148 
THE MIDDLE LIAS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 
porous and impervious beds are comparatively thin, and, 
therefore, they are rare near Northampton, and west of it. 
Of instances nearer Northampton than most of those 
given, I would point to the one at Welton clay pit, already 
referred to in Part I., where water passed into the Marlstone 
below, as fast as it could be delivered. 
The Northampton sand is very much used as a receptacle 
for surplus water. Many drains in Northampton have no 
connection with the culvert, but gratings open on to the rock, 
and any quantity of water may be got rid of this way. 
Limestone pits are sometimes drained by making a hole 
to the Northampton sand below. The limestone pit at 
Kingsthorpe was so drained a few years ago, my informant 
saying, that the water, which had given them so much 
trouble, was all disposed of in twenty minutes, after making 
communication with the porous bed below. 
The Legal Difficulties in connection with the carrying 
out of such a scheme as that proposed in these pages, I must 
confess, might be considerable, if any use were made of the 
river, or its feeding streams. The Nen is a remarkable 
instance of the divided control and jurisdiction which is often 
so detrimental to permanent improvements in a river course, 
for there are seventeen different bodies to deal with the 
riparian and the river interests. 
When a stream is running over private ground, the 
stream is practically private property; it belongs to the 
riparian proprietor, and in cases where the stream divides 
two properties, the middle line of the stream is the boundary, 
but in neither case has the land owner the right to 
appropriate the water to the detriment of his neighbours. 
The Nen also is canalised eastward of Northampton, hence 
an additional difficulty is introduced. To my unlegal mind it 
does seem strange that opposition should be raised to a plan 
for relieving the river of surplus water, when it could be 
well spared, and might otherwise do damage. I do not 
believe the difficulties in this direction are insuperable; 
but, supposing they were, the scheme is only to a small 
extent injured thereby, for there is no similar jurisdiction 
over underground waters, such as would be chiefly used. 
An owner of certain lands can appropriate all the water flow¬ 
ing under them, whether it drains his neighbour’s wells or 
not; hence the essential part of the scheme could be carried 
out by making arrangements with each land proprietor 
separately, a much easier matter than obtaining the united 
consent of a number of persons. 
(To be continued.) 
