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General View Of The Agriculture Of The County Of Huntingdon : And Observations On The Means Of Its Improvement : With An Appendix Containing An Account Of The Advantages To Be Derived From An Improved Outfal At The Port Of Lynn : And Answers To The Objections Which It Is Supposed Will Be Urged Against That Measure / Drawn Up For The Consideration Of The Board Of Agriculture And Internal Improvement ; By George Maxwell, Of Fletton, Near Stilton
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here ſtate, that the intended cut was propoſed to be in a ſtraight diredion, or nearly ſo, leaving the river Ouze a little below German's Bridge, and entering it again at a certain point a little above Lynn, thereby cutting off near four miles of its preſent wide crooked courſe, which is at all times dangerous, and often impracticable, for lighters to navigate. It will appear in evidence before both Houſes of Parliament, that the preſent expence of navigating this roundabout courfe is 7½4.; and the expence of navigating the new cut will be 2 ₰d.; making a difference of 5 ½3. per ton; and over and abore this, as lighters are frequently ſunk, that the inland merchants who ſend corn to Lynn would gladly pay one fhilling per laſt to inſure their cargoes againſt the dangers of this inland navigation. A laſt is equal.to a-ton and a half on the average of oats and other heavy grain, which is at the rate of 84. per ton, or thereabout; and this 84. added to the 5½7. is one fhilling and one penny farthing per ton, which will be ſaved to the conſumer for ever after the expiration of the 10 years, Whilſt 9ετ. will be ſaved during the continuance of the impott.

Alchough, as has been before obſerved, no preciſe argument has hitherto appeared againſt the making of this outfal, ic is ſuppoſed that ſuch objections as the following may be held out againſt it.

Firſt. By tbe Lyna merchants. That the effect of the ſcheme will be uncertain, and may endanger the harbour and trade of Lynn, for want of the large indraught of the tides in the bay between Eau Brink and Lynn, which they alledge now ſerve as a reſervoir; and that the ſand banks in the harbour and towards ſea will not be diminiſhed, but removed to a more dangerous ſituation, and increaſe the difficulty of the navigation between Lynn and the Crutch.

Anſæver. The ſea is always deep in proportion to the height of tbe adjoining coaſt; and where it is fhallow very confiderable harbours have been loſt. Witneſs Flect Harbour, once famous in hiſtory, and Caſtle Riſing*, on the ruins of which the harbour of Lynn obtained its conſequence. Had their loſs been occaſioned by the execution of any ſuch works as are now recommended, ſome proper ground for alarm might reſult from the fact; but, on the contrary, the ſea deſerting the ſhore, an accretion of ſoil took place; and this being after- wards embanked, without bringing forwards tocwarde the ſea, the outfalls of the adjacent country, thoſe outfalls in time ſilted up, and the harbours into which they fell became Jand likewiſe; whilſt the drainage of the country communicating with thoſe harbours was entirely loſt. That the ſame cauſes exiſting at Lynn and Wiſbech, would, in che nature of things, produce

* Caſtle Riſing is on a hill, the only one in the eounty; but the propoſition is, that the ſea is always deep when the fhore is mountainous, and fhallow when the fhore is flat; and the town of Caſtle Rifing being upon a hill does not weaken the argument, for mountzinous countries abound with ſprings, whoſe waters(in addition to the downfall waters) falling from a great height into the ſtreams which communicate with the ſea, greatly affiſt the reflux of the tides in grinding a deep bot- tom. Witneſs Catwater at the mouth of the river Tamar, and various other bays on the Devonſhire and Corniſh coaſt 3 and Witneſs alſo Milford Haven, and various other bays on the Welch coaft. Trefer particularly to theſe two places, becauſe they are mentioned in a Report, lately publiſhed at the inſtance of the town of Lynn, as cafes to be compared with the caſe of Lynn; when the fact is, that no two things in the univerſe can be more direly oppofite in principle, whether we confider the comparative foulneſs of the bays, or quantity, velocity, and ſtrength of the living flreams falling into them.

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