DE RANCE : UNDERGROUND AVATER SUPPLY AND RIVER FLOODS. 207 
not become law. The Bill did not recognize the absolute control of a 
river basin, it proposed that an Inspector of the Local Government 
Board should hold a local enquiry, and ascertain what " lands ought 
to be described as lowlands, midlands, and uplands,". . . " and what 
works, if any, have been executed for the protection of any such low- 
lands, or midlands from floods, and in what proportion such lowlands 
and midlands ought to respectively contribute to the expenses of the 
Conservancy Board, and what uplands, if any, ought to be included 
in the district, and iu what proportion they ought to contribute to 
any expenses of the Conservancy Board." 
And it would have further been enacted, that " the highest rate 
in the pound payable by any uplands included in the district shall 
not exceed one-tenth part of the rate in the pound payable in respect 
of the lands in the district which pay the highest general rate, regard 
shall be had to the extent to which any artificial drainage works for 
such uplands contribute to cause, or aggravate floods within the 
district." 
In the projected Act of 1883, no provision was made for a scien- 
tific examination of the district, previous to or during the Local 
Government Enquiry, or the record of flood levels, the amount of 
rainfall, the amount of absorption, oi' any other data that would be 
useful to the Inspector appointed, in proportion to the time the ob- 
servations had been taken. Xo definition was given of the difference 
between uplands and midlands, or the reason why the river basins 
were not divided into "areas not flooded," and "areas subject to 
flood," judging by some sentences in the projected Act, the "midlands" 
referred to areas only occasionally flooded during the flow periods. 
Should ParHament pass a Bill, enacting that a " Conservancy 
Board " be appointed for each river basin, nominated by the County 
Councils within that basin, before they commence their active opera- 
tions, it will be necessary that the Surveyor or Engineer obtain for 
them reliable information, as to the heights of floods, and that levels 
should be recorded on the six-inch County Maps of the Ordnance 
Survey, such information would be greatly enhanced in value, if a 
record was taken daily of the height of streams on all the county 
bridges, such observations could be readily obtained, if gauges were 
