CHAP. X. OVERTUEES OF THE CANAL COMPANIES. 195 



belonging to Captain Bradshaw to prevent us. I can 

 state further that I was myself twice turned off Mr. 

 Bradshaw's grounds by his men ; and they said if I did 

 not go instantly, they would take me up and carry me 

 off to Worsley." 



When the canal companies found that the Liverpool 

 merchants were determined to proceed with their scheme 

 that they had completed their survey, and were ready 

 to apply to Parliament for an Act to enable them to 

 form the railway they at last reluctantly, and with a/ 

 bad grace, made overtures of conciliation. They pro4 

 mised to employ steam-vessels both on the Mersey and 

 on the Canal. One of the companies offered to reduce 

 its length by three miles, at a considerable outlay. At 

 the same time they made a show of lowering their 

 rates. But it was all too late ; for the project of the 

 railway had now gone so far that the promoters (who 

 might have been conciliated by such overtures at an 

 earlier period) felt they were fully committed to it, 

 and that now they could not well draw back. Besides, 

 the remedies offered by the canal companies could 

 only have had the effect of staving off the difficulty for 

 a brief season, the absolute necessity of forming a 

 new line of communication between Liverpool and 

 Manchester becoming more urgent from year to year. 

 Arrangements were therefore made for proceeding with 

 the bill in the parliamentary session of 1825. 



On this becoming known, the canal companies pre- 

 pared to resist the measure tooth and nail. The public 

 were appealed to on the subject ; pamphlets were writ- 

 ten and newspapers were hired to revile the railway. 

 It was declared that its formation would prevent cows 

 grazing and hens laying. The poisoned air from the 

 locomotives would kill birds as they flew over them, 

 and render the preservation of pheasants and foxes no 

 longer possible. Householders adjoining the projected 



o 2 



