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TONNAGE RATES.
Fractions to be taken as for a Quarter of a Ton, and as for a Quarter of a Mile.

Two branches to this railway are contemplated, both commencing near a place called The Lecturer's Closes, one of which will terminate in Great Moor Street, and the other in Deansgate, both in the town of Bolton.

The estimate for the whole work was made by Mr. James Stevenson, and amounted to the sum of £43,000, of which, £36,000 was subscribed before the act was obtained; it is said, however, that to finish it according to the present designs of the company, it will cost £75,000.

Soon after the passing of the act, Mr. Daglish, civil engineer, was employed upon this railway, but it has been subsequently under the direction of Mr. Stevenson. Stationary engines will be placed on the inclined planes, and locomotive engines on the other parts. Both are to burn their own smoke.

Seven years are allowed for the execution of the works, and if not then finished, the company's power is to cease, excepting as to such parts as may have been completed.


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On the 26th March, 1828, another act, entitled,  'An Act for amending and enlarging the Powers and Provisions of an Act relating to the Bolton and Leigh Railway,'  received the royal assent, but does not contain any thing in which the public have an interest.

The principal object of this railway, is the facilitating the conveyance of coal, slate, stone, and other commodities, from the interior of the country to the port of Liverpool, by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal from Leigh; and the return of corn, iron, lime, and merchandize from the above port, and from Warrington and other places, to Bolton, Bury, and their populous environs.

An act received the royal assent on the 14th May, 1829, for making a railway from Leigh to the Liverpool and Manchester Railroad, in the township of Kenyon, which, when completed, will greatly improve the value and add to the importance of the line above described.

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BORROWSTOWNESS CANAL.
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 * 8 George III. Cap. 63, Royal Assent 8th March, 1768.
 * 24 George III. Cap. 5, Royal Assent 24th December, 1783.

This canal was originally intended as a branch or collateral cut to the Forth and Clyde Canal, and the necessary powers for making it are contained in an act of 8th George III. entitled,  'An Act for making and maintaining a navigable Cut or Canal from the Firth or River of Forth, at or near the mouth of the River of Carron, in the county of Sterling, to the Firth or River of Clyde, at or near a place called Dalmuir Burnfoot, in the county of Dumbarton; and also a collateral Cut from the same to the city of Glasgow; and for making a navigable Cut or Canal of Communication from the Port and Harbour of Borrowstowness, to join the said Canal, at or near the place where it will fall into the Firth of Forth.'

Though it is thus embodied in the first act relating to the Forth and Clyde Canal, yet a separate company, consisting of one hundred and fifteen persons, (amongst whom were the Dukes of Hamilton and Brandon, Buccleugh, Argyle, and Duchess of

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 Argyle, Earls of Buchan, Home, Roseberry, Hopetoun, and Countess of Hopetoun, and many other distinguished individuals,) were incorporated by the name of "The Company of Proprietors of the Borrowstowness Canal Navigation." They were authorized to raise £5,000, in one hundred shares of £50 each, and a further sum of £3,000, if the former sum should be found insufficient.

The line of canal stretches along the south shore of the Firth of Forth, from the port and harbour of Borrowstowness; it crosses the water of Avon, and thence proceeds to the Forth and Clyde Canal, at Grangemouth, near the mouth of the Carron River. Its length is about seven miles, and level throughout; the depth is 7 feet.

Considerable progress had been made in this canal previous to 1783, and the £8,000 which the company were empowered to raise under the act already recited, was expended, when they were under the necessity of again applying to parliament for a second, entitled,  'An Act to enable the Company of Proprietors of the Borrowstowness navigable Cut or Canal more effectually to complete and maintain the same.'  By this act, the proprietors are empowered to raise among themselves the additional sum of £12,000, to be divided into shares of £50 each, and a further sum of £4,000 should it be deemed necessary; or they may obain [sic] the same by mortgage of the tolls, or by granting annuities on lives.

TONNAGE AND WHARFAGE.
Granted by the Act of 8th George III which have not been altered by the subsequent Act.

EXEMPTION FROM TONNAGE RATES.
Paving-stones, Gravel, and all Materials for the repairing of Roads, (Limestone excepted,) Dung, Marl and all sorts of Manure.

As Borrowstowness is (with the exception of Leith) the principal trading town on the Forth, and where there is depth of water for vessels of three hundred tons, at neap-tides, it was the original intention of the promoters of the Forth and Clyde Canal to termi-


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 nate it at this port; but they were subsequently induced by the force of private interests, to abandon this intention, and adopt this canal as a collateral branch.

The principal object of the Borrowstowness Canal was to avoid the difficult navigation of the Forth, and for improving the estates through which it passed; and though considerable sums of money have been expended on this work, it appears now to be entirely abandoned.

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BOURN EAU RIVER.
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 * 21 George III. Cap. 22, Royal Assent 29th March, 1781.

This river proceeds from the navigable River Glen, in Deeping Fen, in a north-western direction to the town of Bourn. It is three miles and a half in length, and nearly straight.

