outlets, are the main fprings, and thofe below only 

 leakages ; which implies, that fome of the water from the 

 main fpring finds a pailage through fome opening in the 

 upper foU, near the furface, and breaks out lower than the 

 main fpring, when it meets with refutance from any bed of 

 clay : by cutting off' the main Ipring, this of courfe becomes 

 dry ; therefore the fame caution is iieceiTary to afcertain this 

 before proceeding to mark out the drain or drains in fuch 

 cafes, as from the main fpring only the level muft be taken. 

 In irresxiilar banks, wliere the ground, owing to the perpen- 

 dicular fituatioa or preffurc of water behind, has jlipt, or 

 fallen down, the drain muft be carried higher up the decli- 

 vity than where the water has its apparent outlet, to the 

 found ground that has undergone no change, and where the 

 real fpring will be intercepted ; the water in the flipt fand 

 below being only leakages from that above, but wliich is 

 apt to deceive in cutting the upright trench, or that which 

 is made from the outlet up to the crofs one, along the line of 

 the fprin'TS. When the main fpring rifes in a ileep bank a 

 confiderable heifrht above the level of the brook or place 

 where the drain is to difcharge itfelf, it is unneceffary to cut 

 a deep trench, or to lay a covered drain, all the way from 

 the brook up to it ; for the dcfcent being too rapid, and if 

 deep cut by crofling veins of fand, that are always met with 

 in fuch fituations, the bricks or Hones wuth which the 

 fough or conduit of the drain is laid, would be undermined 



by 



