The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-11 00:00:00

POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION. r
(THIS DAY.)
A lecture on agricultural draining was delivered to-
day at this establishment, by Dr. Bullock Webster, illus-
trated by a number of tiles, pipes, and other means for
drawing off from the surface water which now generally
impedes the fertility of a large portion of the soil of the
United Kingdom.
In the course of his observations, the lecturer insisted
on the folly of deep draining, especially on strong and
tenacious soils. His impression was, that a
drain of four or five feet in depth was .
quite sufficient to render the land within
twenty feet on either side of it sufficiently dry to
fit it for the best crops. He insisted especially on the
advisability of filling up whatever excavations might be
made with porus stuff instead of with the orignal soil.
The small pipes lately employed were, in Dr. Webster's
opinion, totally useless for anything like an effectual
drainage, for their joints might be dislocated either by
the contraction or by the upheaving of a clay soil, and,
in his opinion, the better plan would be to substitute a
pipe of one-and-a-half by two-and-a-half inches, divided
longitudinally, so that the upper half of the pipe might
be placed midway over the joints of the lower half, and
thus dislocation would be altogether prevented, and the
water allowed free course. The best system of drainage
is that which allows the superflu.us water to be drawn oft,
and secures the whole of the ammonia and other nutri-
tious qualities of the moisture which falls from the clouds.
By the use of a proper tile that would be effected.
The Romans made open water courses, and then
laid in them bones, horns, and bushes, but all these
substances are subject to (It cay and require renewal,
while on the other hand, for an extra expense of
about 10s, an acre effective tiles might be obtained. In
some parts of the country peat is used as well as bushes,
and the lecturer would allow that, where the landlord
would not permit tile draining, either might be a good
substitute. Again, in other parts, fir poles, and
heath, and stones, are used, and though any of these
might do where the work was well done, they are all
objectionable ; stone drainage especially, though the best
of the three, is, in Dr. Webster's opinion, more expensive
than tiles. One great obstacle also, which is experienced
by tenant-farmers, arises from the presence of ash-trees,
which are apt to thrust their roots into the drains and stop
them. At the request of the Duke of Richmond, the
lecturer exhibited part of the root of an ash tree, about
the size of a man's arm, which he had taken out of a
drain at Strathfieldsaye. An evil of such atkind, his
Grace conceived, is only to be remedied by extirpating
every ash tree upon every estate in the kingdom. There is
also a great objection to iron pipes, on account of the
same tendency to fill up through the deposits of Car-
bonate of iron ; and the best plan to obviate that diffi-
culty is to cut out pieces:tin both sides of one
end of a portion of iron pipe, and then bend
them together, so as to give it the appearance of a snake's
mouth. That plan would prevent the deposit of car-
boniferous matter, as well as keep out rats and other
vermin. He was led to make CAn observation, from
having seen the mischief extensively exhibited on Sir
Robert Peel's estate at Drayton.
After showing the various forms of tiles used for
drainage, the lecturer observed that AO one plan could be
adopted for every country, for the nature of the subsoil
is in every respect to be considered; but in all the books
that had been published, and in all his consultations with
the most eminent men in different parts of the coun-
try, he found that deep draining in stiff soils is always
injudicious. The kcturer had a numerous and attentive
audience, and was loudly and repeatedly cheered through-
out his observations.

BANK OF ENGLAND.
(From this Night's Gazette.)
An Account, pursuant to the Act 7th and Bth of Victoria, cap. 32, for
the Week ending on Saturday, the sth day of December, 1846.
ISSUE DEPARTMENT.
..

gotes i55ued........ 28,20,10 S

Government debt • . 11,015,100
Other securities •• .. 2,984,900
Gold coin and bullion 11,762,647
Silver bullion .• •• .. 2,506,458

£28,20,105

£ 28,269,105
M. MARSHALL, Chief Cashier.
1846.
EPAITMEN T.

Dated the 10th day of Decem'

Government securi-
ties (including Dead
Weight Annuity) • • 12,807,417
Other securities •• .. 13,853,212
Notes • • ..• ..... • • 8,402,300
Gold and silver coin•• 733,768

I £35,796,697
M. MARSHALL, Chief Cashier.
r, 1846.