It appears by the preamble of the only act relating to this navigation, entitled,  'An Act for improving the Navigation of the River called Bourn Eau, from the town of Bourn to its Junction with the River Glen, at a place called Tongue End, in the county of Lincoln,'  that it had been previously used as a navigation, but that it had become of little use, in consequence of being nearly choked up by mud, and other obstructions; the above recited act, therefore, gives authority to trustees therein named, to make good the navigation by scouring, cleansing, and making the same 5 feet deep and 30 feet wide, where its present banks will admit of it.

TONNAGE RATES.
And so in proportion for any greater or less Weight than a Ton.

The trustees, in whom this navigation is vested, are the lord of the manor of Bourn, with the members for the time being; the owner of Bourn South Fen Pastures; the lord of the manor of Bourn Abbots, with its members, and nine other persons, three to be chosen annually by each of the parties above-mentioned; also all other persons who shall be holders of £100 stock, to be raised for the purposes of this act. The sum of £60 per annum is paid to the trustees by the owners of an estate of eight hundred and


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 sixty acres, situate on the banks of the river, and which, at the time the act was obtained, belonged to Sir Gilbert Heathcote, Bart. in quittance of the obligation he was under of keeping in repair a considerable portion of the north-west bank of this navigation, and which, in consequence, devolved upon the trustees. The Marquis of Exeter also pays to the trustees the sum of forty shillings annually on a similar account.

The principal use to which this navigation is put, is to facilitate the conveyance of the surplus agricultural produce of the fens, to the port of Boston, (to which it has communication by the River Glen) and to supply Bourn and its environs with groceries and other articles.

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BRADFORD CANAL.
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 * 11 George III Cap. 89, Royal Assent 29th April, 1771.
 * 42 George III. Cap. 93. Royal Assent 22nd June, 1802.

THIS canal commences in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, near the manufacturing village of Shipley, and extends along the eastern side of the valley, in which runs the rivulet called Bradford Brook, and terminates at Hoppy Bridge, situate in the lower part of the town of Bradford. It is in length three miles, with a rise from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal of 86¼ feet by ten locks. The locks are 66 feet in length, and in width 15 feet 2 inches, being the same in dimension as those on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The depth of water is 5 feet.

The act under which this canal was executed, is entitled,  'An Act for making a navigable Cut or Canal from Bradford, to join the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, at Windhill, in the township of Idle, in the county of York.'  The subscribers to this canal, at the time the act was obtained, consisted of twenty-eight persons, who were incorporated by the name of "The Company of Proprietors of the Bradford Navigation." They were empowered to raise among themselves £6,000, in sixty shares of £100 each, but the works were not to commence until the whole sum was raised; and if the above sum was insufficient, they were empowered to raise an additional sum of £3,000, by the admission of new subscribers.


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TONNAGE RATES.
And so in proportion for any greater or less Weight than a Ton.

If Goods remain upon the Company's Wharfs more than Twenty-four Hours, they are entitled to Wharfage, the Amount of which to be agreed on between the Parties.

That Fifty Feet of round, or Forty Feet of square Oak, Ash, or Elm Timber, or Fifty Feet of Fir, or Deal, Balk, Poplar, and other Timber Wood, shall be estimated as One Ton; and that Lime, Stone, Coal, and other Goods, shall consist of Twenty-two Hundred Weight of One Hundred and Twelve Pounds each.

No Boat of less than Twenty Tons Burthen to pass a Lock without leave, unlessTonnage is paid to that Amount.

The canal was finished in 1774.

For the purpose of giving a better supply of water to this canal, the proprietors were under the necessity of purchasing mills and lands contiguous to its banks, by which the shares were in creased, by additional calls, to £250 per share; and in order to secure this part of their property from the operations of the statute of mortmain, they applied to parliament, and obtained an act, entitled,  'An Act for vesting divers Estates in the parishes of Bradford and Calverley, in the West Riding of the county of York, purchased for the benefit of the Proprietors of the Bradford Canal Navigation, in Trustees, upon certain Trusts, discharged from all Claims of the Crown, in respect of any Forfeiture incurred under or by virtue of the Laws or Statutes of Mortmain.'

As the neighbourhood of Bradford abounds in flag paving-stone, coal, and valuable beds of iron-stone, this canal has been of infinite advantage in conveying them to various parts of the country. The extensive iron works at Bowling, and Wibsey Low Moor, with others of inferior note in the vicinity, may, in a great measure, be said to have been founded, or at least greatly enlarged, in consequence of the facility which this canal afforded, by its connection with the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, for the conveyance of their castings to all parts of the kingdom.

From these foundries, iron railways approach the town of Bradford, but though they do not extend to the head of the canal, yet they have the effect of materially reducing the price of the carriage of the heavy articles from these works. Flag, stone and slate from the eastern bank of this canal, and also near its head, (where it is very extensively worked) finds its way to the London


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 Market, and to the towns on the eastern coast; and coal, and the first-mentioned articles, are sent by this and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, into the extensive district of Craven. Since Bradford became the centre of the stuff manufacture and principal market for it, wool is also become a considerable article of traffic upon this navigation.

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BRANDLING'S RAILROAD.
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 * 31 George II. Cap. 22, Royal Assent 9th June, 1758.

