50 SMEATON'S EXTENSIVE EMPLOYMENT PART VI. 



progress, 1 though they had to labour under heavy imposts 

 and serious restrictions. The public expenditure was 

 great, provisions were dear in proportion to wages, and 

 food-riots were frequent. Under these circumstances 

 domestic improvements, involving any unusual outlay, 

 were of a very limited character. When Smeaton was 

 called upon to examine an undrained district, or a dan- 

 gerous and inaccessible harbour, or a decaying bridge, 

 he had little difficulty in advising what was best to be 

 done ; and his reports were searching, explicit, and almost 

 exhaustive. But then arose the invariable impediment. 

 The requisite improvements could not be executed without 

 money, and money was scarce and could not be raised. 

 Hence the greater number of his reports, though con- 

 taining much excellent and carefully-considered advice, 

 fell dead upon the minds of those to whom they were 

 addressed ; and no action was taken to carry them into 

 effect until the country had become richer, and a new race 

 of capitalists, engineers, and contractors had sprung into 

 existence. 



One of the earliest subjects on which Mr. Smeaton was 

 consulted, was the opening up of river navigations. In 

 1760 he reported to the magistrates of Dumfries as to 

 the improvement of the Nith ; but his advice to form 

 a navigable canal rather than deepen and straighten 

 the river at a much greater cost was not carried out 

 for want of funds. He was also consulted as to the 

 lockage of the Wear, the opening up of the naviga- 

 tion of the Chelmer to Chelmsford, of the Don above 

 Doncaster, of the Devon in Clackmannanshire from Mel- 

 loch Foot to the Forth, of the Tetney Haven navigation 

 near Louth, arid the improvement of the river Lea, 

 which has been a fertile source of contention amongst 



1 It may, however, be questioned 

 whether the trade of England did 

 make progress during the twelve 

 years ending 1762 ; for we find that, 

 although the value of the cargoes ex- 



ported increased about a million ster- 

 ling during that period, the quantity 

 exported was less by 60,000 tons. 

 See 'Chalmers's Estimate,' p. 131. 



