A View of the Advantages of Inland Navigations: With a Plan of a Navigable Canal, intended for a Communication between the Ports of Liverpool and Hull. 8vo. Is. Becket and De Hondt, &c.

Na nation, which muft derive its opulence, its ftrength and glory from the benefits of trade and commerce, every defign for cultivating and diffufing thofe benefits, muft at all times merit our thanks, though the execution may not always command our applause.

But at a time, when we are bewailing the decay of trade, and lamenting that the balance is almoft every where against us; when we are complaining that our rivals the French outfell us in moft articles of commerce; that our friends the Portugueze are endeavouring to fupply themfelves from other markets; and that even our own colonies are attempting to fet up for themfelves; when both traders and landholders are ready to fink under the weight of heavy impofitions, and the exceffive prices of all kinds of commodities.-At fuch a time, a defign to enhance the value of lands, and to revive and extend the manufactures and commerce of Great Britain, must be peculiarly feasonable and acceptable: more especially, when the propofal not only difplays a good intention, but a perfect and comprehenfive knowledge of the fubject.

Such is the merit of the little treatise now under confideration, which, in the moft perfpicuous and intelligent manner, fets forth the advantages arifing from inland navigations in general, and the particular benefits which may be derived from the pro*pofed communication between the ports of Liverpool and Hull, by means of a navigable canal.

Happy would it be for this nation, if men of fortune and influence, inftead of wafting their wealth and mifapplying their talents in election-fquabbles and party broils, would turn their thoughts to fuch national objects, and entertain a generous emulation who fhould beft promote the intereft of their country! That the trading intereft of this kingdom cannot be more effectually improved than by means of inland navigations, is evident - from the noble experiment made by his grace the Duke of Bridgewater, which has been attended with fuch beneficial effects to that part of the country.

Whatever temporary obftructions may occur, it is certain, that the nation which fells cheapest will in the end take the lead in commerce; and they who employ the feweft hands will afford their commodities at the most reasonable rate. It is well known, i and daily experienced, that this kingdom is too thinly peopled, partly owing to the vast numbers who migrate to our extensive

colonies

kolonies, whereby they help to drain their mother country, partly perhaps to the legal difcouragements thrown in the way of matrimony, with other caufes too tedious to enumerate; and it is lone great excellence of inland navigations, that they leffen the number of hands. But it would be unjust to detain the Reader any longer from our Author's account of the benefits refulting from fuch navigations.

The firft, fays he, and moft obvious effects of inland Navigations, from whence the more remote advantages chiefly arise, are, that they greatly diminish the price of carriage, and open eafy communications between the diftant parts of a country, and from each of thofe parts to the fea.

Those who can lay in their raw materials, be furnished with plenty of food and fuel, and carry their goods to market, at the leaft expence, can afford to fell them the lowest; and therefore may always have the preference, where they are not -kept out by force: and it is plain that all these confequences do in a great measure depend upon cheapness of carriage; raw-materials, and food, and manufactures, being all affected by it.

Inland navigations do not only greatly promote the manufactures where they are already eftablifhed, for the reasons above. mentioned, but occafion the establishment of many new ones, in places where the lands before were of little value, and almost deftitute of inhabitants; thus enlivening and enriching every part through which they are extended.

Thefe communications by water, alfo greatly contribute to the benefit of the merchants, who refide at the ports where they terminate; by enabling them to export greater quantities of goods from thofe parts which lie at a distance from the fea; and to fupply a much larger fpace of country with their returns from abroad.

It is another very great advantage of inland navigations, that they render the keeping of an immenfe number of horses, which are not employed in agriculture, unneceffary; and thereby prevent the deftruction of vast quantities of food, which might be 'exported to foreign markets, or applied to the nourishment of more profitable animals, and the fupport of numerous ufeful and induftrious families.

• Inland navigations likewife have a tendency to advance and perpetuate the value of eftates near which they pafs, by making it the intereft of the gentleman, the manufacturer, and the merchant, to dwell together in the fame country, and enabling them mutually to fupply each others wants. From this connexion, a thousand reciprocal advantages arife, which ought to banifh all jealoufies, or apprehenfions of contending interefts, from the minds of thofe whofe interefts are infeparable.

• Thefe

• These navigations are alfo directly advantageous to the landed gentleman many ways.

They give diftant eftates the opportunity of an easy and cheap communication with large towns and fea-ports; and hereby enable the proprietors, or farmers, to bring their products to markets from which their remote fituations formerly excluded them. In heavy and bulky articles, fuch as corn, timber, iron, coals, fione, &c. this is a circumftance of fo much importance, that an unfavourable fituation with refpect to carriage, does often prevent many of thefe commodities from being of any value to their owners.

They frequently occafion the discovery of mines, or useful minerals.

They greatly promote the cultivation of poor and waste lands; either by bringing manure and conveying away the produce at a cheap rate; or by encouraging artists and manufactyrers to fettle upon their banks, in fituations which were before uninhabited and unimproved.

Canals do alfo, of themselves, directly tend to improve the lands through which they are carried, by taking away the fuperAuous moisture; and likewife may be made to furnish the farmer with the means of watering his meadows in feafons of unusual drought; either by spouts, which may be laid through the banks of the canals, or by large refervoirs, made in convenient places for this purpose, like thofe in China.

While we are enumerating the general advantages of inland navigations, we must not forget how much they contribute to the ftability and perfection of the public roads.