THIS railroad proceeds from the extensive collieries, situate at Middleton, (belonging to the Rev. R. H. Brandling,) about three miles south of the town of Leeds, and terminates at convenient staiths, near Meadow-lane in the above town. It is three miles in length, and was constructed under the powers of an act, entitled,  'An Act for establishing Agreements made between Charles Brandling, Esq. and other Persons, Proprietors of Lands, for laying down a Waggon Way, in order for the better supplying the town and neighbourhood of Leeds, in the county of York, with Coals.'

There are upon this railway two inclined planes, one at the southern corner of Hunslet Carr, and the other at Belleisle, near Middleton, upon which the full descending waggons, regulated by a brake, draw up the empty ones. It is here worthy of remark, that it was upon this railway that the powers of the locomotive engine were first applied in this part of the country, by the ingenious inventor, Mr. John Blenkinsop, the manager of the Middleton Collieries.

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BRECKNOCK AND ABERGAVENNY CANAL.
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 * 33 George III. Cap. 96, Royal Assent 28th March, 1793.
 * 44 George III. Cap. 29, Royal Assent 3rd May, 1804.

THIS canal commences in the Monmouthshire Canal, about one mile south of the town of Pontypool, and crossing the River Avon by an aqueduct, enters a tunnel of two hundred and twenty yards in length; thence, in a northerly direction, by Mamhilad, Great House, Blaenavon Iron Works, and the town of Aberga-


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 venny, to Govilon; where, taking a north-easterly course, and keeping parallel with the Usk River, it proceeds by Daney Park, Llanelly Iron Works, Crickhowel, Peterstone Court, and Tyn Maur, to Brecon, near which town it communicates with the Hay Railway. At Buckland House, it communicates with the Brynoer Tramroad, from the Blaen Rumney Iron Works; and near Crickhowel, several railways extend from it to the extensively worked limestone quarries, collieries and iron works, which abound in that immediate neighbourhood. At the village of Govilon, the Llanfihangel Railroad, passing by the town of Abergavenny, connects with this navigation; and three miles north of Pontypool, it is also joined by the Mamhilad Railway. There is also a railway of one mile and a quarter in length, proceeding from it, across the River Usk, to Llangroiney.

From the junction with the Monmouthshire Navigation, this canal is continued on a level with its summit to Abergavenny, a distance of eleven miles, and maintains the same level three miles and a half further; from thence to its termination at Brecon, is eighteen miles and a half, with a rise of 68 feet; the total length being thirty-three miles.

Mr. T. Dadford, Jun. was the engineer employed on this work, which was executed under the powers of an act, entitled,  'An Act for making and maintaining a navigable Canal from the town of Brecknock to the Monmouthshire Canal, near the town of Pontypool, in the county of Monmouth; and for making and maintaining Railways and Stone Roads to several Iron Works and Mines in the counties of Brecknock and Monmouth.'  By this act the subscribers were incorporated by the name of "The Company of Proprietors of the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal Navigation," with power to raise among themselves the sum of £100,000, in one thousand shares of £l00 each, and the additional sum of £50,000, if necessary.


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TONNAGE RATES CONTINUED.
Fractions to be taken as for a Quarter of a Ton, and as for Half a Mile.

Boats under Twenty Tons lading not to pass any Lock without leave, or without paying for that Tonnage.

RAILROAD DUES.
As the making of this canal would materially increase the value of the shares in the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation, that company agreed to give the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal Proprietors the sum of £3,000; also to take the same tonnage upon their navigation, on all articles conveyed along any part of the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal, as that company were empowered to collect.

In 1804, this company, having expended the money authorized to be raised under the preceding act, applied to parliament and obtained an act to enable them to raise an additional fund to complete their works, entitled,  'An Act for enabling the Company of Proprietors of the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal to raise a further Sum of Money for completing the said Canal, and the Works thereto belonging; and for altering and enlarging the Powers of an Act made in the Thirty-third Year of his present Majesty, for making the said Canal.'

As this canal skirts the rich mineral districts of Monmouth and Glamorgan, and has a direct communication with the Bristol Channel, by means of the Monmouthshire Canal, every facility is afforded for the export of its valuable productions, which was the ostensible object of its promoters.

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BRIDGEWATER'S (THE DUKE OF) CANAL.
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 * 10 Geo.II C. 22, R. A. 22nd Apr. 1737.
 * 32 Geo. II C. 2, R. A. 23rd Mar. 1759.
 * 33 Geo. II. C. 2, R. A. 24th Mar.1760.
 * 2 Geo. III. C. 11, R. A. 24th Mar. 1762.
 * 6 Geo. III. C. 17, R. A. 18th Mar. 1766.
 * 35 Geo. III. C.44, R. A. 28th Apr. 1795.

THE 32nd George II. is the first act of parliament, under power of which the execution of this navigation was commenced,


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 and it is entitled,  'An Act to enable the Most Noble Francis Duke of Bridgewater, to make a navigable Cut or Canal from a certain place in the township of Salford, to or near Worsley Mill, and Middlewood, in the manor of Worsley, and to or near a place called Hollin Ferry, in the county palatine of Lancaster.'  In this act it is recited, that certain persons had obtained an act in the 10th George II. entitled,  'An Act for making navigable the River or Brook called Worsley Brook, from Worsley Mill, in the township of Worsley, in the county palatine of Lancaster, to the River Irwell, in the said county,'  but that they had hitherto neglected to carry any of the powers of this act into execution. This, then, was the first step taken towards making this very early and useful navigation; but the degree of supineness exhibited by the original undertakers, in having so long neglected the execution of a work which has been and is yet the source of immense wealth to its noble owner, is most strikingly contrasted by the enterprising spirit and astonishing perseverance of the Duke of Bridgewater, who, unassisted, except by the natural genius of Brindley, carried into execution a series of difficult and expensive works, which are, even at this time, unexampled.

