Trunk Drainage. 
37 
proved, by excavation and scourina-, to the salvation of the fcn- 
land from ruin, at a cost of probably not less than 500,000/., not 
including- the after-expenses of adaptinj? the old channels to a lower 
drainaaje and navigation, and the responsibilities incurred as to 
damag-ing banks, bridges, buildings, &c., about the seaports. But 
these, and the similar improvements of the otlier len outfalls — 
tlie WcUand and VVitham (the former river having been prolonged 
into the Wash estuary by about four miles of fascine dykeing)— 
are already described in the Report on the Great Level and the 
Report on Lincoln!^ I arc, published in the Journal; I shall now 
give, therefore, a few very brief particulars of the improvements 
of the internal fen-drains and rivers which have followed those 
of the main embouchures. Two divisi(ms, called tlie Middle 
Level, of 140,000 acres, and the South Level, of 120,000 acres, 
depend chiefly upon the Ouse outfall ; and Mr. Rennie proposed 
to apply the advantage of the Eau-Brink Cut, near Lynn, to 
these great levels, by a plan which has answered in many dis- 
tricts of low land, and is peculiarly suited to many of our inland 
river valleys. All the surrounding highland brooks were to be 
intercepted by catch-water drains at a comparatively high level,, 
and diverted into the rivers crossing the two districts ; while the 
downfall waters of the fen-lands were to be carried in new cuts,, 
with culverts, where necessary, under these rivers, and discharged 
into the new common outfall, at which point both the rapid hill 
freshes, with their considerable fall of stream, and the slow, 
almost dead-level fen-waters would arrive at the same level of 
elevation above low-water in the sea. The estimated cost of 
more than 1,000,000/. postponed the design; but later improve- 
ments have run in the same direction. The Eau-Brink Cut, by 
lowering the head of water several feet, rendered internal impro\ e- 
ments possible in the South Level — first with the larger arteries, 
then with the minor drains, when those intermediately situated, 
had provided for them a better passage. In 1829 a new river, 
five miles long, was cut near Ely, diverting the Ouse from a cir- 
cuitous channel of nine miles ; and, at the same time, a cross 
cut was made to bring a tributary river into the new channel. 
'J'hese cuts cost, under the advice of Mr. Mylne, 45,000/. The 
powers of the Act of Parliament, obtained for them in 1827, are 
administered by a board of commissioners, one-half of their 
nmnber being appointed by the district and other drainage in- 
terests of the Level, and the other half representing the navif/ation 
interests ; and the funds are raised by taxation on a large portion 
of the level, and by navigation tolls, in about equal proj)ortIon. 
These cuts, beside their principal effect of benefiting the general 
district, have reclaimed from winter-floods, and converted into 
valuable arable land, about 2000 acres, wiiich before lay unem- 
