﻿THROUGH 
  THE 
  HEART 
  OF 
  ENGLAND 
  IN 
  A 
  CANOE 
  

  

  475 
  

  

  rn 
  

  

  Drawn 
  by 
  James 
  M. 
  Darley 
  

  

  A 
  SKETCH 
  MAP 
  OF 
  THE 
  CAXOElSTS 
  ? 
  TRIP 
  THROUGH 
  THE 
  HEART 
  OE 
  ENGLAND 
  

  

  The 
  holiday 
  journey 
  began 
  at 
  Oxford, 
  from 
  which 
  city 
  the 
  route 
  lay 
  northward 
  on 
  the 
  

   Oxford 
  Canal 
  to 
  Warwick 
  : 
  then 
  in 
  a 
  southerly 
  direction, 
  on 
  the 
  Avon, 
  to 
  Tewkesbury; 
  

   thence 
  by 
  rail 
  to 
  Cricklade, 
  on 
  the 
  Thames, 
  down 
  which 
  the 
  trayelers 
  proceeded 
  to 
  London. 
  

  

  looking 
  down 
  on 
  the 
  triumphant 
  Cava- 
  

   liers 
  as 
  they 
  pursued 
  their 
  foes 
  along 
  the 
  

   road 
  to 
  "Puritan'' 
  Banbury. 
  

  

  Near 
  Cropredy 
  we 
  met 
  a 
  barge, 
  almost 
  

   the 
  only 
  one 
  we 
  had 
  seen, 
  though 
  farther 
  

   north 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  common. 
  They 
  

   grow 
  fewer 
  in 
  number 
  every 
  year, 
  and 
  

   this 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  pity, 
  for 
  there 
  are 
  few 
  

   more 
  picturesque 
  sights 
  than 
  a 
  gaily 
  

   painted 
  canal-barge, 
  towed 
  quietly 
  along 
  

   by 
  an 
  old 
  horse, 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  boy 
  in 
  at- 
  

   tendance 
  to 
  see 
  that 
  he 
  behaves, 
  and 
  

   steered 
  by 
  a 
  stout 
  old 
  lady 
  wearing 
  either 
  

   an 
  old 
  sunbonnet 
  or 
  a 
  man's 
  cap. 
  

  

  Life 
  on 
  board 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  slow-moving 
  

   canal-barges 
  appears 
  to 
  possess 
  many 
  

   charms. 
  The 
  barge 
  people 
  pass 
  an 
  am- 
  

   phibious 
  existence, 
  belonging 
  neither 
  to 
  the 
  

   land 
  nor 
  to 
  the 
  water, 
  but 
  having 
  a 
  human 
  

   interest 
  in 
  each. 
  The 
  women 
  almost 
  

   wholly 
  live 
  aboard 
  their 
  floating 
  homes, 
  

   often 
  never 
  stepping 
  ashore 
  from 
  one 
  

   day 
  to 
  the 
  other, 
  and 
  going 
  about 
  their 
  

   domestic 
  duties, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  those 
  connected 
  

  

  with 
  their 
  calling, 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  precision 
  

   and 
  cheerfulness 
  in 
  the 
  world, 
  as 
  if 
  there 
  

   were 
  nothing 
  strange 
  or 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  

   in 
  their 
  surroundings. 
  

  

  Near 
  Fenny 
  Compton 
  we 
  discovered 
  an 
  

   old 
  windmill, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  few 
  of 
  its 
  type 
  

   remaining. 
  It 
  is 
  built 
  entirely 
  of 
  wood, 
  on 
  

   a 
  central 
  pivot, 
  so 
  that 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  long- 
  

   lever 
  the 
  whole 
  structure 
  can 
  be 
  swung 
  

   round 
  to 
  suit 
  the 
  wind. 
  I 
  was 
  reminded 
  

   of 
  a 
  somewhat 
  similar 
  mill 
  in 
  Hampshire 
  

   made 
  from 
  the 
  timbers 
  of 
  the 
  Shannon, 
  in 
  

   which 
  one 
  may 
  still 
  see 
  the 
  scars 
  made 
  

   by 
  the 
  Chesapeake's 
  cannon-shot. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  next 
  few 
  miles 
  the 
  canal 
  runs 
  

   in 
  a 
  cutting, 
  and 
  locks 
  are 
  so 
  numerous 
  

   (23 
  in 
  14 
  miles) 
  as 
  to 
  become 
  a 
  burden; 
  

   so 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  with 
  relief 
  that 
  we 
  paddled 
  

   hastily 
  through 
  the 
  outskirts 
  of 
  Leaming- 
  

   ton 
  and 
  embarked 
  upon 
  the 
  Avon 
  about 
  

   three-quarters 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  above 
  Warwick. 
  

  

  The 
  Oxford 
  Canal 
  is 
  typical 
  o\ 
  its 
  kind 
  

   and 
  fully 
  illustrates 
  the 
  defects 
  of 
  the 
  

   English 
  canal 
  system. 
  The 
  canals 
  are 
  

  

  