400 
On  River  Conservancy, 
(25  & 26  Viet.  cap.  33),  the  object  of  which  w as  to  facilitate  the 
formation  of  drainage  Trusts,  without  the  great  expense  attending 
a special  Act  of  Parliament.  This  Act  gives  all  the  powers 
and  facilities  necessary  for  dealing  with  the  main  drainage  of 
land,  and  the  improvement  of  the  smaller  class  of  rivers,  brooks, 
and  streams  ; and  it  is  a matter  of  surprise  that  it  has  not  been 
more  generally  taken  advantage  of. 
If  the  several  watersheds  of  the  tributary  rivers  were  formed 
into  districts  under  the  powers  of  this  Act,  and  a general  body 
of  Commissioners  were  formed  by  representatives  from  these 
smaller  districts  for  the  management  of  the  whole  main  river, 
with  power  to  levy  contributions  for  general  improvements  and 
maintenance,  the  rivers  of  the  country  could,  without  any  com- 
plicated system  of  representation,  be  placed  in  a thoroughly 
safe  condition.  This  principle  has  long  been  carried  out  in 
the  drainage  of  the  Fens,  the  evil  there,  however,  being  that 
the  system  is  only  applied  to  a section  of  the  river  instead  of  the 
whole.  To  take  an  example : the  Fen  Acts  relating  to  the 
River  Witham  extend  over  a length  of  about  thirty  miles 
between  the  towns  of  Lincoln  and  Boston.  The  fen  land 
between  these  points  is  divided  into  six  districts,  each  having 
its  own  Commission  for  the  management  of  the  interior  drainage 
works,  the  number  of  members  being  regulated  by  the  number 
of  parishes  in  each  district,  each  parish  selecting  one  representa- 
tive. These  Commissioners  elect  from  amongst  themselves 
members  to  represent  them  at  the  Board  of  General  Com- 
missioners, which  consists  of  thirty-three  members,  thirty-one 
being  furnished  by  the  districts,  and  the  remainder  by  the  towns 
of  Lincoln  and  Boston.  The  General  Commission  has  the  con- 
trol of  the  River  Witham  and  its  banks,  and  certain  main 
drains  in  the  district,  and  power  to  levy  taxes  for  the  works 
necessary  to  maintain  them  in  efficient  condition.  This 
organization  has,  during  a long  series  of  years,  proved  itself 
thoroughly  efficient,  as  far  as  it  goes. 
Subsequent  Acts  (27  & 28  Viet.  cap.  14,  and  40  & 41  Viet, 
cap.  31)  have  been  passed  with  reference  to  the  improvement 
of  drainage,  but  these  Acts  only  deal  with  the  drainage  of  land 
and  the  improvement  of  estates,  by  the  construction  of  reservoirs 
and  works  necessary  for  the  water-supply  of  the  landowner’s 
own  estates  or  the  adjacent  villages.  The  Rivers  Pollution  Act, 
passed  in  1876,  prescribed  penalties  for  putting  solid  matter 
into  any  public  stream  so  as  to  interfere  with  its  free  flow,  and 
for  polluting  it  by  the  discharge  of  sewage,  or  of  the  refuse  water 
from  mines. 
Full  particulars  of  these  several  Acts,  and  the  method  of 
obtaining  provisional  orders  under  the  Land  Drainage  Act  of 
