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But during these hard and various skirmishes l observed, than that Wing of Sand, that gave me the assault, began to contract into a much less compass. For by stopping of it 4. or 5. years (what I could) with Furre-hedges, set upon one another, as fast as the Sand levell'd them (which l find to be the best Expedient to hinder its passage, and by which I have raised Sandbanks near 20 yards high) I brought it into the Circuit of about 8. or 10 acres: And then in one year by laying some hundreds of Loads of Muck and good earth upon it, I have again reduced it to Terra firma, have clear'd all my Walls, and by the assistance and kindness of my neighbours (who help'd me away with above 1500 loads in one month) cut a passage to my house through the main body thereof.
But the other end of the Town met with a much worse fate, where divers dwellings are buried or overthrown, and our Pastures and Meadows (which were very considerable to so small a Town, both for quantity and quality) over-run and destroy'd: And the branch of the River Ouse, upon which we border, (being better known by the name of Thetford-or Brandon-River, between which two Towns we lye,) for 3 miles together so fill'd with Sand, that now a Vessel with two load weight passeth with as much difficulty as before with 10. But had not the stream interpos'd, to stop its passage into Norfolk, doubtless a good part of that Country had ere now been left a desolate Trophy of this Conquering Enemy. For according to the proportion of its increase in these 5 miles, which was from 10. acr. to 15 o; or 20 o; in 10 miles more of the same soil it would have been swell'd to a great vastness.
And now, Sir, I have given you the History of our Sands. I shall out of my respects to your design, (which I truly venerate, and should be glad to be subservient to in the meanest capacity) make this poor Essay towards a Discovery of a Reason and Cause of this strange Accident. Where the first thing observable to me is the quality and situation of the Country, in which this troublesome Guest first took his rise; which lyes East-Nord-East of a part of the great Level of the Fenns, and is thereby fully exposed to the rage of those Impetuous blasts, we yearly receive out of the opposite quarter: which, I suppose, acquiremore
