HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 433 



branches are sent off for the nourishment of the distant parts) and 

 which is commonly known by the name of the Staffordshire Canal, 

 takes its course from north-west to south-east, across the county of 

 Chester, and thence across Staffordshire beyond its middle* when, 

 turning short in a north-eastern direction parallel to the Trent, it 

 accompanies that river into Derbyshire, and enters it near the place 

 where the high road from Derby to Leicester crosses the Trent 

 over a bridge, substituted to the former Wilden-ferry. In length 

 it is ninety-three miles. Its fall of water from its greatest eleva- 

 tion at Harecastle-hill, is 326 feet on the northern side, and 316 on 

 the southern ; the former effected by thirty-five locks, the latter by 

 forty. Six of the most southern locks are fourteen feet wide, 

 adapted to the navigation of large barges, and one of the northern 

 is of the same width. The common dimensions of the canal are 

 twenty-nine feet breadth at the top, sixteen at the bottom, and the 

 depth four feet and a half; but in the part from Wilden to Burton, 

 and from Middle wich to Preston-on-the-Hill, it is thirty-one feet 

 broad at the top, eighteen at the bottom, and five and a half deep. 

 The canal is carried over the Dove in an aqueduct of twenty-three 

 arches, the ground being raised to a considerable height for the space 

 of a mile and two furlongs. Over the Trent it is carried by an aque- 

 duct of six arches of twenty-one feet span each; and over the Dane, 

 on three arches of twenty feet span. There are besides near 160 

 lesser aqueducts and culverts for the conveyance of brooks and 

 small streams. The cart bridges erected over it are 109 ; the 

 foot bridges eleven. 



For the sake of preserving a level as much as possible, th hills 

 and elevated grounds in the course of the canal have been pierced 

 by five tunnels. Of these, that through the mountain at Harecastle 

 is the principal, and has proved a work of vast labour and expense, 

 iii consequence of unforeseen difficulties. Its length is 2880 yards, 

 with a width of nine feet, and a height of twelve, lined and arched 

 with brick ; and it runs more than seventy yards below the surface 

 of the earth. The other tunnels are at Armitage 130 yards ; at 

 Barnton, in Great Bud worth parish, 560 yards ; at Saltenford, iu 

 tHe same parish, 350 yards; and at Preston-on-the-Hill, 1241 yards. 

 Each of these is seventeen feet four inches high, and thirteen feet 

 six inches wide. The boats employed upon the canal carry about 

 twenty-five tons, and are drawn by one horse. The tonnage paid to 

 the proprietors for the liberty of navigating is three-halfpence per 

 mile. This great work was begun on July 17th, 1766. It was 



