426 CANAL BETWEEN INVERNESS 



Width of the canal 70 feet; depth 10 ;/ JT akcs 6o 

 Length of the locks 90 feet j width 25. | 



82 

 The navigation favcd in a voyage from ) 



Jnvcrnefs to the Sound of Mull, above $ 2 

 Ditto, from Buchannrfs to ditto 127 

 Ditto, to veflels keeping the outfide of} 

 the Orkneys, at fcafons when the Pent- ( 187 

 land Firth cannot be navigated J 

 VefTels of 9 frrt water might pafs from Invernefs 

 to Fort-William in 3 clays ; fmall craft much fooner. 

 The voyage by the Pcntland Firth is upon an aver- 

 age 2 weeks, lometimrs 2 months. 



The ohjc-cls of this northern navigation are, for 

 the mod part, fimilar to thofe of the~fouth : but as 

 the rxpc-nce will be nearly in the proportion of thret 

 to ont , viz the fouthern canal 60,000 1. the nor- 

 thern ditto 164,000!. bcfides the value of grounds 

 to be purchafrd, I fhall attempt to (late the 

 principal cin umftances relative to the latter, by 

 which the reader will be able to form fome conclu- 

 fion upon the propriety or impropriety of the ex- 

 penditure thereon. 



'J he leading arguments in favour of the fouthern 

 canal are the improvement of the Weft Highlands, 

 and their fifheries. In thofe refpecls the fame argu- 

 ments are applicable to this on the north. If a new 

 rond or channel of communication be necefTary on the 

 fouth fide of the Grampian Mountains, another road 

 is alfo neceflary on the north fide of that ridge ; and 

 nature, as before obferved, hath done much to- 

 wards this defirable work. We have alfo, as auxi- 

 liary arguments, mentioned the benefits which the 

 people of the Lowlands, inhabiting the fouth-weft 

 parts of the kingdom, would derive from the canal 

 at Crinan. It is ftill more neceflary to enforce this 

 fubjcft, rcfpefting the people inhabiting the north- 

 4 eaft 



