SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.— E. 373 



Prof. G. D. Hale Carpenter. — A journey round the Okavango swamp, 

 Ngamiland (11.30). 



Dr. W. Bowie.— The mapping of the United States of America (12.15). 



Afternoon. 



Mr. W. G. East. — The Severn waterway in the eighteenth and nineteenth 

 centuries (2.0). 



. A brief examination of the geography of the Severn waterway with special 

 reference to the centuries of its greatest importance. Although it was 

 reckoned navigable, for craft of different draughts, as far up as Welshpool, 

 and although no improvements were made until the 1840's, the Severn 

 waterway suffered from many physical defects. A close study of (1) the 

 regime of the river, (2) its profile, and (3) its tidal conditions, explains the 

 differential possibilities for navigation along different parts of its course. 

 Between Longney and Sharpness Point (below Gloucester), physical factors 

 prevented access to and from Gloucester except during spring tides. Hence 

 the need for, and utility of, the Berkeley Ship Canal (1827), which revived 

 the trade of Gloucester, the estuary-head port. Between Gloucester and 

 Worcester (to which spring tides reached) the waterway was relatively good 

 for barges and trows ; between Worcester and Bewdley many shallows 

 were found, and farther upstream shoals and rapids were very common. 

 Further, navigation above Gloucester was very irregular, owing to periods 

 of low water and floods . In the late eighteenth century, when canals were 

 cut to the Severn, it became imperative to survey and improve this ' very 

 imperfect ' waterway. 



Mrs. J. Thomas. — The Duke of Bridgewater and the canal era (2.45). 



Packhorse and river transport in the early eighteenth century were in- 

 capable of keeping pace with expanding industry and commerce, and 

 despite the efforts of turnpike trustees, the roadways could not cope with 

 the increase of vehicular traffic. The reaction of transport changes on 

 commodity prices was especially evident in the case of coal and bulky raw 

 materials. Having decided to construct canals for the cheaper transport 

 of coal to his Lancashire customers, the Duke of Bridgewater enlisted the 

 services of James Brindley for their construction. 



Schemes contemplated to link up Manchester and Liverpool were soon 

 mooted. 



The various Acts granting statutory powers to the Duke to construct 

 canals will be considered together with some of the more important 

 engineering problems, e.g. that of crossing the river Irwell, which was 

 solved by making the Barton Aqueduct. His canals were constructed in 

 Lancashire and other counties and soon the ports of London, Liverpool, 

 Bristol and Hull were linked up by inland waterways. 



Speculation led to a ' canal mania.' 



The paper considers the effects of the amalgamation of canal companies 

 on road and river transport and in turn the effect on canals of railway and 

 road transport. 



