Regent's Canal. 315 



might be inferred — were there no other means of calculating the 

 extent of both — from the little communication that appears to 

 exist between the remote extremities of it, and from the mutual 

 ignorance which generally prevails, of whatever not immediately 

 interesting is passing in its distant quarters, — Thus, numbers 

 who live east of the Royal Exchange have never witnessed, and 

 are almost unconscious of, the many extensive improvements 

 that have within the last few years been made, and are daily 

 inaking, in the vicinity of the two houses of parliament, in the 

 neighl)Ourhood of Pall Mall, and thence northward to the New 

 Road and Regent's Park ; while, among tiiose who dwell in 

 the more polite district of this widely-spread town, may be found 

 thousandswho have never seen the Mint, the New Custom House, 

 and thc^e useful and splendid monuments of national grandeur 

 and wealth, the West and East India Docks. 



We are led to these remarks by the recent opening of the Re- 

 gent's Canal, which, occurring at a moment when the pultlic 

 mind was much agitated, was not noticed in a manner propor- 

 tionate to either the enterprising spirit of the design, or the pro- 

 bable importance of its consequences^ Here we jiave an iiisraiice 

 of a great work going on for years upon the whole northern 

 border of the Metropolis, but almost unknown, both in its origin 

 and progress, to the majority of the jieople living in the sou; liern 

 division of the same town, which — supjjosing a line of separation 

 to be drawn from Tyburn to Mile End — coi-iprehends a full 

 moiety of its inhabitants. 



This Canal commences at Paiklington, where it joins that 

 branch of the Grand Junction wiiich is called the Paddiiiuton 

 Canal, and thus communicates with all the naviga!)le rivers, ccv. 

 in England. From this point it proceeds in a N.E. direction, 

 and passes, by means of a tunnel of .'172 yarcr, under Maida- 

 liill ; then round the Regent's Park, through Camden-town 

 (where it takes an easterly course) and Somers-town, near which 

 it enters a second tunnel of 970 yards, and penetrates I>Iington- 

 hill, burrowing below the bed of the New River. It emerges again 

 near Rrick-lane, and continues nearly in the same direction 

 through the parishes of St. Leonard Shoreditch, and St. Jolm's 

 Hackney, traversing in these districts the Kingsiand and Hacli- 

 ney-roads, and ('anibridge-heath. Tlien entering the parish of 

 Retinial-grcen, it bends to the south, passing thr.iugli I lie iiolds 

 adjoining Mile-end and Ste|;ney ; and crossing both the latter 

 places, as also tin: Conunercial-road, it opens into a spacious 

 dock formed at Liniehouse, which compleces the navigation l)y a 

 direct conannnication with tiie Thames. Tlic line of canal is 

 nine miles, running chiellv from west to east, over which are 

 thrown thirty-six substantial iirick bridges; and it descends 



R 1-2 'eighty. 



