northerly direction from Earith to Benwick, where it met a part of the Nene, and falling down with the Nene water, it again joined the first-mentioned branch at Shrewsnest Point,* and they then concurred in one course from thence by Upwell, Outwell, and Elm, (dividing the isle of Ely from Marshland) to Wisbech and Cross Keys Wash, which was at one time the only outfall for the waters of this great level, and so were carried to the sea.

The Nene, whose head is about Catesby, in Northamptonshire, running through Peterborough, there divided itself. The chief branch formerly passed by Standground and Horsey Bridge, to Whittlesea Mere, and through Ugg and Ramsey Meres, to Benwick above-named, and there joined the West Water (or second branch of the Ouse) from Earith. The united streams thence descended to a place called Great Cross, where they divided into two other branches, of which one, a minor branch, (called the Plant Water) took a further northerly direction by Guyhirn to Wisbech; and the other took a direct course from Great Cross, through March, to the said Shrewsnest Point, where it united itself to the first branch of the Ouse from Stretham, and thus took its course by Wisbech to the sea. The second principal branch of the Nene, after passing through Peterborough, ran by Thorney Bar and Singleholt, to

One branch of the Ouse, in its present course, enters the county of Cambridge at the Hermitage, near Earith, runs down the Hundred-feet or New Bedford river, in a northerly direction, by Sutton, Mepal, and Manea, and enters Norfolk a little to the east of Welney. The other branch, after its junction with the Grant, passes by Ely, and receiving the waters of the Mildenhall river, proceeds to Denver sluice, where the two branches unite and continue their course by Downham, Stow, Magdalen, and St. German's, to Lynn, and thence to their outfall.

Crowland, where it united with the Welland, and passed with it to Spalding, and so to the sea,

The Welland has its rise near Sibertoft, in Northamptonshire, and coming to Market Deeping, passed to Crowland, where it divided into two branches,-the one leading by South Eau to Clow's Cross, and so by Guyhirn towards Wisbech; the other in a more slow course to Spalding.

The course of these rivers shews that at Wisbech was anciently, and we may say originally, the Grand Outfall for all the vast aggregate body of waters brought down from the rivers Grant, Ouse,* a considerable part of the Nene, and several minor streams, as was also the great estuary by which the tides flowed into and up the several above-mentioned rivers; at which time the haven of Lynn was but six poles wide, † serving only to discharge the water coming down the little Ouse or Brandon river, and the small rivers of Stoke, Setch, and Nar.

Causes leading to the Decay of the original Outfall at Wisbech, by the diversion of the Ouse Waters through a new Cut at Littleport Chayre, and the neglect of ancient Sewers.

Presuming that the inhabitants of the country, as it became more settled, followed the example originally

* The Ouse uttereth the great collected body of water it hath brought with it, out of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Essex, Hertford, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, and Northamptonshire, (ten counties) into the North Sea, after having made a course of 160 miles. Badeslade, p. 4.

+ In former ages, the channel of Lenne haven (as by good records appeareth) was not above six poles wide, Badeslade, p. 1.

set by the Romans, they would proceed to take in and embank increasing quantities of land towards the coast, whereby the high country waters would be kept from the sea, whither the descent of the country would have carried them, had there been no such obstructions. Notwithstanding these embankments, the grand outfall by Wisbech would, from the communication between the Nene and Ouse, for a long time continue good; but when the quantity of ebb left to return with the land waters diminished, and the outfalls began to decay, the more remote parts of the level would become inundated. The drains then contrived would divide the waters into different courses, and thus deprive the main rivers of their usual supply, which in consequence would gradually diminish in depth, and thus impede the flow of the tides up their channels. The waters remaining upon the land would not only deposit the sullage, but cover the surface with moor. Through these impediments, the upland waters would come down less rapidly, and the tides being restrained, and the quantity of ebb diminished, they would neither have strength enough to maintain one certain course in so large an outfall, nor sufficient force to scour out the sands, so as to preserve a sufficiently deep channel. Causes of this nature may have led, in some degree, to the decay of the ancient outfall at the port of Wisbech. But the great bane, and what completed the destruction of that noble outfall, was the diverting so large a portion of the waters of the great Ouse, to the channel of

The river Ouse, its outfall by Wisbech decaying, was not only cut ́straight, but by a new river made from Littleport Chayre to Rebeck, was let fall into Ouse Parva or Brandon Water, and thence by Salter's Lode to Lynn haven, its former course to Littleport being by Wellenhee or Welle, and so to the North Sea at Wisbech. Dug. p. 372.

the little Ouse or Brandon river, by making a new cut from Littleport, by Rebeck, and Priest's Houses, into the little Ouse, and so turning its course to Lynn instead of Wisbech.

It is difficult to determine when this cut was made, though it seems to have been done at a very early period; but the straightness of this part, so contrary to the usual course of the stream, plainly shews it to be artificial. This cut, although it might relieve a certain part of the country, was unquestionably very fatal to the port of Wisbech, which, by the loss of so great a body of upland water, and so large a receptacle for the tides, must much sooner and more hastily fall into decay and ruin, and in time become insufficient even to pass off the waters of the Nene itself, by which means, those parts of the level bordering upon it would become inundated and drowned.

A

That the ancient outfall of the great Ouse was by Wisbech to the sea, is testified by the sea banks from Outwell to Wisbech, along the whole tract. further testimony is, that when the Wisbech channel decayed, the people of Marshland, finding themselves overcharged by the waters, made complaint to king Edward the first, who granted a commission for restoring these "Waters of Upwell" (for so the Ouse which formerly passed that way was called) to the

It was probably made in the time of Edward I;-about 1274.

↑ A record vouched by Mr. Hexham, surveyor to William, Earl of Arundel, shews that at some time there was no river between Littleport Chayre and Rebeck, or Priest's Houses. Badeslade.

Badeslade, p. 6.