4G6 THE BEITISn ISLES. 



from vessels becoming unserviceable on account of tlioir age, but also those they 

 sustain through shipwreck.* Disasters of this kind occur most frequently in the 

 vicinity of the great shipping ports, along the dangerous east coast, and amidst 

 the rocks of the Orkneys and Shetland Islands. As far as they can be provided 

 against by lighthouses, light-ships, sea-marks, and lifeboats, no pains have been 

 spared, for there is not another coast in the world which is equally well provided 

 with all that can mitigate the dangers inseparable from the navigation of the sea. 



Some measure of the inland trade of the British Islands is afforded by a 

 consideration of the state and extent of means of communication, and the incessant 

 movement of goods and passengers along the high-roads, canals, and railways. The 

 inland trade has grown quite as rapidly as the commerce with foreign countries. 

 In 17G3 it was only once a month that a coach started from London for 

 Edinburgh, spending between twelve and sixteen days on the journey. As 

 recently as 1779 a daily courier, travelling at the leisurely rate of 4 miles an 

 hour, sufficed for carrying the mail between Ireland, Liverpool, Manchester, and 

 thirty-two other towns.f In 1784 mail-coaches were first substituted for mounted 

 postmen of this description. In 1755 there was not in England a single 

 navio-able canal, and transport by land had to be effected along a limited number 

 of badly kept turnpike roads.+ There existed, it is true, an old canal, the 

 Eossdyke, excavated by the Romans, and made navigable again in 1670, and the 

 navigation of several rivers had been improved, but the Bridgwater Canal, 

 commenced in 1759, is justly looked upon as the precursor of the existing system 

 of canals. Towards the close of last century the construction of canals was taken 

 in hand with vigour, and between 1790 and 1810 — that is, whilst the bloody wars 

 with France made so heavy a call upon the national resources — no less than 

 £28,000,000 were expended upon the improvement of inland navigation. § All 

 the more important basins are now joined to each other by means of canals. 

 Baro-es can pass from the Thames into the Severn ; they can climb the slopes of 

 the Pennine range by means of locks, and proceed from the Northern Atlantic 

 throuo-h the Caledonian Canal into the North Sea. Ireland, too, has been provided 

 with a system of canals which connects the Shannon and Barrow with Dublin, and 

 Loufh Erne with Belfast. It is generally supposed that the introduction of 

 railways has largely reduced the traffic over canals, and in some instances this is no 

 doubt the case. Railways have found it to their interest to buy up canal companies, 

 in order to avoid the necessity of competing with them ; but they are by no means 

 inclined to allow their investments to remain unprofitable, and they divert to them 

 a portion of the traffic, which would otherwise block their roads. It may safely be 

 assumed that the traffic over the canals is now increasing instead ofdiminishing.il 



* Between January 1st. 1873, and May 16th, 1880, 1,96j British vessels of a burden of 729,194 

 tons and 10,827 lives, were lost at sea, being an annual average of 266 vessels, 98,467 tons, and 1,468 

 lives. 



t "William Tegg, " Posts and Telegraphs." 



X Ch. Dupin, " Force commerciale de la Grande-Bretagne. 



§ Sutcliffe, " Treatise on Canals and Kescrvoirs." 



Il Total length of canals, 2,931 miles; traflSc (in England and Wales only), 2.5,110,000 tons in 1868, 

 30 000 000 tons in 1879; gross revenue yielded (United Kingdom;, £1,007,413 in 1875, £2,993,373 in 1878. 



