xxvi EN ER OD CLEC WN:

The following is Mr. Elkington’s own account of the way in which he was firft led into the train

of difcovering this mode of draining by means of

tapping, as it was told to me by a gentleman of great veracity, who had it from Mr. Elkington himfelf; and it appears to be fo natural, as fully convinces me that it is ftri@ly the truth. Mr. Elkington’s father having died about the year 1763, left him in poffeffion of a{mall farm of wet four land. He found that no good could be made of it without previous draining. He ac- cordingly fet to work to drain itin the ufual Way; but after having laid out as much money as his narrow funds could afford, he had the mortifica- tion to find that no benefit had refulted from his labour; which tended very much to difcourage him. While he was ina ftate of defpondency on this account, he, by accident, dug a little deeper than ufual in one of his drains, and found, to his great furprife, that a copious fpring of water burft forth from the hole, which continued to flow with a plentiful ftream for a very long period of time. He dug deeper in feveral other places with the fame effect, though the ftreams were lefs copious than the firft. In confequence of thefe openings, he had the fatisfa€tion to perceive that his fields gradually became drier and drier,

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