LINCOL 
they exhibit immenfe trails, chiefly of grazing-land, in¬ 
terfered by deep ditches, called droves, which ferve both 
for fences and drains. Thefe are accompanied generally 
by parallel banks, upon which the roads pafs, and are in¬ 
tended to keep the waters, in flood-time, from overflow¬ 
ing the adjacent lands. They not only communicate 
with each other, but alfo with larger canals, called dykes 
and drains, which, in fome inftances, are navigable for 
boats and barges. At the lower end of thefe are fluices, 
guarded by gates, termed gowts. During the fummer, 
numerous flocks and herds are feen grazing over this mo¬ 
notonous fcene, and many of the paftures afford a luxu¬ 
riant herbage ; but in the winter, or in the autumn, if it 
fliould prove wet, the afpeCl is changed ; the cattle quickly 
difappear, and the eye mult pafs over thoufands of acres 
of water or ice, before it can find an objeCt on which to 
reft. Several caufes combine to produce this drowning 
of the lands. Many of the fens lie below the level of the 
fea; fome are lower than the beds of the rivers ; and all 
are beneath the high-water mark of their refpeftive drains., 
The fubftratum of the fens is Jilt, or fea-fand, which is a 
well-known conductor of water. Through this, when the 
drains are full, the fea-water filters; and, unable to pafs 
by the drains, rifes on the furface, and is known by the 
name of foak. Dugdale was of opinion, that there was a 
time when thefe parts were not inundated. In his hiftory 
of embanking, he obferves, that the ifle of Axholme, 
though for many ages it hath been a fenny trafl, was not 
anciently fo, but was originally a woody country, not an¬ 
noyed with thefe inundations, as is evident from the great 
numbers of trees which had been found in the moor. The 
fame author, fpeaking of the great level, gives his opinion 
that it was formerly firm and dry land, neither annoyed 
with ftagnation of frelh waters, nor inundations from the 
fea; and this he fuppofes was the cafe of the fens in Lin- 
colnfhire, and the adjoining counties; for it is an efta- 
blilhed fad, that large timber-trees will not thrive in wa¬ 
tery lands; and yet fuch have been found lying in the 
earth abundantly in this country. 
The principal rivers which either rife in the county, 
pafs through it, or are connected with it, are the Trent, 
the Ancholme, the Witham, the Welland, and the Glen. 
The Trent, though not properly a river of this county, 
forms the boundary of it on the north-weftern fide, from 
the village of North Clifford to that of Stockworth ; whence 
it conftitutes the eaftern boundary of the ifle of Axholme ; 
it thence flows to Aldborough, and, having received the 
Dun and the Qufe, mingles its waters with the Humber. 
From Gainlborough, where it is crofted by a handfome 
bridge, it is navigable for coals, corn, and various articles 
of commerce. The Ancholme is a fmall river, riling in 
the wolds, near Market-Raifin, whence it is navigable to 
the Humber, into which it falls fome miles below the 
junction of the Trent. The Welland has its fource near 
Sibertoff, in Northamptonlhire; and, being in.creafed by 
numerous itreams, paffes Market-Deeping ; where, enter¬ 
ing the fens, it leaves a portion of its waters and fludge, 
which it had accumulated in its previous paffage through 
the rich lands of Northamptonlhire, Leicefterlhire, and 
Rutlandlhire. Itafterwards meets the contributory Glen, 
and empties itfelf into Fofs-dyke-Wafli, eaft of Bofton. 
The Witham, which is completely a river of this county, 
derives its origin near South Witham ; and thence flows 
almoft due north, through the park of Eafton, and to Great 
Ponton. It proceeds through a wide valley to Lincoln ; 
continuing its courfe to Bofton, it unites its waters with 
the fea at a place called Bofton-Deeps. Much of thepre- 
fent bed of the river, from Bofton upwards, is a new cut, 
made for the purpofe of widening the channel, rendering 
it more commodious for navigation, and better adapted 
to receive and carry off the water of the contiguous fens. 
Thefe rivers, with thofe of the Grant, Oufe, and Nene, in 
the adjacent counties, from the obftruflions they meet in 
delivering their waters to the ocean, form one great caufe 
of inundating fo large a portion of valuable land. In 
Vol, XII. No. 267. 
