i 
154 
establishing a: water-carriage eommuni- 
cation between the Irish Sea, from Li-: 
verpool tothe German Ocean: ) Taking: 
these works for their bases, a superstrac- 
ture of useful adjunets-bas beer built to 
complete their general accommodation, 
including the substance ‘ofdifferent :la-. 
bours exceedingly expensive and diffi- 
cult: «The design of uniting the Thames 
and the:Severn was comprelrensive, and 
the execution judicious. The enlight- 
ened spirit. of modern times has: also 
drawn a line of communication between 
the Trent and the port of London, with 
multifarious branches, and in a scientific 
order of arrangement. It must be con- 
fessed, .that in the short space of half a 
century ithe patience and industry of a 
few united individuals have undertaken 
and accomplished what seems a compact 
entire mass of reciprocal intercourse, 
discriminated into different kinds, and 
with,an.attention ably directed to every 
particular consideration of utility, in its 
various relations and in the most minute: 
points. A conjunction has been effect- 
ed-between opposite seas, hetween the 
basins of opulent ports, between indus- 
trious.towns, fertile countries, and mex- 
haustible mines, by a double system of. 
canals for navigation, great and small, 
over,an extent of a: thousand leagues, 
ona portion of territory not equal to a 
fourth part. of France. 
To distribute water snfiicient for the 
use of the inhabitants, as.also the gas 
which produces a pure and brilliant light, 
so. ornamental fo cities, canals and con- 
duits, ramified through an extent of 400 
leagues, bave been excavated: undcr the 
streets of London. 
»The communications above ground 
are.no.less an objeet of prime solicitude. 
Improvements are, daily making in the 
high reads, entirely new routes are’con- 
certed, the sum total of, which, in point 
of length, wenld exceed 46,000 leagues 
in England-alone... > + 
- While «these labours. are carrying on 
by land, ports, basins, docks, are in a 
progressive course of construction. For 
the security: of anchorage and-landing, 
moles, jetties, pharoses, have been raised, 
of late,-over more than 600 leagues of 
coast. Owing to these labours, mer- 
chant vessels, to.the number of 22,300, 
ma yned by.60,000 sailors, and -of two 
millions: of ; tons in capacity, hardly,suf- 
fice to transport, from one coast to ano- 
ther, the superflux of interior circulation, 
including also the importation and ex- 
portation of foreign. wet national ¢om- 
modities. He 
’ 
‘ 
Proceedings of Public Societies. 
{Sept.1; 
‘Thus it:is that England has been flou-) 
rishing internally, while her: enormous 
expenditure abroad ‘had an ominous ap-. 
pearance, and augured, by. divination, 
portentous signs of ruin. Confident of 
outstripping all her rivals in nautical 
exertion, she has relaxed, for three years 
suecessively, the restrictions of her nayi- 
gation acts, leaving the: maritime arena 
open to foreigners of every. country. 
What has the British’ administration 
done to form, witha kind of magic, these 
stupendous works? comparatively speak- 
ing, nothing. _ It is to the commercial 
spirit that we must refer all these opera- 
tions and dispositions of human art.. 
We need only to look at most of them 
to be convineed, that a native power of 
combination, in ‘individuals, merchants, 
manufacturers, land-owners, by a consi- 
deration of their mutual wants, has con- 
ceived and planned undertakings, so.as 
to secure their success, comprehensive 
and original in design, judicious and 
sound in arrangement, and masterly in 
execution. 
Labhours of this description have with- 
in themselves the means of most eflec- 
tually.improving the aggregate of per- 
sonal estates in all the \ various relations 
of business. Nature has set limits to 
territorial possessions, but those of in- 
dustry are intermimable. _Thus, in the 
short interval of 60 years, property, to 
the amount of 500 millions, has been es- 
tablished in the firmest manner, and 
raised upon the general foundations of 
roads and turnpikes; a milliard, or a 
thousand millions, on rivers and canals; 
and another milliard on havens and 
points of the sea-coast, Citizens. that 
have made these new acquisitions are 
heldand linked together, as nrembers of 
the same great society, ‘by ties of inte- 
rest as strong as those which influence 
the proprietors of immoveable property. 
In England, many of the great fami- 
lies. have descended into the ranks of 
personal industry, and the immense pro- 
perty of some individuals, by loans on 
undertakings that require considerable 
advances and long sacrifices, has contri- 
buted to the fund of common utility. 
We mizht instance in a Duke of Port~- 
land, who has created an iron railway 
to a distance of ten miles, conveying the 
produets of a mine, together with passen- 
gers, to.an artificial harbour, with basins, 
moles,. and buildings, on the sea- coast. 
In. the cities‘of Great Britain, at every 
step we are met by public monuments, 
raised by the munificence of. a few opu- 
individuals: A 
wealthy 
lent . and generous 