We may add likewife, that navigable canals, give employment to vaft numbers of people; and where they go through corn countries, and in the neighbourhood of collieries, diffufe plenty of food univerfally about them; and furnish fuel for the ufe of the mechanic arts, and the comfort of the poor inhabi-tants; frequently at half the price they must otherwise have paid for it.'

The Writer concludes his view of thefe general advantages with the following genteel and highly merited encomium on the Duke of Bridgewater: The poor of Manchefter, fays he, and its neighbourhood, will acknowledge thefe benefits, with tears of gratitude in their eyes: and the pleasure this must give to the noble author of them, perhaps he himself can better feel than deferibe. It is the private reward of public virtue and beneficence.'

He then proceeds to a defcription of the intended canal. Many courfes, he observes, for navigable canals have been pointed out, in our own country, that are very practicable and

eligible;

eligible: the most striking and beneficial of which are, those that would join the Thames and the Severn, the Severn and the Trent, the Trent and the Weaver; and laftly, the Firth of Forth with the Clyde; as by their means the principal ports of our island would communicate with each other; and the most fertile parts of the country with the metropolis.

The prefent defign comprehends only a part of the great one mentioned above. It is to join the river Trent, near Wilden in Derbyshire, with the river Weaver in Cheshire, or the Duke of Bridgewater's navigation, or the tide way in the river Mersey, as fhall be found most expedient, by a canal, with branches to Birmingham, Lichfield, Tamworth, and Newcastle,

The reafons for prefering a canal to a river navigation, are many and important. The fhortnefs of the voyage on the former, which is protracted on the latter by the winding course of the ftream; the abfence of currents, which in rivers impede the upward navigation more than they affift the downward *, and hourly undermine and wear away the banks; the fecurity from the mischief and delay occafioned by floods; the eafier draught for the horses, as the boats will, in a canal, move nearer the towing path; and the advantage of choofing high ground for the locks, while in the other cafe, the fituation of them must be regulated only by the accidental fhallows of the rivers, are all circumftances greatly in favour of canals; and especially the laft: for as in river navigations, the locks must frequently be erected on low lands, the neighbouring meadows are thereby often rendered damp and fwampy; while in canal navigations this difadvantage is not only avoided, but as the canal, to pursue its moft convenient course, muft frequently wind along the edges of the rifing ground, numberlefs fprings will be cut through, and the plain beneath rendered actually drier and more fertile. It is also another circumftance not unworthy of notice in favour of canals, when compared with river navigations, that as the conveyance upon the former is more fpeedy, and without interruptions, and delays, to which the latter are very liable, opportunities of pilfering earthen wares, and other fmall goods, and ftealing and adulterating wine and fpirituous liquors, are thereby in a great measure prevented. The loffes, difappointments, and difcredit of the manufacturers, arifing from this cause, are fo great, that they frequently choose to fend their goods by land

This advantage can hardly any where appear in a more full and Ariking light, than at Barton Bridge, in Lancashire; where one may, at the fame time, fee feven or eight tout fellows labouring like flaves to drag a boat flowly up the river Irwell; and one horfe drawing two of three boats at a great rate upon the canal; which is carried over the river at this place, like a magnificent Roman aqueduct,

at three times the expence of water carriage, and fometimes even refufe to fupply their orders at all, rather than run the rifque of forfeiting their credit, and submitting to the deduc tions that are made on this account.'.

In the laft place he enumerates the particular advantages of the intended canal; and, to give an idea of these, he confiders the chief fources of employment for the propofed navigation, under the three following heads: 1. Natural productions of the counties that lie near the canal. 2. Cultivated commodities and manufactures. 3. Imported raw materials, and general

commerce.

He fhews that in all these refpects the canal will be productive of very great improvement; and he concludes with obviating fome objections which may be urged against the propofed navigation:

It may be faid, that many eftates will be divided by the canal: but, as in feveral parts, it will be carried through uncultivated commons, and lands that want draining; as a full compenfation will be paid for the ground that is cut through; and as the farms will be again connected, by bridges and fords, at fuitable diftances; it is prefumed no inconveniences will proceed from this circumftance, which are not amply counterbalanced by the many advantages, that have been before pointed out, and muft evidently arise to every farm through which it may país.

Nor muft we here omit the trite objection of the dishonefly of watermen, that they will pilfer fruit and poultry in their palfage. But, certainly, this clafs of travellers may be ranked, in point of honesty, with the common carriers; and as one man and a boy, will be fufficient to attend the conveyance of twenty tons of goods along the canal, which by land would require the attendance of ten perfons, the number of thefe dangerous vifitors will be greatly decreased.

The only remaining objection that has occurred to us, is, that by an inland navigation, between the ports of Liverpool and Hall, the coafting trade, that great nursery for feamen, will be diminished. To which it may be answered, that, in the first -place, there is little or none of that trade between those two ports. Secondly, that as this inland navigation will give an opportunity for a more eafy conveyance of the products of the interior parts of the country, to the neighbouring ports, which may from thence be conveyed, by fea, to diftant parts of the kingdom, from whence other products, and commodities, may :be returned; the coafting trade muft hereby be greatly promoted. And lastly, as this navigation will contribute to increase the produce of our farms, will benefit our present manufactures, and occafion the establishment of new ones, it muft, of courfe, enlarge the amount of our exports; and, inftead of leffening,