The primary object of "The Father of British Inland Navigation," as the Duke of Bridgewater has been justly styled, was to open his valuable collieries at Worsley, and to supply the town of Manchester with coal, at a much cheaper rate than could be done by the imperfect navigation of the Mersey and Irwell. The works were commenced immediately on the royal assent being given to the act, under the powers of which, a considerable portion of that part of the canal, between Worsley Mill and Manchester, was executed; but the proposed line from Worsley to Hollin Ferry, on the Mersey and Irwell Navigation, was abandoned. In the year subsequent to the obtaining of the first act, the Duke again applied to parliament and obtained a second, entitled,  'An Act to enable the Most Noble Francis Duke of Bridgewater, to make a navigable Cut or Canal from or near Worsley Mill, over the River Irwell, to the town of Manchester, in the county palatine of Lancaster, and to or near Longford Bridge, in the township of Stretford, in the said county.'

Under this act the whole of the canal from Worsley to


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, together with the extensive subterranean works, at his coal mines, in Worsley, were executed. The aqueduct over the Mersey and Irwell Navigation at Barton, was opened on the 17th July, 1761, and shortly afterwards the line of canal to Manchester. The underground canals and tunnels at Worsley are said to be eighteen miles in length, and to have cost £168,960. From Worsley, a branch of one mile and a half in length extends to Chat Moss, across which, the line to Hollin Ferry, near Glazebrook, was intended to pass.

In 1762 this spirited and patriotic nobleman applied to parliament, and obtained the necessary powers to enable him to extend his navigation, so as to open a better navigable communication with LiverpooL This act is entitled,  'An Act to enable the Most Noble Francis Duke of Bridgewater, to make a navigable Cut or Canal from Longford Bridge, in the township of Stretford, in the county palatine of Lancaster, to the River Mersey, at a place called the Hempstones, in the township of Halton, in the county of Chester.'  It is here recited that the canal from the Duke's coal mines to Longford Bridge, whence the proposed extension was to proceed, together with a considerable portion of the remainder of the line to Manchester, was finished.

The original line to Hempstones takes a south-westerly course from Longford Bridge, crossing the Mersey by an aqueduct; by the town of Altringham, and Dunham Massey, (the seat of the Earl of Stamford and Warrington) near which place it passes over the River Bollin by an aqueduct, thence by Lymm, Groppenhall, crossing the London Road two miles south of Warrington, to the River Mersey, at Hempstones; but before the latter portion could be executed, an act of the 6th George III. was obtained by a company, to enable them to make a canal to connect the Rivers Trent and Mersey, which is entitled,  'An Act for making a navigable Cut or Canal from the River Trent, at or near Wilden Ferry, in the county of Derby, to the River Mersey, at or near Runcorn Gap.'  This act contains a clause, whereby the Duke of Bridgewater engages to form a junction with the above line of the Trent and Mersey Canal at Preston Brook, instead of opening into the Mersey at Hempstones, which is nearly one mile and a half higher up the river than the place where the Trent and


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 Mersey Canal proposed to enter it; also to execute that part of the line of the Trent and Mersey Canal, from the junction above-mentioned, at Preston Brook, to its termination at Runcorn; for which the Duke should receive the following rates upon that part of the Trent and Mersey Line of Canal, which, commencing from Preston Brook, takes a circuitous route through the beautiful grounds of Norton Priory, the seat of Sir R. Brooke, Bart. and thence by Lower Runcorn to the Mersey. On the 31st of December, 1772, the ten locks at Runcorn were opened, and the whole of the canal and other works were completed to Manchester, on the 21st of March, 1776.

TONNAGE RATES.
And so in proportion for any greater or less Distance than a Mile, or less Weight than a Ton; but if any Boat shall pass the whole of the Locks, to be erected at Runcorn, then the same Tonnage to be paid as if the Vessel had passed along the whole Distance between Runcorn and Preston Brook. Also, the Duke has power to charge, upon this part of the Navigation, such additional Tonnage to the Penny Rate above-mentioned, so that the total Amount does not exceed the Rate which the Duke is empowered to collect upon the other parts of his Navigation.

On the 18th of March, 1766, the royal assent was given to an act, entitled,  'An Act to enable the Most Noble Francis Duke of Bridgewater, to extend a Branch of his Navigation, Cut, or Canal, upon Sale Moor, in the county of Chester, to the Market Town of Stockport, in the said county,'  but no portion of this proposed canal was ever executed. It was in length seven miles and a half, with a rise of 68 feet. By another act obtained in the 35th George III. entitled,  'An Act to enable the Most Noble Francis Duke of Bridgewater, to make a navigable Cut from his present Navigation, in the township of Worsley, in the county palatine of Lancaster, to the township of Pennington, near the town of Leigh, in the said county,'  the Duke of Bridgewater was enabled to extend his navigation to the town of Leigh, to which place the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company have subsequently extended a branch of their navigation, so that now another navigable communication is made through the heart of Lancashire, connecting the towns of Wigan, Chorley, Blackburn, Preston, and those two lmportant places, Liverpool and Manchester.


