DRAINAGE OF OTMOOR. 
261 
that he would give her, for the benefit of the poor, as 
much land as she could ride round while a sheaf of oats 
was burning. Otmoor was like a vast lake in winter ; but 
in spite of its apparent uselessness and swampiness, very 
serious riots occurred when the district was enclosed some 
sixty years ago. There are to be seen the remains of a 
fine Roman road across the moor, and the Dean would 
point out to the way-wardens of the fen villages how the 
Romans, the best road-makers in the world, made solid 
foundations for their streets or ways, keeping them well 
raised in the middle, with ditches on either side. These 
open drains lasted for centuries, and slabs of stone can still 
be plainly seen which lined the deep watercourses. After 
much persuasion, he succeeded in getting the roads in 
these marsh villages raised, the ditches kept dug out, freed 
from vegetable growth, and properly levelled, so that the 
water might flow away freely instead of becoming stag¬ 
nant. This simple plan soon made its advantages felt; 
ague disappeared, and the health of these low-lying villages 
wonderfully improved. It must not be supposed that 
this result was gained by a few casual visits. Buckland’s 
efforts for the health of the people were unwearied, and 
he never ceased to impress on his children's minds that any 
work undertaken, if it was to be of any value or success, 
must be “taken trouble with.” “Never spare yourself,” 
he said. 
In 1846 the dark shadow of famine crept over the land. 
Not only in Ireland was the potato crop a total failure, 
but in England also the disease was universal. Wheat 
was both scarce and costly ; but, till the time of scarcity 
