two confiderable '-riVSts'co'me fo iilekf'each -other in .thl middldmft
the County, that they almoft dut it in twain. From‘’L6ftwythyel,
(where‘the Me from th£ South' Sow “teaches) to 'PayBtbk,'"* whither
the tide cbm’es- up from -the^Nbrth', the^diftance* is teight,miles;-
but from 'Kefprin Bridge^ near Lanhydroe' ‘ Park, tb Dunmere
Bridge, ahbut a mile- frotn the town ofBodman, (#yboth which-
pla'qes fhe fftreams are* confiderable) the diftance is butffour m ites;
and in fhis intermediate fpace, ..many kfigr- ftreams occur; which,
might ‘cbmfe in aid, to promote the union of - thbiN’orth' and South
Cbafts. The advantages of1 fuch an union, rard^ tod? obvious tothfe*
particularized, and the difficulties too few to difcourage the Undertaking,
whenever a public fpirit, for rendering risers navigable, fhall arife
in £his nation. It is indeed to be wifhed, that as the ^es-of, alb.begiri
to foe fee advantage of good roads dor ',traefosand travellers',! foriley
may in time awake, and perceive the^greater, at leaft tqual; acfo,
vantage of improving the wafer-carriage.of this nation. .Moftuff
our creels are'capable; o f being1 made navigable higher. upbntoJthe
country, than they'are at-prefont; and indeed were. fo fdrmeiilyt:,
and though this might feent needlefs here' in>lCornwaik"',^d|@|d!the
lea is fo near us on either hand, yetT think this isJai ftrorig’ argu-
ment-for, inftead of being agaiM lhe’ improvenyent'^f'raiip\\ateF?x
carriage"; it being evidently of fo' much the lefs difficulty, ‘as the
fpace is fhort, and of lb much the greater-advantage than making
Rivers navigable in an inland coun try 's* the produds o f 'the* Sea;
and-the'Sea-coaft cohamercc, muftreVcedl the>produds of anyone
inland county. But farther : As nature has idenied otherima’hures;
fiich as lime, chalk, marie, ' or.»rather art :• has» hoc!yetrdifcovefed
them in any anfwerable goddnefs^and plenty;V.Sear^fand fandrbreV
weed may be reckoned our principal iand 'mofeprSlifiitt manures^
and fo many o f our farmers afe forced to carry fand fix,height, - or
ten miles, and fometimes more; that in the Philofophical Trdnfafci
tions, April 1675, in a letter to Dr. Daniel Cox, I find the carriage
is effimated at 32,000k- a year: if therefore we were to receive--rib
other benefit than the laving itt this one article of Sea^-fand, which
finely might be reckoned one half of the prefent carriageV it could
not be unworthy the publick notice of this County. But many
other and ftill greater conveniencies are obvious, fuch as bringing
up timber and other materials for building, and tin-works, carrying,
recarrying, and exporting metals, communicating neceffaries
-from London and Briftol, introducing the produds, of foreign,
countries, eafier conveyance of coal, and wood (with which the fides
of our navigable Rivers are remarkably well furnifhed) for firing.
Thefe apparent advantages of improving our navigable Rivers moved
fome worthy patriots of the laftcentury.to make an eflay on one particular
O P C 0 R N W A % L. 49
%OTlkr River-^ that-theyrmfl^mth^ better eftimate the expence, and
apply ■ rrtbre^l^jecjSfsfully forfedfaffiftance oF'Farliametit. Accord-
pagly they/finifiledpife^lqck, #khc,’ifs .leat twelve fe^b’wide, which
raifed the ’fyater eight jfeet, at thfelJiiarge fofij fkfcty -pounds. This was
-looked’ upoh%&fo great an enloUf^-meht,feat.,a bill was- brought
into Parliament .'tpfina-Me .'all'^tKdt'Rliefs; in Cornwall,■; whieh Vere-
capable ‘ o f foehifinprbvement,' n a g^ b le : 1 the-.'bill 'paffed the Houfo
of CommohsjWith great- approbation':, kiwis afterwards' introduced
finto,t’hJHodf^of^.Lords with;-w^^sf^this effed;;. ^Phate itwas a
noblg’defigH;f|hd!might|Iil^ ’pattern.f^/ahEnglahdt° follow.*;
kBut?‘it wSilfrib^farther, itj£hdrfg then but fbuf days;to .the -end of thfe
feffibii ;- feel- the cM l% l# of' ©bale's'1. foon after ,en(uijjg, put an.
endfe'ffiil he&pficial aterftpt, and* deferred, the gfoty bfeacc,omplifhing
^t, tilll tfi'^ipe?rpirit ify happy 'enottgh^fd'mQGid^wi'th more power.
It is hinted before,-4t|at our Rivers-! and Creeks! were, .formerly
navigable much higher-0up thanfeeyare nowimthb truth is, .the beds
tof the Riveys are railed- feyeral ^^perpendicular by the earth, find,
and grSVel1 from - the "hills: this! is. natural ;in all,places, in proportion
to the- quantitjbtof rain, (-the .’declivity of; the grounds, ,a;nd the
iargenefs-of Rivers ;C?bnt\ with 'iis; ih... Cornwall- tmuch projncjtedjfc^
digging‘and ftreaming for, ftamping and.dreffing our,metals, all,
performedaPlie water' ‘fide/ and^he/refbfe^alfTW^gd^ihto the
.Riverslfeh.en.efe into- our harbours."' .This :d i aldgfov|wvg^vil>d ^0^ ■
plained ofe by Leland^ and Carew^.(page ;2,7>-but ftill* unredte-ffed;
l» # " f h e r e are many more mines novw than formerly,’"■ ';yh|ife<ls-i9f
bur-Rivefs will rife proportionably quicker,riian in former._dm.es, sand
make it ftill more difficult to.continue thdnavigatipm,even upondls
prefen^fobting; There was an ad ofoParliament, made in'the.{23c!
of Hebry VIII. “ that none' fhotild, labour :in . tin^wotks near the
Devon and Cornifh havens” (Cardv, page 2 7 ® ^ though vthis.ad
isfobfolde/it might poifibly be re-enaded- upon proper application,
and be made more effedual to anfwer the falutary purpofes integded*
C H A! P.
O f jh e Lakes and ‘Sep fof , Cornwall.^
A S one. general ridge' O^, hills riu^ihrqtigh the middle of
this County, and the Sea ^ f o near on' either 'hand,'1 the
rivers, which rife in the higb^^munds, haVe buf^ftiort pjtfTage
,It to the ocean ; and meeting wil^iSo_confi.dera.ble^impediments, few
|,oiily. and fmalLLakes are
-> Suppofed ter be the bytiist, « Letter to the iudlor fro* yFrthawk, ,
O H R Four
SECT. I,