Great Level. 



89 



outfall was at this time (as it had been for many years) greatly 

 obstructed by deposits of sand and silt, and the low lands and 

 fens lying on both sides — containing upwards of 100,000 acres — 

 were frequently overflowed. By this act this vast tract of waste 

 land was to be drained, and a new river was cut, 1 1 miles in 

 length, the water being held up by a great sluice erected at 

 Boston, so that cargoes are conveyed from Lincoln to London or 

 other ports in the same vessels. The expense of making this cut, 

 which formed a straight channel in place of the former most cir- 

 cuitous river, was defrayed by taxes levied upon six districts, 

 comprising more than 112,000 acres, supposed to be benefited 

 by the work. In 1794 an act was passed for improving the 

 outfall of the river Welland, and better draining the low grounds 

 and discharging their waters into the sea. A new canal or 

 channel was made from the reservoir, below Spalding, to Foss- 

 dike; an embankment was subsequently made inclosing Fossdike 

 Wash, and a bridge constructed over the improved channel. The 

 work of carrying this channel, in a straight course, into the sea is 

 still in progress, and will be noticed further on. 



In 1795, after a hard struggle, the Eau Brink Act passed, for 

 giving a new outfall to the waters of the Ouse, between St. Ger- 

 main's Bridge and Lynn ; but the work was not commenced for 

 some years, as the requisite money could not be procured. In 

 1818 the work was begun, Telford and Rennie being engineers, 

 and Sir Edward Banks the contractor. The cut, which is two 

 miles and a half long, was finished in 1821, but was subsequently 

 widened in 1826, a bridge being erected over it at Lynn. 



In the year 1827 an act was passed for improving the outfall of 

 the river Nene, from Kinderley's Cut (before mentioned) to 

 Crab's Hole, and for embanking the salt-marshes and bare sands 

 lying between that cut and the sea. This great undertaking was 

 completed in 1831, under the superintendence of Telford and 

 Rennie, and contracted for by Joliffe and Banks, The new 

 course from Kinderley's Cut to the outfall at Crab's Hole is 

 6 miles in length ; and a new cut, called the North Level Drain, 

 was also made from Clow's Cross to Gunthorpe Sluice in place 

 of the old Shire Drain ; besides which, a bridge was erected at 

 Cross Keys (or Sutton Wash), and an embankment made across 

 the Salt Marshes ; forming a high road, which, with the bridges 

 previously erected at Fossdike and Lynn, connects the northern 

 and eastern parts of the country. 



Having thus attempted a brief sketch of the original condition 

 of the Fens, the progressive works of drainage which have been 

 executed, and the recent general improvements in the outfalls, it 

 will be necessary to notice each large district separately, in order 



