372 



0:i Trunk Drainage. 



bj tlie floods of this year idoilM alone have been equal to the 

 amount expended if the course had been unaltered. 



In another enclosure, a small mill having a fall of 8 feet 

 kept the water back on about 300 acres of land immediately 

 above it, about 50 acres of which were nearly of the same level 

 with the water from the mill-pound when penned to its height, 

 and the remainder, as well as the village, a mile off by the course 

 of the stream, from one to three feet only above the water in the 

 stream in ordinary times ; the village was only five feet above the 

 level of the water at the mill-head, and the ditches throughout the 

 village full of water. There were also 160 acres of land, the 

 nearest part of which was 7 feet above, and mile and 4 chains 

 distant from the mill-head, and the farthest part 2j miles and 

 10 chains distant from, and 9 feet above, the mill-head, and from 

 400 to 500 acres of land adjoining and farther up the water, 

 continually in a wet state, which could not be remedied by drain- 

 age, for want of an outfall. 



The removal of the mill would have given an 8 feet outfall 

 for all'these lands, and increased their value at once 7000/., at a 

 cost of about 2000Z. for compensation to the mill-owner and 

 amending and lowering the watercourses, and have sunk the 

 water 8 feet below the village, and thus improved its health and 

 comfort, which I have not included in the estimated increase of 

 value. The removal of the mill would also have given an oppor- 

 tunity of irrigating from 200 to 300 acres of land, and afforded 

 sufficient outfall for the complete underdrainage of upwards of 

 800 acres of land, the drainage of which the lowering the water- 

 courses throughout would not have perfectly effected. The value 

 of these additional means of improvement would not have been 

 less than 6000Z. or 7000/. in addition; it might very possibly 

 have been much more. 



There being then no provision under the Enclosure Acts for 

 taking the mill for the purposes of the enclosure, that plan of im- 

 proving the drainage ,was obliged to be abandoned, and I had a 

 nearly straight watercourse made from the mill-pound, keeping the 

 bottom almost level up to the 160 acres before mentioned through 

 which I carried two watercourses 6 feet deep to the upper end, 

 which have kept it tolerably dry in the wettest seasons since, 

 although the drainage is not perfect : this watercourse lowered 

 the water at the village about 3 feet, and considerably improved 

 the other land it passed through. It cost 655/., including bridges 

 over the roads where there were none previously, and a weir near 

 the mill for the water to fall over when it attained the height of 

 the mill-head, and increased the value of the property it affected, 

 not taking in the village, about 2000/, 



I had another watercourse carried up from below the mill, and 



