38 



Welney, to Upvvell ; where (a8 above stated) it joined the 

 waters of the Nene and descended to the sea at Wisbeach. 

 5. By the Little Ouse (then a very inconsiderable river), 

 which (after passing Brandon, and being joined by some small 

 tributary streams from the Norfolk side) fell into the sea a, 

 Lynn. In the preceding account, all the old artificial drains, 

 and several minute bifurcations of the rivers, after they reached 

 the alluvial delta, are intentionally omitted. 



As early as the twelfth century, the accumulations of alluvial 

 silt near the mouths of the Welland and the Nene, caused a 

 great back-water; and in the early part of the thirteenth 

 century (by the great rise of the fen lands near the coast) the 

 out-fall of the waters by some of the old channels entirely failed. 

 During this time, the bed of the Little Ouse, not having been 

 silted up in the same manner, was much below the mean level 

 of the alluvial delta, extending through the mouths of the other 

 rivers above mentioned ; and a great, drain was consequently 

 cut from Littleport Chair to Rebeck, making the first direct 

 communication between the Great and Little Ouse. The effect 

 was exactly what might have been anticipated. The waters 

 which had been pent up at a higher level descended with irre- 

 sistible force through this new drain into the channel of the 

 Little Ouse, and so escaped into the sea at Lynn. About this 

 time the out- fall at Spalding had so completely failed, that the 

 waters of the Welland found their way through the Cats water 

 into the Nene ; and a new direction having been given to all 

 the currents, in consequence of the channel which was now 

 opened below the level of the ancient out-fall at Wisbeach, 

 the united waters of the Nene flowed back into the Great 

 Ouse through the Old West-water, through the Welney branch, 

 and through all the other cross drains of the country; and were 

 then conveyed by the new communication into the Lynn river. 

 In this way, for many years, nearly all the waters of the alluvial 

 delta, south of the Wit ham, found their way into the sea at 

 Lynn : and the river, which had formerly run between banks 

 which were not more than twelve perches asunder, was, al'tei 

 the changes above described, more than a mile wide. 



Many attempts were made to prevent this great discharge 

 of waters through the Ouse. In the year 1292, several dams 

 were constructed near I'pwell, to prevent the influx of the 

 Nene. But they produced such ruinous effects on many parts 

 of the marsh lands, and on the banks of the Ouse as far as St. 

 Neots, that in 1332 they were ordered to be destroyed. For 

 many years afterwards, the great drainage of the delta was 

 effected nearly in the manner above described. 



In the year 1490, the discharge by the Ouse was partially re- 

 lieved by a great cut (called Morton's Learn) from Peter- 

 borough to Guyhirn near Wisbeach. This was intended to 



