The First Lines
During 1756 and 1757 defensive lines were constructed on the Portsea Island side of the creek under the supervision of John Peter Desmaretz. They consisted of a 15–20-foot-wide (4.6–6.1 m) and 6-foot-deep (1.8 m) ditch backed by a 7–8-foot (2.1–2.4 m) rampart. Water could be allowed to flow into the ditch from sluices at either end.
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“Show me a man who has acted, and who has not been the victim and slave of his action. What they have done commits and enforces them to do the same again. The first act, which was to be an experiment, becomes a sacrament.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (18031882)
“I struck the board, and cried, No more.
I will abroad.
What? Shall I ever sigh and pine?
My lines and life are free; free as the road,
Loose as the wind, as large as store.
Shall I be still in suit?”
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