432 THE GRAND TRUNK CANAL. PART V. 



Cheshire, and it appeared that Brindley's Grand Trunk 

 project would now have to run the gauntlet of a powerful 

 local opposition. There were two other projects besides 

 his, which formed the subject of much pamphleteering 

 and controversy at the time, one entering the dis- 

 trict by the river Weaver, and another by the Dee. 

 Neither of these proposed to join the Duke of Bridge- 

 water's canal, whereas the Grand Trunk line was laid out 

 so as to run into his at Preston-on-the-Hill near Runcorn. 

 As the Duke was desirous of placing his navigation 

 and through it Manchester, Liverpool, and the inter- 

 vening districts in connection with the Cheshire Wiclics 

 and the Staffordshire Potteries, he at once threw the 

 whole weight of his support upon the side of Brindley's 

 Grand Trunk. Indeed, he had himself been partly at 

 the expense of its preliminary survey, as we find from 

 an entry in Brindley's memorandum-book, under date 

 the 12th of April, 1762, as follows: " Worsley Eec d 

 from Mr Tho Gilbert for ye Staffordshire survey, on 

 account, 331. 16s. lie?." The Cheshire gentlemen pro- 

 tested against the Grand Trunk scheme, a& calculated to 

 place a monopoly of the Staffordshire and Cheshire 

 traffic in the hands of the Duke ; but they concealed the 

 fact, that the adoption of their respective measures would 

 have established a similar monopoly in the hands of the 

 Weaver Navigation Company, whose line of navigation, 

 so far as it went, was tedious, irregular, and expensive. 

 Both parties mustered their forces for a Parliamentary 

 struggle, and Brindley exerted himself at Manchester 

 and Liverpool in obtaining support and evidence on 

 behalf of his plan. The following letter from him to 

 Gilbert, then at Worsley, relates to the rival schemes. 



"21 Deer. 1765 



" On Tusdey Sr Georg [Warren] sent Nuton in to Manchester 

 to make what intrest he could for Sir Georg and to gather ye old 

 Navogtors togather to meet Sir Georg at Stoperd to mab' Head 

 a ganst His Grace 