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The length of the Duke's Canal from Castle Field, in Manchester, to near Longford Bridge, where the main line leaves the Worsley Branch, is three miles and a quarter; and from the last-mentioned place to Preston Brook, where it joins the Trent and Mersey, is eighteen miles and a half; and from thence to Runcorn, is five miles and a quarter, all on the same level, at which place it has a fall into the tideway of the Mersey, at low water, of 82½ feet, by ten locks. The branch to Worsley is five miles, and from thence to Leigh is six miles, and are both upon the same level with the main line.

TONNAGE RATES.
All kinds of Manure, and Stones for repairing the Roads, are exempt from the Payment of Toll.

For the purpose of continuing this justly celebrated canal on one level from Manchester to Runcorn, and from Longford Bridge, by Worsley, to Leigh, great embankments became necessary, in consequence of the numerous vallies which intercept its course; amongst them is one over Stretford Meadows, nine hundred yards in length, 17 feet high, and 112 feet at the base; that made at Barton Aqueduct, where it is 39 feet above the Mersey and Irwell Navigation, is two hundred yards in length. There is also a stupendous embankment between Dunham Massey and Oughtrington Hall. The whole of these canals and branches, with the exception of the cut to Leigh, were executed in five years, under the direction of Mr. Brindley, and at an expense to his noble patron of upwards of £220,000; but, as it all issued from his private purse, the public have no means of arriving at the exact amount, nor have they much better means of ascertaining the annual income, though it was estimated, some years ago, at £130,000.


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Rh

This valuable concern is now the property of the Most Noble the Marquis of Stafford, and it is said to have increased his annual income to the enormous amount of £260,000.

These navigations, although made at the private expense of the Noble Duke, and valuable as they have proved to his successors, are of much greater importance to the town of Manchester and the surrounding country, from the facilities they have afforded for the transit of merchandize, and in reducing the price of minerals, which, before the execution of these works, could only be obtained at nearly double their present value.

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BRIDGEWATER AND TAUNTON CANAL.
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 * 51 George III. Cap. 60, Royal Assent 14th May, 1811.
 * 5 George IV. Cap. 120, Royal Assent 17th June, 1824.

THE line of this proposed canal, commencing at Morgan's Pill, on the River Avon, about six miles below the port of Bristol, proceeds in a straight line, and in a south-easterly direction, to near Clevdon Court; from which place, taking a southerly course, it crosses the River Yeo; thence, west of the village of Puxton, crossing the eastern termination of the Mendip Hills, on the south side of which, an aqueduct is to be thrown over the navigable River Axe; hence, its course is continued in a straight line to near Huntspill Court, passing over the River Brue or Glastonbury Canal; thence, to the Tone and Parrett Navigation, near the village of Puriton, where it crosses the River Carey, at its junction with the Tone River, along the eastern bank of which, it continues its way two miles above the town of Bridgewater, where there is another aqueduct over the river. From the last-mentioned place it takes the course of the English and Bristol Channels' Ship Canal for two miles, when, diverging to the west, it passes the village of St. Michael's, running parallel with the last-mentioned canal, until it approaches the Tone, on the north bank of which it continues to its termination at Fire Pool Mills; there forming a junction with the intended Grand Western Canal, near the town of Taunton. The length is forty-two miles and a half.

From the main line, there is a branch of two miles and a


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 quarter, to the coal and other works at Nailsea; and another, of four miles and three quarters, on the north bank of the Axe, by the town of Axbridge, to Cheddar. At Clevdon Hill there is a proposed tunnel of six hundred yards in length; and another at Banwell, the eastern edge of the Mendip Hills, the length of which is one thousand and fifty yards.

The subscribers to this canal were, at the time the act was obtained, three hundred and twenty-six in number, amongst whom were Sir James Dubberley, Sir Richard Graves, Sir John Kennaway, Sir William Rawlins, and the Right Honourable Sir George Yonge, Baronets. They were incorporated, in the first act, by the name of "The Company of Proprietors of the Bristol and Taunton Canal Navigation," with power to raise among themselves the sum of £420,000, in four thousand two hundred shares of £100 each, with further power to raise among themselves, in proportion to the first subscription, if necessary, an additional sum of £150,000; or they may raise the same on mortgage of the tolls and duties hereby granted, the interest of which to be paid in preference to dividends or any other claim. In addition to the line of canal, the company obtained power to make railways or stone roads from the Nailsea Branch to the collieries and other works in that neighbourhood.

In the aqueducts over the navigable River Brue, or Glastonbury Canal, and the Axe River Navigation, the company are bound to specified areas; that for the first-mentioned river to be 360 square feet, and for the Axe 240; they are also required to make, on each of those rivers, near their respective aqueducts, two locks sufficient for passing vessels of ten tons burthen; and in order that these, and other things therein mentioned, should be properly executed, the company are directed to invest, in the public funds, the sum of £10,000, to be under the control of the commissioners of sewers acting for the county of Somerset.

