Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/158

Chap. V. OF MANCHESTER. 129 the line of that road is dire&ed acrofs Fullwood-Moor to the weft. But the line can never be carried to the adual mouth of the Ribble. This line muft abut fbmewhere upon the chan- nel at the diftance of feveral miles from the mouth. And in feflr it points fully towards the famous Neb of the Nefe, the extremity, of the nofe or high promontory of land which pro- jects into the eourfe of the channel. Near the conclufion of that part of the way which is denominated Watling-ftreet, looking along the track of the proceeding rojid to the weft, in a clear day one fees the Neb of the Nefe dire&ly In a line be- yond it. And the fpecified diftances in the Itinerary concur exa&ly with the direction of the road. Thus, as Rerigonium is obvioufly Ribchefter i the Ipecified diftance from the harbour of the Siftun- tians to the ftation of Ribchefter is 23 Roman or about 214. Englifh miles. This diftance neceffarily carries us from the mouth of the river, and leads us up the winding channel of it. Thus advancing, about ten miles from the mouth we come to the above-mentioned Neb of the Nefe on the left. This is about nine miles from Prefton by the level track of the Marfhes, and about eleven by the circuit of the higher grounds ; as Prefton is about twelve miles from Ribchefter, This, in the line which the Roman road muft have taken, keeping the higher ground^ but not curving on the right to reach Prefton and not making a return on the left to recover the line, muft have been about twenty -one from Ribchefter, and is therefore exactly at the re- quifite diftance from it. Thus do thefe two arguments concur to fix the Roman fta- tion about a mile to the weft of Freckleton and at the well- known Neb of the Nefe. And here is even now a pretty com- modious harbour. Here the Ribble forms a large half-moon facing the fouth, and receiving a fmall back-water into it from the north. Here the Ribble is fecured from the violence of the winds by the high lands which Ikirtit, is fcreened from the vio- lence of the tide by the proje&ion of the Nefs, and has even now a breadth of a quarter of a mile and a depth of fifteen feet S upon ^ 1