rock presented. The result of it is stated to be the entire reclaiming of more than 30 statute acres of bog, now laid dry to the depth of 10 feet; thereby affording a cutting of the best description of turf (a most valuable article in this district) over the whole surface, upon an average of seven feet, yielding an income, for the next seven years, of about £150, thereby repaying the outlay and interest at the end of a little more than six years, being a return of about £17 per cent.; and ultimately the same quantity of good meadow land, in perpetuity, at a rent of at least a pound an acre. The advantage to the neighbourhood does not rest here. By draining this lake, the benefit is extended to the adjoining lands and the tenantry; and its vicinity is relieved from the great evils arising at all seasons from a stagnant pool of water. A similar operation is in progress upon the river bounding the estates of the Marquess of Downshire and David Ker, Esq., near Ballynahinch; where, by a heavy cutting through rock, and diverting a portion of the course of the river, the water in it will be lowered six feet, and a large tract of bog, in wet seasons of very little use, will be laid dry; and the adjoining meadows also much benefited by the draining. It is, of course, at the joint expense of both proprietors. The advantage that will be derived by this last operation cannot as yet be specifically estimated, but there is no doubt it will be very great, both to the landlords and their tenants. It has often occasioned surprise that similar works are not oftener undertaken. There are nearly every where many loughs and bogholes, the contents of which, whether turbary, marl, or land, would, if well drained, pay well for the outlay, in

money and land, as well as in healthfulness to the district, and employment to the peasantry."

Land-locked Bogs or Morasses.-Besides lakes, there are numerous basins containing stagnant water, not produced by springs, but merely by rains descending down the sides, and resting on an impervious subsoil. Such bogs or morasses are very common in many parts of Ireland. Many of these are so low, as compared with the surrounding country, that their drainage, by means of a cut, is either impossible or too expensive; therefore, the water must be carried downwards, by perforating the impervious bed of clay on which it rests. When this retentive stratum rests on a porous one, or upon a rock with fissures, the drainage may be effected by perforation; but when the under stratum does not absorb the water passing through the perforated stratum, the drainage, by this method, must be abandoned.

It sometimes happens that water ascends through the perforated stratum, as in Artesian wells; and when this is the case, the drainage by perforation must be abandoned. When the quantity of water is not great, and the ground circumstanced as in the two last cases, the best plan would be to cut deep and capacious ditches along the lowest part of the morass, raising the adjacent parts by the amount of the stuff excavated.

These deep cuts collect and retain all the water, leaving the banks sufficiently dry for pasture or meadow, and checking the further growth of moss. When the drainage is effected by boring, the drains are to be cut very narrow, and covered over with small loose stones, to within a foot and a-half of the top, otherwise the

auger-holes would soon be choked by the sand and loose mud brought thither by the rain-water. The perforated drain should be made in the lowest part, towards which other drains should be directed; the number and extent depending on the quantity of land and water to be drained.

In the annexed figure, AB is the perforated drain, cut along the lowest part of the ground, into which all the water is conveyed by the cross-drains, as represented in the figure. If the water be found to ascend

through the auger-holes, they must be closed up at once, to prevent further injury by an increased quantity of water from below. The cases in which boring answers are very few; the author never having seen a case himself, can only depend upon the testimony of others for their utility.

From what has been said, it appears evident that marshes or other low places, retaining water, may be drained in the same manner as lakes; but lakes containing much water, can never be drained by boring.

Drainage of low flat grounds, without any fall or outlet.-In situations presenting no natural fall or outlet, the process of draining and reclaiming becomes very expensive. There are two ways in which the drainage of such places may be effected. The one is by covering the surface with a sufficient quantity of stuff, drawn from some other locality, so as to raise it beyond the injurious influence of the water. The first layer laid on should be stones or gravel, to allow the water to pass freely, and thereby prevent its rising to

the top, where it would be injurious to the pasture, crops, or buildings. This process may be seen in the neighbourhood of Dublin, on the banks of the Liffey. This method, however, is too expensive to be remunerative. It is never practised to any extent, except in the neighbourhood of a large town or city, where the land becomes valuable as building ground or town parks, or where the health of the inhabitants demands such improvements. The other method of draining such land is similar to that employed in draining the low lands in Holland. A certain portion is surrounded by an embankment, which is rendered perfectly impervious by puddling. Inside the embankment is cut a deep trench, to which the water is conveyed from the rest of the enclosure, and from this reservoir the water is pumped over the embankment. Open parallel drains are cut through the inclosed ground, all leading to the same reservoir, from which the water is bailed or pumped over the embankment, where it runs off. Should it be found difficult or expensive to convey all the water to one reservoir, then two or more may be sunk in some convenient locality, from which the water conveyed thither by the several drains may be easily pumped over the embankment. Windmills are frequently used for this purpose. In any case, the expense must be compared with the probable value of the land when drained, before the work commences. Without first calculating the probable return and outlay, the work might be productive of considerable loss to the undertaker. Drainage of this description is both expensive and difficult to be executed, therefore it should be commenced with due caution.

Open drains or ditches often answer the double

purpose of conveying the superfluous water, and of enclosing the fields; they are, however, very dangerous fences, as cattle may be apt to fall into them, when unprotected by a bank, wall, hedge, or rail.

The Carse of Gardrie, a district in Scotland, containing about 30,000 acres of rich clay land, has been attended with, perhaps, unparalleled success. By mutual consent, the proprietors agreed upon the most eligible lines for cutting large drains from 15 to 20 feet deep, for conveying the water collected in them to the nearest accessible river. Ditches of small size were next drawn, surrounding and intersecting the farms, so as to serve for the divisions of the different fields, the water of which they collected and emptied into the large drain. The depths of these ditches were seldom less than four feet, their width at top six, and at the bottom from one to one foot and a half.

A vast quantity of land might be gained by the drainage of lakes in Ireland, all commanding such a fall as to render any expensive mode of drainage unnecessary; among the principal ones may be mentioned, Lough Neagh, Lough Foyle, Lough Corrib, Lough Swilly, Lough Mask, and numerous others of less extent

It is much to be regretted, that more facilities are not afforded to companies, and private individuals, for effecting so desirable an object as the drainage of lakes, bogs, marshes, and other waste lands in Ireland, by which the unemployed population might be supplied with constant work, instead of being thrown as a burden on the people. The reclamation of about three millions of acres of peat soil, (besides vast quantities of flooded lands and lakes,) which is the estimated extent in Ireland,