90 Internal Communication (b) Canals 



Canal, with a depth of 17 feet, crosses Scotland, and 

 gives a passage for vessels of 300 tons. The surrounding 

 district is, however, sparsely populated, and as the canal 

 does not open communication between any large centres 

 of trade, it is now mainly a route for tourists. The 

 Crinan Canal, 12 feet deep, provides a short cut across 

 the peninsula of Kintyre for vessels of 160 tons ; and 

 the Forth and Clyde Canal has a depth of 10 feet. The 

 other canals in Great Britain are for the conveyance 

 of goods by barges, and the most important connect 

 the Thames, the Severn, the Trent, the Yorkshire 

 Ouse, and the Mersey in England. 



Ireland is much better suited than England or 

 Scotland for the development of a good system of 

 waterways. Yet the canal system of Ireland is not 

 particularly good. The population is sparse, there are 

 no large industrial towns in the interior, and much of 

 the farm produce is unsuitable for carriage by canals. 

 The Grand Canal is the most important ; its main line 

 goes due west to the Shannon, and brings Dublin into 

 touch by water with Limerick and Waterford. The 

 Royal Canal goes from Dublin to Mullingar and thence 

 to the Shannon. 



One of the results of the Great War was seen in 

 the fact that the Government, after taking over the 

 railways of the country for military purposes, decided, 

 in 1917, to exercise similar control over the canals. 

 It is, therefore, probable that these neglected waterways 

 will be more largely used for the purpose of supple- 

 menting the work of our railways, not only in war time 

 but in time of peace. 



