Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/184

 £hap. V. O f 'M : k N t k £ s r fc R. i 55 iri war. So mxift the Siftorttii have thought, when, on the ir- Wption bf the Carnabii into the provinces of their (buthcrn hdghboilr*, fcltey retbJved to provide for their own fecurky by the fbrtfficirtribiii of their fouthirn border. In this prudent refo- Jutioft firfVeyitig the banks of their limitary ftream, and the ford at Warrihgten neceffarily att rafting thek immediate atten- tion, thfejr mtift have dagerly feized this remarkable peninfiila, and hare- mffantly fettled a fufBcient garrifon within it. The extent of it was fuch ae thi Skiluntii fortified at Manchefter* being, like that, about twelve ftatute-acres in compafs. The ifthmus in its narrowoft point was only about ten yards in width at the height of tfre tide and about twenty at its recefs, and would be eafily fee* red by a rampart aad a ditch. And a ram- part of feveh or eight feet in helgfht, entered as the ft at ion at Man- chester appears to have been elitered, not by openings in the line of the vallum* but by floping accents to the creft of it, would prevent all £hoie accidental overflowings of the land-floods ib which the ground muft have been previoufly fubje&> and by which it is how gefeefaUy covered once or twice in a winter. Whdfr the Romans began to fecure their new conquefts in Lrancafhire by the conftrudipn of fe vwal ftations, the fame rca- fon9 which had previoufly induced the Britons to feled would equally iodtice the Romans to retain this little peninfula of tend far the area of a regular, fortrdk. The extent of it indeed was Idcgef than what they generally choie for the compafs of a ftation. But £ach at choice wad merely founded upon a princi- ple of military oeconomy, and was merely calculated to prevent a: greater detail of carpences by. precluding the neceffity of more ttumeroos defendants. And the neceflkry number of defendants 466tffcfafever h^e btitn? larger for thi* Mfftf tfheftfer* as^m. this the IbWiers needed to defend only ttitf f*«adfch of thksy yards at' the ford and the width of twenty at the ifthmtts, Th« river Was ft fufficient defence "on fivery other fide, carrying In all parts a depth- of three* or fout yards, «nd having; * pWtjabi^thAfe ckfep-h<5le$ hVfo^Kvhieli have Ibnggivto tt ds&wboie fSte^hfe; papula? d^mixM&on of JHift- 1 X 2 holes.