and  the  Cause  and  Prevention  of  Floods. 
395 
away.  In  an  undrained  field  the  water  may  be  seen  standing  on 
the  surface  and  in  the  furrows  and  hollow  places  for  weeks  ; 
whereas,  in  an  adjoining  field,  properly  drained  and  cultivated, 
not  a drop  of  water  will  be  seen,  the  whole  of  it  having  been 
passed  away  through  the  pipes. 
The  rainfall  being  thus  discharged  more  rapidly  into  the 
rivers,  the  question  requires  consideration  as  to  Avhether  the 
rivers  are  in  a better  or  worse  condition  to  receive  it  than 
formerly.  To  this  there  can  be  only  one  answer — that  in  the 
majority  of  cases  they  are  worse.  The  mere  fact  of  the  floods 
bringing  down  the  bulk  of  the  rain-water  rapidly,  and  leaving 
little  to  maintain  a steady  and  continuous  stream  during  the 
rest  of  the  year,  is  detrimental  to  the  condition  of  the  channel. 
The  growth  of  weeds  is  encouraged  ; and  the  absence  of  a 
sufficiently  strong  current  allows  of  the  deposit  of  alluvial 
matters  washed  into  the  stream,  which  would  otherwise  be 
carried  away  to  the  estuary. 
The  condition  of  the  River  Ouse,  the  receptacle  for  the 
drainage-water  from  700,000  acres  of  land,  may  be  quoted 
as  an  illustration  of  our  rivers  generally,  it  being  described 
by  Mr.  Coote  as  gradually  growing  up  without  any  effort 
to  check  the  evil,  or  any  authority  with  power  to  do  so. 
The  navigation  has  been  nearly  destroyed  by  the  railways, 
and  the  owners  of  water-mills  do  what  is  right  in  their 
own  eyes,  restrained  only  by  the  common-law  rights  of  their 
neighbours  above  and  below.  To  which  may  be  added  from 
the  Report  of  Mr.  Abernethey  on  this  river,  “ the  obstructions  to 
the  free  passage  of  the  water  arising  from  want  of  attention  to 
the  conservation  of  the  river-channel  increase  year  by  year, 
and  also  as  a consequence  the  area  of  low  lands  liable  to  inun- 
dation ; and,  unless  this  evil  be  vigorously  dealt  with,  the  river 
channel  will  be  gradually  filled  up  by  silt  and  weeds,  and  the 
whole  valley  of  the  Ouse  subject  to  the  passage  of  flood-water 
without  control.”  A further  illustration  may  be  taken  from 
another  correspondent  of  the  ‘ Times,’  who,  writing  on  the  same 
subject,  says,  “ the  condition  of  some  of  the  smaller  rivers 
is  deplorable.  Their  channels  are  generally  an  alternation 
of  weed-choked  swamps,  and  nearly  impassable  rapids,  with 
here  and  there  a rare  oasis  of  deep  steady  stream,  the  conse- 
quence of  the  needs  of  some  mill-owner.” 
Abandoned  navigation  works  have  also  added  to  the  unsatis- 
factory condition  of  river  channels.  Previous  to  the  intro- 
duction of  railways,  the  system  of  conveyance  of  goods  by 
water  had  been  very  greatly  developed,  and  wherever  the 
natural  capabilities  of  a river  were  such  that  they  could 
be  adapted  for  this  purpose,  the  stream  had  been  canalised, 
2 D 2 
