Fens Drainage.- Vermuyden (Sir Cornelius) A Discourse touching the Drayning the Great Fennes...lying Within the severall Counties of Lincolne, Northampton, Huntingdon, Norfolke, Suffolke, Cambridge, and the Isle of Ely, first edition, with the rare A1 leaf with large woodcut of Royal arms, title with typographical border, folding engraved map by Tho.Cross, woodcut illustrations, ink signature of Wm. Palmer to recto of A1 and comments "collated & perfect" and "wth ye Mapp" in earlier hand, map with a couple of short tears to edges (repaired and mounted on stub), text browned, a few leaves reinforced at edges, modern russet morocco, spine slightly faded, [Wing V241], 4to, by Thomas Fawcet, 1642.

⁂ Vermuyden (1595-1677), a Dutch engineer, wrote this discourse for Charles I in 1637, although it was not published until 1642, and made two proposals: washes (areas of land permitted to flood in times of very wet weather) and a catchdrain at the eastern edge of the fen. The washes were constructed in the 1650s but the catchdrain not until the 1960s. Having been appointed as agent by Charles I in 1639 the Civil War interrupted the works and did not proceed again until 1649, being completed in 1652.

ESTC lists 7 UK locations including this Rothamsted copy, but the collation given (?BL) is lacking the first leaf. Only 2 copies have appeared at auction.