WMNDLMY'S LAST CANALS. 405 



ttiry," says Dr. Aikcn, writing in 17'.'."), " il was thought 

 a most arduous task to make a high road prart irablr for 

 eari-iagi's over the hills and moors which separate York- 

 shire I'roiu Lancashire, and now they are pierced through 

 by three navigable canals !" 



Many of tliese great works were executed by the 

 engineers whose biographies will form the subject of 

 succeeding chapters; but in this place we may take the 

 opportunity of stating, that notwithstanding the great 

 additional facilities for conveyance of merchandise which 

 have been provided of late years by the construction of 

 railways, a very large proportion of the heavy carrying 

 trade of the country still continues to be conducted upon 

 anals. It was indeed at one time proposed, during the 

 railway mania, and that byasomewhat shrewd engineer, 

 to fill up the canals and make railways of them. It was 

 even predicted, during the construction of the Liverpool 

 and Manchester Railway, that "within twelve months of 

 its opening, the Bridgewater Canal would be closed, and 

 the place of its waters be covered over with rushes." 

 But canals have stood their ground, even against rail- 

 ways ; and the Duke's Canal, instead of being closed, con- 

 ti iiues to carry as much traffic as ever. It has lost the 

 conveyance of passengers by the fly-boats, 1 it is true ; but 

 it has retained and in many instances increased its traffic 

 in minerals and merchandise. The canals have stood 

 the competition of railways far more successfully than the 

 old turnpike-roads, though these too are still, in their 

 way, as indispensable as canals and railways themselves. 

 Not less than twenty millions of tons of traffic are esti- 



The following curious paragraph is 

 the 'Times' of the 19th Decem- 

 ber, ISnC. It relates to the despatch- 

 ing of troops from London for Ireland, 

 during a time of ;j;reat excitement : 

 " The first division of the troops 

 that are to proceed by PaddingtOD 



Canal for Liver|(K>l, and thence- horses for the canal-lxiats have 

 by tran.sports for Dublin, will leave ordered to be in readiness at all the 

 raddin-ton to-ilay, and will be fol- ! stations." 



VOL. I. 2 II 



lowed by others to-morrow, and on 

 Sunday. By this mode of conveyance 

 the men will lie <>,>/// .sr/vy/ <l<tys in 

 reaching Liverpool, and with com- 

 paratively little fati-ue, and it would 

 lake them above fourteen days to 

 march that distance. Hi-lays <1 fresh 