The company are prohibited from taking the water from Lox Yeo, and from Banwell Hill Spring, and if injury be done to the latter, which is in the estate of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the fund of £10,000 above-mentioned is to be answerable for damages. They are also restricted from cutting any portion of the canal between the parish of Clevdon and the Parrett, until it is finished


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 between the first-mentioned place and the Avon; and if the former portion be not done in four years after the passing of this act, the power to cease. The affairs of the company are under the direction of a committee of fifteen persons, to be called "The Committee of Management."

TONNAGE RATES.
Tolls to be paid for a full Half Mile, and for a Quarter of a Ton.

TOLLS ON THE RAILWAYS.
To pay but once a Day.

Boats under Twenty Tons not to pass Locks without leave, or without paying for that Amount of Tonnage.

There are many clauses in this act for protecting the property of individuals on the line of navigation; but which, having a local interest only, it is unnecessary further to notice than by a reference to the act of parliament. In this act are recited three others, 10th and 11th William III. 6th Anne, and 44th George III. relating to the navigation of the Tone from Bridgewater to Taunton, in which it appears that certain persons are appointed conservators of that river, and certain tolls are thereby directed to be collected, and that the surplus of such rates, after doing that which is necessary for the maintenance of the navigation, shall be employed for the benefit of the poor of Taunton, arid the parishes of Taunton St. Mary Magdalene, and Taunton St. James; and as the making of this canal will materially injure the above interests, the company are directed to purchase them, and afterwards to maintain the


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 River Tone out of the tolls received from that navigation under the acts above-mentioned. The estimates for this canal and branches were made by Mr. Rennie, and are as follow;-

So confident were the subscribers of the ultimate success of this measure, and so eager were they to possess shares in the undertaking, that the sum of £571,800 was actually subscribed before the application to parliament; and yet, thirteen years afterwards, the following act was obtained by the same company, to enable them to abandon a great part of the line and branches.

The act of 5th George IV. is entitled,  'An Act to abridge, vary, extend and improve the Bristol and Taunton Canal Navigation, and to alter the Powers of an Act of the Fifty-first Year of his late Majesty, for making the said Canal.'  This act, therefore, repeals so much of the former as relates to the line of the proposed canal, between Morgan's Pill, on the Avon, and the parish of Clevdon, with the branch to Nailsea; and the company had already forfeited all right to make that part between Clevdon and the Parrett, with the Cheddar Branch, by having neglected to execute them within the prescribed period of four years from the passing of the former act.

Instead, therefore, of a navigation from the River Avon, the company determined to make it only from the River Parrett, a little above Bridgewater, to the town of Taunton, with some alterations in the original line between those places; they, consequently, have abandoned their original title, and are incorporated in this act by the name of "The Company of Proprietors of the Bridgewater and Taunton Canal Navigation." The deviation in the original line was from Mansell, through the parish of North Petherton and chapelry of North Newton, to the Parrett, a distance of five miles and a quarter, with a fall of 35 feet, by five locks. There is also a branch, with a dock or basin, and locks to communicate with the Parrett Navigation, in the parishes of Bridgewater and North Petherton, and chapelry of North Newton.


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This act enables the company to take any water within four hundred yards of the line of the canal, and three years are allowed for the execution of these works, if not then done, the powers to cease, excepting as to such parts as may have been completed. The tonnage rates remain as in the former act.

The object of this canal was to facilitate the communication between the ports of London, Bristol, Bridgewater and Exeter, and to afford a better mode of conveyance for the produce of the agricultural and mineral districts through which it passes; the utility whereof can only be appreciated by that portion of the public which partakes of such important benefits.

BRIDGEND RAILWAY.
9 George IV. Cap. 92, Royal Assent 19th June, 1828.

THIS line of railway commences at the Duifryn Llynvi and Pwll Cawl Railway, near the village of Ceffn Gribbwr, in the parish of Laleston, and proceeds in an eastwardly course to the River Ogmore, over which it crosses at a short distance south of the church of St. Bride's Minor, and thence proceeds, in the same direction, on the east bank of the same river, to the town of Bridgend, where it terminates.

The act for making this railway, is entitled,  'An Act for making and maintaining a Railway or Tramroad from the Dufryn Llynvi and Pwll Cawl, otherwise Porth Cawl Railway, to commence at a certain point therein, in the parish of Laleston, in the county of Glamorgan, and to terminate near to the town of Bridgend, in the same county.'  The subscribers, at the time the act was obtained, were thirty-three in number, amongst whom were


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 Sir J. Nicoll and Sir D. Mackworth. They were incorporated by the name of "The Bridgend Railway Company," with power to raise £6,000, in shares of £20 each, (of which £4,380 was subscribed before going to parliament,) and an additional sum of £4,000 on mortgage of the railroad and the rates authorized to be collected, should such sum be necessary to complete the same. Five years are allowed by the act for its completion. The concern is to be managed by a committee of five proprietors, who are subject to the control of general meetings.

The railway is four miles and a half in length, and is on one inclined plane to Bridgend, to which place there is a fall of 190 feet. The estimate for completing it amounts to £6,000, and was made by Mr. John Hodgkinson, civil engineer.

