Notices respecting New Books. 135 
cular notice, as offering one of the finest conquests of art over 
nature, 
This military port, founded on a marshy island at the con- 
fluence of the Channel and Medway, was, notwithstanding all 
the advantages of its position, deprived of one of the chief re- 
quisites in a naval establishment,—it had no sweet water, and 
it was necessary to carry it at a great expense from a neighbour- 
ing port. The bold idea was conceived of seeking for some 
_ spring far below the bottom of the channel and sea. They 
were enabled by art to dig and sink to a depth of 350 feet; there 
they found a spring of sweet water, which spouting with impe- 
tuosity filled up the well to within two yards of the top, and then 
sunk again to forty. Ever since it has afforded a plentiful sup- 
ply of good water. 
We cannat follow the author through all the places which he 
has successively visited in both his journeys, and which compre- 
hend nearly all the ports of the United Kingdoms. From the, 
most powerful recommendations he got admittance into both the 
great arsenals of the English navy, Portsmouth and Plymouth. 
He also visited Bristol and Liverpool, the two chief trading ports 
next to London; Birmingham, noted for its beautiful manufac- 
tures; Newcastle, justly famed for extensive and valuable coal- 
pits; Sunderland, distinguished by her magnificent iron bridge, 
under which ships of 4 to 500 tons are daily sailing; Edinburgh, 
become by the culture of the sciences, the Athens of the north ; 
Glasgow, Dublin, &c.—all of which places are by turns the sub- 
ject of the most valuable descriptions and interesting remarks, 
Everywhere in the inland country, as well as in the sea-port 
towns, new constructions and numerous establishments evince 
a recent prosperity, and the greatest improvements in all the arts. 
On observing these, we are naturally led to inquire into the cause 
which has produced all these wonders. It is the same whith in 
1792 gave to France such a superiority in the arts of war—ne- 
cessity. Great Britain, in her turn, attacked by the whole con- 
tinent, could only oppose the efforts of her trade and industry ; 
and in this struggle, which appeared so unequal, the friend of 
the arts forgets all national rivalry, to attend only to operations 
and works which attest the power of the human mind, the bene- 
fit of equitable laws, and the energy of national character. 
To the compendium of both his journeys the author has sub- 
joined two memoirs, intended to describe two magnificent works 
which are now in execution in Great Britain—the Caledonian 
canal, and the jetty of Plymouth. 
The former, which has been planned by Mr. Telford, a very 
skilful engineer, is intended to open, through a very singular 
valley in the Highlands of Scotland, a communication between 
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