N S H I R E. 73f 
viewing the various inlets of the fea, it is furprifing t® 
obferve the immenfe quantity of fand and fludge which 
is continually depofiting on the fliore. This is'owing t® 
the nature of the tides, which, from the form of the chan¬ 
nel, flow with more violence than they ebb. Hence the 
mouths of the rivers are choked up, and the defcending 
waters are thrown back on the low-lands. The great bay, 
or eftuary, into which the different livers, palling through 
the fens, are emptied, is very (hallow, and full of drifting 
fands and lilt. That this diftricl was thus flooded at a 
very remote period, is evident from the plans of embank¬ 
ing and draining which the Romans adopted, in order t® 
counteract the mifchievous effects of fuch inundations. 
Since their departure, much has been done at various 
times for the improvement of the fen-country; and a* 
immenle expenfe has been occafionally, and is (till annu¬ 
ally, incurred, to prevent the encroachment of the water, 
and to ameliorate the foil. To the north and north-eaffc 
of the Witham, are the large fenny trails called Wild- 
more Fen, Weft Fen, and Eaft Fen ; in the latter of which, 
it appears by a writ, 4.1 Elizabeth, 5000 acres were drowned. 
A plan is now executing under the direction of that very 
fcientific and able engineer Mr. John Rennie, by which, 
thefe three fens will be effectually drained, and the low¬ 
lands of this part of the county be rendered produClive 
and profitable. The enclofure of Wildmore Fen alone 
will bring into immediate cultivation 40,000 acres; 
of inundated, and confequently of hitherto unprofitable, 
land. It is fo rich, that confiderable part of it i3 now 
felling at 50I. per acre, and the reft is of equal value. 
The aggregate amount, therefore, is 2,000,000k The ex¬ 
penditure of inclofing, draining, See. has coll 400,0001. f® 
that the net profit to the owners of this great work is 
i,6oo,oool. fterling. 
Mr. Young obferves, that there is not probably a coun¬ 
ty in the kingdom that has made equal exertions in this 
very important work of draining. “ The quantity of land 
thus added to the kingdom, has been great; fens of wa¬ 
ter, mud, wild fowl,frogs, and agues, (thefe are his words,) 
have been converted to rich pafture and arable, worth 
from 20s. to 40s. an acre. Health improved, morals cor¬ 
rected, and the community enriched. Thefe, when car¬ 
ried to fuch an extent, are great works, and refleCl the 
higheft credit on the good lenfe and energy of the pro¬ 
prietors. Without going back to very remote periods, 
there cannot have been lefs than 150,000 acres drained 
and improved, on an average, from 5s. an acre to 25s. or 
a rental created of 150,000k a-year. But fuppofe it only 
ioo,oool. and that the profit has on an average been re¬ 
ceived during the period of thirty years; the rental has 
in that time amounted to three millions, and the produce 
to near ten 5 and when, with the views of a political arith¬ 
metician, we refleCl on the circulation that has attended 
this creation of wealth through induftry ; the number of 
people fupported ; the confumption of manufactures ; the 
(hipping employed; the taxes levied by the ftate; and all 
the claffes of the community benefited ; the magnitude 
and importance of fuch works will be feen ; and the pro¬ 
priety well underftood of giving all imaginable encou¬ 
ragement and facility to their execution. Thefe under¬ 
takings prove the reliance of a people on the fecure pof- 
feflion of what their induftry creates ; and, had it not been 
for common-rights, all England would long ago have been 
cultivated and improved ; no caufe preferves our waftes 
in their prefent ftate, but the tendernefs of government in 
touching private property.” Mr. Young gives a bad ac¬ 
count of the women of Lincolnlhire ; who are faid to be 
“very lazy, and to do nothing but bring children and eat 
cake: the men m,ilk the cows.” He adds, however, that 
“ it is impoflible to fpeak too highly in praife of the cot- 
tage-fyftem of this county, where land, gardens, cows, 
and pigs, are fo general in the hands of the poor. Upon 
Views only of humanity and benevolence, it is gratifying 
to every honeft heart to fee that clafs of the people com¬ 
fortable, upon which all others depend : this motive alone 
9 B . ought 