TONNAGE RATES.
Fractions to be taken as for a Quarter of a Ton, and as for a Quarter of a Mile.

For the purposes of this Act, One Hundred and Twelve Pounds is to be considered a Hundred Weight, and Twenty-one Hundred Weight to be a Ton.

Owners of Lands may make Wharfs, with Cranes and Weighing Machines, the Rates for which are regulated by this Act.

The principal object of this railroad is to facilitate the transmission of coal from the extensive collieries on the line of the Duffryn Llynvi and Pwll or Porth Cawl Railroad, to the town of Bridgend and its vicinity. It will also open a communication with the harbour of Pwll or Porth Cawl, which will be attended with considerable advantages to the trade of the above-mentioned town.

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BRISTOL AND GLOUCESTERSHIRE RAILWAY.
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 * 9 George IV. Cap. 93, Royal Assent 19th June, 1828.

THE line of this railway commences at Cuckold's Pill, near the harbour or floating-dock on the east side of the city of Bristol, and takes a north-easterly course by Upper Easton, Staple Hill,


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 and Rodway Hill, about half a mile south of the village of Mangotsfield; from thence it pursues a more northerly course through the collieries which abound in the parishes of Pucklechurch and Mangotsfield, to Coalpit Heath, in the parish of Westerleigh, where it terminates.

The act for making this railway received the royal assent on the 19th of June, 1828, and is entitled,  'An Act for making and maintaining a Railroad or Tramroad, from or near the city of Bristol, to Coalpit Heath, in the parish of Westerleigh, in the county of Gloucester.'  The length is nine miles; in the first two miles and three quarters of which there is an inclined plane rising 185 feet; in the next mile, another plane of 12 feet rise to the summit; at Staple Hill it enters a tunnel, which is eight hundred and eighty yards in length, and continues, on the same level, for a further distance of nearly one mile and three quarters; from which, to its termination, there is another plane declining 24 feet. The estimate for this work was made by Mr. W. H. Townsend, and amounted to the sum of £41,819, 14s. 2d. Near Rodway Hill, this railway is intended to be joined by the Avon and Gloucestershire Railway, for the making of which, an act was obtained at the same time as for this, and the royal assent was given on the same day.

The subscribers to this work, when application was made to parliament, were eighty-five in number, amongst whom were Sir John Smyth, Bart. and Sir Henry Nicoll, Bart. K.C.B. They were incorporated by the name of "The Bristol and Gloucestershire Railway Company," with power to raise among themselves the sum of £45,000, in shares of £50 each; and with further power to raise among themselves, or to borrow on mortgage of the rates, the additional sum of £12,000; or any part of this last-mentioned sum may be borrowed of the Exchequer Bill Commissioners, appointed under the act of the 3rd George IV.; but in this case the commissioners have priority over all other claims whatsoever.

The concern is to be under the management of a committee of fifteen persons, possessed of at least five shares each, who are subject to the control of the general meetings of the proprietors.


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TONNAGE RATES.
Fractions as for a Quarter of a Ton, and as for a Quarter of a Mile.

Carriages of Four Wheels not to carry more than Four Tons, including the Weight of such Carriage; and those of Six Wheels may carry Six Tons.

WHARFAGE RATES.
And the like additional Sum of One Penny and Sixpence for every subsequent Week.

CRANAGE RATES.
The act allows six years for the execution of the railroad, and if not then done, the powers so granted are to cease, excepting as to such parts as may have been completed.

The chief object of this railway is the making a cheaper and more expeditious conveyance for coal and stone to the city of Bristol, and for the return of merchandize in general, to the populous mining districts on its line.

BRITTON CANAL.
This canal, the property of the gentleman through whose estate it is made, commences in the River Neath, about half a mile above Britton Ferry, three miles below the town of Neath, and directly opposite the end of the Neath Canal. Its course is in a westerly direction north of Coed-y-yarll, and across the Morass,


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 called Crymlin Burrows, in a direction parallel with the north shore of Swansea Bay. It terminates in the pool called Swansea Harbour, in the River Tawe, a short distance below Swansea and close to Salthouse Point, and is four miles and a quarter in length.

As the principal object of the proprietor was the improvement and drainage of his own estate, it was made without having recourse to any parliamentary enactment.

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BUDE HARBOUR AND CANAL.
}}

 * 14 George III. Cap. 53, Royal Assent 24th May, 1774.
 * 59 George III. Cap. 55, Royal Assent 14th June, 1819.

