138 The Drainage of Fens and Low Lands, 



submerged land was useless for cultivation, and the stagnant water 

 made the whole district a most unhealthy one, as it produced pesti- 

 lential exhalations during the summer months, which infected and 

 poisoned the atmosphere for miles around. On this account the 

 peasants could not reside on the spot, but lived in villages built on 

 high ground a considerable distance from the marshes, and came 

 down to their work every morning, returning home in the evening 

 before sunset. Even with these precautions it was scarcely possible 

 to escape the effects of the bad air, and the people who frequented 

 these districts were sallow, subject to low intermittent fevers, and 

 not in a really fit state of health to perform hard work. The value 

 of the land for these reasons was naturally much depreciated, and in 

 many cases the owners allowed their property to be confiscated 

 rather than submit to pay taxes on ground which brought them no 

 return. 



The marshes which are now drained are situated between a range 

 of hills on the north, and the small Like of Fondi on the south, and 

 are formed by a considerable depression of ground, which permitted 

 the rain-water to collect The lake derives its supply of water from 

 springs at the base of these hills, and the water is brought down by 

 the Canale d'Acqua Chiara, the overflow discharging itself into the 

 sea on the opposite side. The mode of draining these marshes has 

 been to cut large canals parallel to each other, intersecting the space 

 between by small canals that collect and bring the water down to the 

 pumping station. These large canals vary in width from 6 to 15 feet, 

 their total length being upwards of twelve miles ; the small canals 

 are about 4 feet wide and over six miles long altogether. Several of 

 these canals extend down to the sea, and are there provided with 

 sluices, which are closed when the tide rises. The average annual 

 rainfall is 32 inches j but as a large volume of water collects from 

 the surrounding country, it has been found from experience that it 

 requires at least six days to pump up the rain-water that falls in 

 twenty-four hours. The pumps generally commence working after 

 the first heavy rains in October, and continue running, as required, 

 throughout the winter up to the end of April. On starting the 

 pumps in the autumn, when the land requires to be tilled, both 

 engines and pumps have to work for the first fifteen days, twenty- 

 four hours per day, until the water is reduced to a certain level; 

 for the next fifteen days they work twelve hours a day, and after 

 this one engine and pump is generally sufficient to keep the land 



