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drains conducting it to the outcrop of a pervious stratum. 
Thousands of acres of land were poisoned by stagnant 
water drained from the outcrop of beds of clay. Very 
often, in such cases, the evil might be cured by a single 
longitudinal drain cutting off the water at its source. 
Ignorant as he was of practical matters, he might dare 
to say that he never returned from a geological tour 
without having see n some flagrant instance of waste of 
capital from unscientific draining. 
The grandest examples of draining were to be seen in 
the Bedford level, and the country to the north of it, 
from which he had lately returned. It was true that 
such works belonged to the civil engineer rather than 
the geologist. But all the geological maps (years before 
the information was turned to any good account) had 
taught the farmer that under his light fen lands was an 
inexhaustible supply of clay, which might be obtained at a 
small expense, and spread upon the surface. By this treat- 
ment, adopted only within a few years, thousands of 
acres of dry turf soil gained at once tenacity and fertility, 
and were loaded year by year with the richest crops of 
corn. As an example of this kind he quoted an estate 
near Downhara, which not long since might have been 
purchased for £1,300, and was now let for £1,300 a year. 
In conclusion, he begged to thank Mr. Thorp for his 
investigations, and hoped that he would go on with 
them ; and he trusted that his recommendations would 
meet with effectual support from the members of the 
Society. 
The Rev. W. Thorp said that his remarks upon what 
had fallen from gentlemen around should be very brief. 
As Mr. Barpes had departed he would not enter into 
