50 Thirteenth Report on the Caledonian Canal. 



unw in progress; but the rocky ground at Strone is not yet aH 

 removed, still remaining nine feet deep for the space of one hun- 

 dred and sixty yards in the bottom of the canal. From Strone 

 to Muirshearlich, a full mile, the southern bank of the canal is 

 formed of earth brought from the deep cutting of the latter place, 

 uhich has been a very tedious and expensive operation, and will 

 not be finished until the close of the present season. Last year" 

 ""^ve had reason to form the same expectation ; but the earth near 

 the bottom was unexpectedly found to be unusually hard, and 

 the weather has been extremely unfavourable for this kind of 

 work from the beginning of November almost to the present 

 time. The action of the horses which remove the earth by 

 means of rail-ways, becomes circumscribed as the work draws 

 towards its close, and their number is consequently diminished 

 from thirty to twenty three; they are the property of the con- 

 tractor, and maintained by him. 



From the deep cutting at Muirshearlich through Shangan, 

 Upper and Lower Banavie, to the chain of eight locks, a space of 

 tvvo miles, the canal is perfectly finished ; as also from the chain 

 of locks to the sea entrance at Corpach, about a mile distant, 

 including therein the two Corpach locks and the bason between 

 them and the sea entrance. 



The whole of the masonry of the five several aqueducts of Loy, 

 Muirshearlich, Shangan, Upper Banavie, and Lower Banavie, 

 with the road-ways under each of them, remain as before re- 

 ported, perfect and uninjured by floods or other accidents. Tiie 

 great chain of locks rising from Corpach Moss, and the two 

 Corpach locks, require only the addition of lock-gates for their 

 completion. The sea-lock, with its gates, which are of wood, 

 is quite ready for use ; but the coffer-dam which surrounds the 

 entrance from Loch Eil cannot be removed until the lower gate 

 of the Corpach locks is hung, the bottom of the platform there 

 being four feet lower than the level of low water in Loch Eil. 

 The iron materials for these gates are now daily expected, having 

 been prepared at Pontcysylte in Denbighshire, and embarked at 

 Chester. 



It remains to be mentioned that in the Corpacl^ district we 

 have caused to be planted at Upper Banavie, at the chain ol 

 locks, and near Corpach, not less than a hundred thousand seed- 

 lings of fir and larch and thirteen thousand j^oung trees in the 

 present spring ; and we shall not fail to plant the entire banks 

 of the canal as fast as we acquire means of protecting the young 

 trees from injuries of every kind. 



Purchase of Land. We have much satisfaction in stating 

 that by the payment of eight thousand pounds with the interest 

 due thereupon, to Colonel Macdonell of Qengarry, in full for the 



land 



