1 62 History of Inland Transport 



shillings per ton for a very small distance." On the basis of 

 52,780 tons only (though, we are told, " they frequently send 

 iron to ... Chester and many other places at a great dis- 

 tance "), Whitworth calculates that the 32 forges in question 

 were then paying a net sum of 32,500 a year for land trans- 

 port, only, of the ore and pig-iron they received, and of the 

 manufactured iron they sent away. " I have dwelt thus 

 long," he says, in concluding his somewhat copious details, 

 " upon the iron trade to show that no branch of manufacture 

 can reap more immediate benefit from the making of these 

 canals for navigation, or more sensibly feel the want of them 

 when other ports of the Kingdom have them." 



Of coal, he further shows, some 12,000 tons a year were 

 going from the Shropshire collieries to Nantwich, on the 

 Weaver, at a cost of ten shillings per ton for land carriage 

 only, apart from the supplementary cost of river transport. 

 In the opposite direction the farmers of Cheshire and Stafford- 

 shire brought about 1000 tons of cheese annually, by road, 

 to Bridgnorth fair presumably for redistribution thence via 

 the Severn among the various centres of population in the 

 western counties, and also in Wales. The cheese was carried 

 in waggons, and, on the basis of the journey taking, altogether, 

 three or four days, Whitworth calculates that the cost to 

 the farmers in getting the cheese to Bridgnorth must have 

 been about thirty shillings for every two tons. 



One of the subsidiary disadvantages attendant on river 

 transport of which mention should be made was the pilfering 

 of goods that went on, more especially when the barges were 

 stopped in the open country, perhaps for days together, by 

 reason of shallow water. In " A View of the Advantages of 

 Inland Navigations " it is said, on this point : 



" It is, also, another circumstance not unworthy of notice 

 in favour of canals, when compared with river navigation, 

 that as the conveyance upon the former is more speedy and 

 without interruptions and delays, to which the latter are 

 very liable, opportunities of pilfering earthen wares, and 

 other small goods, and stealing and adulterating wine and 

 spirituous liquors, are thereby in a great measure prevented. 

 The losses, disappointments and discredit of the manufac- 

 turers, arising from this cause are so great that they fre- 

 quently choose to send their goods by land at three times 



