Oct,] 



CHRONICLE. 



101 



enveloped the head: in this state countering stormy ^veather. Tliis 



it was seen by some boys on tlie 

 Sunday; but they, taking it for a 

 drunken man asleep, contented 

 themselves with throwing stones 

 at it, and left it. Bill?, offering a 

 reward of 100/. for tlie appre- 

 hension of the murderers, and 

 giving a description of two per- 

 sons strongly suspected, were im- 

 mediately circulated, and every 

 means used to discover the per- 

 petrators. 



22. An important application 

 of steam-vessels has lately been 

 made in Scotland, and it is said 

 with the most complete success. 

 It appears that, since the opening 

 of the Forth and Clyde canal (up- 

 wards of 30 years ago), a navi- 

 gable communication, has existed 

 between Glasgow and Le!th, the 

 port of Edinburgh; notwithstand- 

 ing which, by far the greater por- 

 tion of the trade between these 

 places has been carried on by land 

 carriage, at an expense more than 

 double what it might have been 

 done by Avater. 



This navigable communication 

 consists of a canal, for 29 miles, 

 and a broad river or firth for 26 

 miles ; and it appears, that the 

 obstacle which has prevented the 

 benefit being taken of such appa- 

 rent advantagfS, is the extreme 

 difficulty of constructing vesiels, 

 which from draught of Avater and 

 mode of rigging, would answer for 

 the navigation of the canal, and at 

 the sani'i lime be able to contend 

 against strong contrary winds in 

 the Firth of Forth. 



To obviate this difficulty, a Com- 

 pany io Leitli iiave equipped a 

 powerful steam-vessel, or tracker, 

 poespssing extrjiordinary .strength, 

 and completely adapted for en- 



vessel, which is most appropriately 

 named the Tug, is meant to track 

 ten other vessels, alternately,which 

 have been jjeculiarly constructed 

 by the same company, for carrying 

 goods along the canal. 



The Tug, which may thus be 

 compared to a team of horses in 

 the water, tracks these vessels 

 between Lelth and Grangemouth, 

 the entrance of the canal, along 

 which they are tracked by horses. 

 But the utility of the Tug is not 

 confined to tracking: she has also 

 two commodious cabins, and from 

 combining the two purposes cf 

 tracking and conveyance of pas- 

 sengers, she is able to convey the 

 latter with a degree of cheapness, 

 which resembles more the track 

 schuyt of Holland, than any con- 

 veyance we have in this countr}' ; 

 the passage in the best cabin being, 

 for a distance of 26 miles, two 

 shillings ; and in the second, one 

 shilling. 



Hurricane in tne West Indies. — The 

 following letter on this lamentable" 

 occasion was addressed by the Co- 

 lonial Secretary of St. Lucie to 

 the Governor of Barbadocs : — 



" St. Lucie, Oct. 23, 1817- 



" My Lord, — His Excellency 

 Major-General Seymoin- being un- 

 able to address your Lordship, in 

 consequence of the very serious 

 injury he received during tiie hur- 

 ricane of the 21st instant (and 

 I am sorry to add very little 

 hopes are entertained of his reco- 

 very), of which his Excellency has 

 directed me to give your Lordship 

 the particulars, and earne.^tly to 

 entreat yoin- Lordship's assistance 

 and support towards amelioratijig 

 the situation of the unfortunate 

 inhabitants of this island, not one 



of 



