114 Mr Stevenson on British Harbours. 



plans latterly suggested for its improvement, we shall now en- 

 deavour to inquire into the effect and tendency of executing in 

 whole, or in part, the apparently abandoned plan of the late 

 eminent Mr Rennie, and upon which, it is believed, upwards of 

 .^'^OOjOOO have already been expended. When Mr Rennie was 

 consulted on this subject, about the year 1800, he had before 

 him an early design by Mr Whitworth, a celebrated engineer of 

 his day, who had proposed to extend the birthage of the harbour, 

 by following the course of the river above Leith Saw-mills. 

 But when Mr Rennie maturely considered this subject, and took 

 into view the natural difficulties which present themselves, to 

 forming a deep-water entrance to Leith harbour from which 

 the tide ebbs to the extent of about one mile, he was properly 

 induced to form a design suitable for vessels of a greater draught 

 of water than were generally in use in Mr Whitworth's time, by 

 opening a communication at Newhaven. 



Now, as the greatest breadth of the sand-bank above alluded 

 to is immediately off the present entrance to Leith harbour, and 

 as the bank becomes narrower as we approach Newhaven, a 

 more commodious line of direction is evidently by the erection of 

 a continuous sea-wall toward Newhaven ; where a sufficient 

 depth of water may be obtained for His Majesty''s ships of war. 

 After therefore consulting with that eminently scientific naviga- 

 tor, the late Captain Huddart, who made a survey of Leith, Mr 

 Rennie ultimately determined upon placing the deep-water ac- 

 cess to the harbour near Newhaven, as delineated in dotted lines 

 upon the accompanying Plan. I have endeavoured to give the 

 subject of the improvement of this harbour every possible atten- 

 tion, and I am humbly of opinion, that no design for this pur- 

 pose has yet been submitted to the public, which seems to warrant 

 the total abandonment of Mr Rennie's plan. I am also confi- 

 dent that it may be satisfactorily shown, not only to be the best 

 which, under all circumstances, can now be followed ; but also, 

 that the least expensive mode of obtaining a deep-water entrance 

 is to continue the sea-wall from the docks westward ; for I do 

 not now propose a suite of docks from Leith to Newhaven, 

 but merely a tide-harhour, which might be occasionally scoured 

 from the present wet-docks. To take a practical example of 

 this, let it be observed that a sea-wall from the wet-docks toward 

 Newhaven would not be more than two-thirds of the extent of 

 the pier required, to carry a ship to a similar depth of water 



