TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 9 
y “til at Bowling Bay the breadth was at least one half mile. The river 
is now contracted by a sloping ruble embankment on each side, and 
_ decreases from 163 feet wide at the Broomielaw, to 530 at Bowling. 
_ Great alterations have also been made upon the depths. The contrac- 
_ tion of the channel has been one means of accelerating the current, 
and thereby scouring and deepening the river; but, in addition to this 
- natural agent, numerous dredging machines, worked by steam, have 
_ been employed; and, within the last eighty years, the general depth 
has been increased from 4 to 16 feet. In Mr. Smeaton’s Report, al- 
_ ready alluded to, the utmost contemplated by his improvements was 
_ to enable a vessel of 100 tons burthen to get up to the Broomielaw, 
_ and that partly by the use of locks. In 1806 it was thought worthy of 
- recording in Mr. Telford’s report, that Captain Wilkie, of the Har- 
_ mony of Liverpool, sailed up to Glasgow, the vessel being 120 tons 
_ burthen, and drawing 8 feet 6 inches water; and it is mentioned, 
in Dr. Clelland’s Annals of Glasgow, that in the same year a heavy- | 
loaded schooner, 150 tons burthen, came direct from Liverpool, and 
discharged her cargo at the Broomielaw. At present, very large steam- 
boats and vessels, of 300 tons burthen, may freely venture up the 
river at high water. 
Alterations which have produced such important effects in facilita- 
ting the navigation of the Clyde must also have tended materially to. 
_ give free access to the tidal wave, render its progress more rapid, and 
_ enable it to ascend further up the channel. It is, however, deeply 
_ to be regretted, that on account of no register of the tides having 
_ been kept at Glasgow, or at any other place on the river, it is impos- 
_ sible to discover what have been the precise effects of such important 
alterations. From 1755 till 1834, the practical knowledge and genius 
_ of Smeaton, Golbourne, Watt, Telford, Rennie, and others, have been 
_ ealled into exercise, in devising schemes for improving the navigation 
of the river; but on examining their reports, amounting to seventeen 
in number, although they sounded the river repeatedly at high and low 
water, and state the day, it will be found that the time of high water, 
at two different places on the river, is only once mentioned; this is 
in Mr. Golbourne’s Report, dated November 30th 1768, where it 
is stated that the tide at new and full moon occurred eighteen miles 
_ below Glasgow, or at Port Glasgow at noon, and at the Broom- 
ielaw at two, making the tide two hours later at Glasgow than at 
Port Glasgow. Assuming this as the difference which existed at that 
period between the times of high water at these two places, the author 
_ can pretty confidently assert, that in calm weather the difference now 
is generally only about 1 hour 16 minutes; but it increases from this 
amount, upwards, to nearly 2 hours, according to circumstances. 
Previous to the improvements in the channel neap tides were hardl 
_ perceptible at Glasgow bridge, and they are now sensible about three 
_ miles further up the river. These statements are derived from nu- 
_ merous observations made by the author and several of his scientific 
_ friends. The chief object in view was to obtain correct data for tide 
