I 44.

thoſe who are not intereſted in the Bedford Level. With equal propriety might thev be called upon to follow the ſea by a cut and embankment below Lynn, ſhould it hereafter retreat to any diſtance below Lynn.

It is ſaid, that by the 15th of Charles II. ſect. 5. the Bedford Level are impowered to make b ſe works for conveying of the waters of the Great Level, as well without as within their levels; but can this clauſe be conſtrued to extend to the cutting a new river many miles below their boundary, and which is to ſerve a country unconnected wich the Great Level, over which ii they have no power or controul? l

It has been faid, that the 95,Ooo acres are liable to every work of drainage; and that ſu neither the free lands or the navigation ought to bear an impoſt while any part of thoſe V of 95,000 acres are capable of taxation.—

It is a well known fact, that by the decay of the outfall at Lynn, the current in the OQuze, b and in the various rivers connected therewith, has been ſo much checked, that the Beds of the rivers have greatly ſilted up, and the water therein being raiſed againſt the banks, the expences„. 6 of fupporting them have increaſed ſo much, that many thouſand actes of adventurers' land, part of the 95,00O acres, have been given up to the corporation as incapable of ſupporting the load of taxes neceſſarily impoſed for the ſupport of the works of drainage, and which have been 1 laid as high as the lands could poſſibly bear; this, added to a large debt, borrowed on the ſecurity of the taxes applied for the benefit of the levels, puts it out of the power of the Bedford Level Corporation to ſupport their preſent works, much more to extend tliem to any new and great works like the preſent.

The maintenance of the works of the corporation were long ſince found by experience to exceod the fund for their fupport. The banks alone were originally 200 miles in length, V beſides above 5o other great works; and the corporation were under the neceſſity of abandon- ing them all, except the great river banks, and all the inward works fell to decay.

The owners of free lands and the country at large were truly ſenſible of the inability of the corporation to do thoſe works, and under that conviction have, at different periods, ſupported the internal works under numerous acts of parliament, obtained for putting parts of the ſaid levels into diſtricts; and at this day all the internal works are ſupported by che land owners 4 under thoſe various diſtrict acts, and money is indiſcriminately raiſed on all lands within the diſtricts, as well adventurers as free lands, ſo that the corporation were reduced to the neceſſity 6 of abandoning the idca of INTERNAIL DRAINAGE, wHICHI HAs BEEN SINCE COM MITTE V ¹ BY Law To THE FPKOPRIETORS OF THE LANDS; who, with the aſſſtance of the corporation, cf are now endeavouring to obtain what is known by each deſcription of parties intereſted, to be m the only thing that can be done for the improvement of the outfall. Beſides, the oppoſition V hold out an idea of bringing forward a plan of their own, without conſidering that the cor- poration of Bedford Level are as much bound to execute that, or any other plan, as they are bound to do this which is now objected to.

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Oëjections from part of the country of Marſpland.— That many parts of Marſhland, which, V for diſtinction ſake, are called Highlands, are to be taxed by this plan, and will not receive 4 benefit by the propoſed cut, being already ſufficiently drained, and therefore ought to be exempt from tax.

Anſcer to tbe objections from part of the country of Marpland.— The country of Marſhland has ever been under the care of the commifſioners of ſewers for the county of Norfolk.

All the cuts and drains belonging to the Level of Marfhland were at firſt deſigned and 4 made to catry off the freſh and ſalt waters, which might at any time chance to annoy or ſu⸗ 3

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