Defects in the System of the Canal AMvigation. 



1824..] 



j-cqtiire a boat tliiity feet fiy six ftet In 

 the clear, and to draw twelve inches of 

 water, (exclusive of its own gravity,) to 

 carry five tons ; tiie boat, siipjiose one 

 ton weight, would draw 2g inches of 

 water more, say three inches. Then 

 two boats depth, or thirty inches, and 

 25 boats wide, or sixteen feet, would be 

 sufficient : the cavity of this canal would 

 be only 4| cubic yards; conspqnently, 

 the execution of all level cutting would 

 not be more than 1*. 6d. per yar<l 

 lineal, making an estimate thereof 

 nearly as follows. 



Excavation, and its appendages, 3527. 

 per mile. Land at half an acre, or 

 eleven yards, total width, four acres, 

 4007. Bridges, aqueducts, &c. 300/. 

 Two cranes, 250/. Contingencies, 298/. 

 Total, 1600/. per mile. Any quantity 

 of goods might pass on this small canal ; 

 for, were it necessary, tvvo or more 

 cranes might be placed at each lift 

 instead of one, which cranes I recom- 

 mend to convey both boat and cargo 

 from one level to anotiier instead of 

 lockage. Wc judge then by comparison 

 as follows: — If the enormous capital 

 rcquiretl, say 20,000/. per mile, and a 

 proportionate wear-and-tear expense of 

 the Grand Junction canal, yields a 

 remunerating profit to the [iroprictnrs 

 at l|rf. per ton per mile levied on the 

 goods passing thereon, -^th part w'ould 

 be a projiorlionate remuiicration to the 

 proprietors of a five-ton canal. In ano- 

 ther point of view, the same fact appears 

 by the difl'erent results of the Grand 

 Junclion and Oxford canals ; the former, 

 a fil'ty-ton canal, dividing not more than 

 from ten to fifteen per cent. ; the latter, 

 a twenty-five ton canal, dividing forty 

 per cent, on its capital ; although, 

 respecting situation, the Grand Junc- 

 tion has much the advantage : and 1 by 

 no means stand alone in the opinion, 

 had the Grand Junction been made a 

 twenty-five ton canal, (as was at first 

 intended,) instead of a fifty, it would 

 Ijave been finished iti seven years in- 

 stead of twenty ; would have cost little if 

 any more than the sum it was esti- 

 mated at, of 400,000/, instead of nearly 

 2,000,000/. ; would have commanded 

 much more business than it now does, 

 from the superior advantages it would 

 bestow on trade ; and, instead of 

 dividing ten or fifteen per cent, on the 

 present rates of tonnage, might have 

 levied not more than \(l, |)cr ton, and 

 divided filly per cent. The machine or 

 crane, as belore fiinted at, wanted to 

 pass the boats Iroiu one level to anulLcr, 



]f)5 



should have a first-mover on the tread- 

 mill, or any good principle, to which a 

 man and boy would apply a power of 

 1^ cvvt. exclusive of friction ; this, at 

 sixty steps per minute, and seven-inch 

 risers, would raise the boat and cargo 

 of six tons one foot in two minutes and 

 twenty seconds; but, a break being 

 applied to the first mover also, would 

 lower the same in the descending 

 places four times as fast, wbicli reduces 

 the time wasted in obtaining levels to 

 about one minute per foot, or nearly the 

 same as the jtresent system of lockage. 



Thirdly, — Although it may be ob- 

 jected we are already pretty much in- 

 tersected with canals, yet I think good 

 situations jjresent themselves for two; 

 one from the east of London through 

 Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Hamp- 

 shire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, 

 Yorkshire, so as to open a straight line 

 with the manufacltues in the north of 

 England. The other to start from the 

 west of London, through the counties of 

 Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Worees- 

 sliire, and Salop, terminating in Wales. 

 Tlie lines of canal on this small scale 

 might, in most cases, be as direct as u 

 road could be formed, could be as easily 

 and as speedily executed; and, if inter- 

 sected with collateral branches to towns 

 in the vicinity, would doubtless com- 

 mand an extensive trade. 



JFonrlhly, — Canals of this description 

 would minister materially to the good- 

 ness of roads, and comfort of travelling, 

 by taking generally therefrom all heavy 

 carriage, and conveying materials, toll- 

 free, from situations that abound with 

 them, to those that arc destitute, which 

 cannot well be done in many places 

 without the assistance of water-car- 

 riage. 



Fifthly, — If a man be employed to 

 haul, and a boy to steer each boat, and 

 travel at the rate of 1| mile per hour, 

 say 3s. per day for the man, and ls.6d. 

 the boy, and one halfpenny per ton per 

 mile toll on the goods, and twenty per 

 cent, on the whole for wear, tear, and 

 profit to the boat owner, it would make 

 the amount for carriage of five tons, 

 100 miles, 58*. 9f/., say 12*. per ton. 

 This would be a benefit to the public 

 with a witness, as the present price of 

 canal conveyance is generally about 

 double that amount, owing principally 

 to the high rales of tonnage. 



Lastly.— li may be objected, that 



increasing canals in this way would 



decrease the quantity of productive soil 



it] the kingdom, to the injury of (he 



publici 



