and  the  Cause  and  Prevention  of  Floods. 
403 
may  be  generally  summarised  by  stating  : — That  their  purpose 
was  the  conservancy  of  rivers  and  the  protection  of  lands  from 
floods.  The  Act  might  be  set  in  motion  as  regards  any  particular 
river  on  the  application  of  not  less  than  twenty  owners  and 
occupiers  of  land  in  the  river  basin,  amounting  in  rateable 
value  to  2000/.,  or  by  any  Sanitary  or  Conservancy  Authority. 
On  receipt  of  such  an  application,  the  Local  Government  Board 
would  send  an  Inspector  to  the  district  to  hold  a public  inquiry, 
and  to  report  as  to  the  limit  of  the  district,  and  the  expediency 
of  its  division  into  lowlands,  midlands  and  uplands  ; as  to  the 
proportions  to  be  paid  by  each  ; as  to  whether  any  lands  should 
be  exempt  wholly  or  partially  from  taxation,  from  having 
already  executed  works.  The  Local  Government  Board  then 
would  issue  a provisional  order  defining  the  limit  of  the  district, 
the  constitution  of  the  Conservancy  Board,  which  was  fairly 
to  represent  the  taxpayers,  and,  if  necessary,  for  dividing  the 
river  basin  into  districts.  This  order  subsequently  would  be 
confirmed  in  the  usual  way.  Land  subject  to  ordinary  floods  and 
damage  therefrom  would  be  regarded  as  “ lowlands  lands  occa- 
sionally subject  to  floods,  or  to  the  destruction  by  floods  of  the 
outfalls  of  their  drains,  as  “ midlands,”  and  the  remainder  of  the 
district  as  “ uplands.”  The  rate  on  uplands  would  be  limited 
to  one-tenth  of  the  rate  in  the  pound  paid  by  the  highest  rated 
districts.  The  Conservancy  Board,  when  formed,  would  have 
power  to  do  all  works  and  acts  necessary  and  incidental  to  the 
proper  maintenance  of  the  river,  and  to  compensate  persons 
injured  by  the  works.  The  money  required  would  be  raised  by 
a precept  on  the  overseers  of  the  poor,  and  the  rate  would  be 
payable  by  the  owner  of  the  lands  rated.  Provision  would  be 
made  for  the  repeal  of  local  navigation  or  other  Acts,  and  for 
repealing  or  modifying  existing  Commissions  of  Sewers,  Drain- 
age and  Conservancy  Trusts.  Special  provisions  would  also  be 
made  with  regard  to  the  Fenlands  on  the  east  side  of  England. 
Hitherto  there  has  been  no  special  department  of  the  Govern- 
ment which  has  had  more  immediately  under  its  care  the  rivers 
and  streams  of  this  country,  but  the  carrying  out  of  the  laws 
enacted  under  such  Acts  as  are  in  existence  is  divided  amongst 
the  Board  of  Trade,  which  has  the  care  of  navigable  streams  ; 
the  Inclosure]Commissioners,  who  have  the  management  of  pro- 
ceedings under  the  Land  Drainage  Acts  ; and  the  Local  Govern- 
ment Board,  of  the  River  Pollution  Act.  This  latter  depart- 
ment is  to  be  entrusted  with  the  carrying  out  of  the  Conservancy 
Act,  should  one  ever  be  passed,  but  it  will  then  have  only  a 
divided  jurisdiction  with  the  Board  of  Trade  and  the  Inclosure 
Commissioners. 
In  Holland,  France,  and  Italy,  distinct  departments  are 