THE original design for this navigation was made by Mr. Edmund Leach, (the Author of "A Treatise on Inland Navigation,") and an act was obtained in the 14th George III. for that purpose, entitled,  'An Act for making a navigable Cut or Canal from the Port or Harbour of Bude, in the hundred of Stratton, in the county of Cornwall, to the River Tamar, in the parish of Calstoke, in the said county.'  It was intended to commence in the tideway of Bude Haven, in the Bristol Channel, and thence, by the course of the Tamar, by Launceston, to the tideway of the Tamar River and Navigation, in tile parish of Calstoke. From the sea at Bude Haven there was to be an inclined plane of 54 feet rise; then, a level pool of six miles and a half; another plane of 120 feet rise, and a level pool at the end of it four miles in length; from this, a third plane rising 66 feet, to the summit level, being a total of 240 feet above the level of the sea. This summit level was maintained for the distance of sixty-eight miles, by a very circuitous course, occasioned by the necessity they were under of continuing on the level of the natural face of the country, by a clause in the act, which prohibits them from cutting more than 39 inches in depth on the lower side of tile canal. From the end of the summit, only two miles and a half from the termination of the proposed canal, there was to be a plane of 120 feet fall; then a level pool of two miles and a half in length, with a fifth plane, at Kelly Rock, of 120 feet fall. The total length of the canal was eighty-one miles, though the direct distance, between the two


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102 extremes, was only twenty-eight miles. The canal was to be 21 feet wide at top and 12 feet at bottom, and of depth sufficient for boats of ten tons. The estimated expense was £81,000, but as there was a provision in the act that the powers should cease in ten years from the passing of it, and as this period was suffered to elapse without any further steps being taken, it was accordingly abandoned; though in 1785 Mr. Leach endeavoured to revive the project, and to shorten the course to forty miles and three quarters, by cutting down the summit level 18 feet, and making a tunnel of one hundred yards in length, with other works, the estimated cost of which was £53,200; but as no act was obtained for this purpose, his project fell to the ground.

In the year 1819, however, a new company, consisting of three hundred and thirty persons, amongst whom were the Right Honourable P. H. Earl Stanhope, Countess Stanhope, Sir Arscott Ourry Molesworth, Sir William P. Call, and Sir Thomas Dyke Ackland, Baronets, obtained an act, entitled,  'An Act for improving the Harbour of Rude, in the county of Cornwall, and for making and maintaining a navigable Canal from the said Harbour of Bude, to or near the village of Thornbury, in the county of Devon, and divers Branches therefrom, all in the said counties of Cornwall and Devon.'  The subscribers are incorporated by the name of "The Bude Harbour and Canal Company," and have power to raise among themselves the sum of £95,000, in nineteen hundred shares of £50 each, with power to raise an additional sum of £20,000 if necessary, either among themselves or by the admission of new subscribers, or on mortgage of the undertaking and the rates and duties herein granted.

The main line of this canal commences in Bude Haven, within the port of Padstow, and pursues a southerly course along the western bank of the little River Bude, to Hele Bridge, where it turns suddenly eastward to near Marhamchurch. Here is an inclined plane, and hence it takes a circuitous course by Camorchard, little beyond which is another inclined plane, to Red Post, in the parish of Launcells, where the Launceston Branch commences. From Red Post, the canal takes a northerly direction on the western bank of the Tamar, which it crosses near Burmsdon. Thence, ascending an inclined plane, and proceeding to Veala, where the


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Rh branch to Virworthy commences, it passes, in a very circuitous course, by Pancrasweek and Holsworthy, a mile and a half beyond which place, it enters a tunnel of considerable length, and is continued thence, by Ford and North Week to Thornbury, where it terminates.

The Launceston Branch proceeds from Red Post, by a very serpentine course, on the west bank of the Tamar, through the several parishes of Launcells, Bridgerule, Marhamchurch, Whitstone, Week Saint Mary, North Tamerton, Tetcot, Boyton, Werrington, North Petherwin, and St. Giles' in the Heath, to Druxton Bridge, about three miles north of the town of Launceston. From Burmsdon there is a branch up the west bank of the Tamar to Moreton Mill, where the feeder from Langford Moor Reservoir communicates with it. The feeder from Moreton Mill to the reservoir on Langford Moor is two miles and a half in length.


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 * And so in proportion for any greater or less Quantity than a Ton, or greater or less Distance than a Mile.
 * Boats of less than Twenty Tons Burthen not to pass Locks without leave, unless Two Boats, containing together that Weight, are ready to pass at the same Time.

HARBOUR DUTIES.

 * All Vessels belonging to his Majesty, or employed in his Majesty's Service, and such as are under Seven Tons, laden with Fish, are exempt.

WHARF AND BASIN DUES.
For every Vessel entering or using any Dock, Basin, Wharf &c  2d per Ton.

 * And so in proportion for any longer Time the said Articles shall remain in or upon such Wharf or Quay.

WAREHOUSE DUES.

 * Which Rates shall be paid for every calendar Month such Goods are warehoused.

The estimate was made by Mr. James Green, civil engineer, in 1818, and amounted to the sum of £91,617; of which sum, £4,618 was for the improvement of the harbour of Bude. The


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Rh company have occasionally called in Mr. Whitworth, to inspect the works. The whole of the sum of £95,000, authorized to be raised by the act, was subscribed before the application to parliament. The management of this work is vested in a committee of eighteen persons.

Besides the authority which the act gives the company to make the canal, they are empowered to improve the harbour of Bude, by erecting a breakwater, together with a dock, basin, or inner harbour, warehouses, piers, quays, wharfs, and jetties, mooring chains, lighthouses, buoys, and what other works may be necessary for the convenient accommodation of such ships and vessels as resort to the same. They are restricted from taking any water from the Tamar, or the brooks which flow into it, except when the water flows 3 inches over the weir at Aldfordisworthy Mill.

The chief object of this canal, is to facilitate the introduction of Welsh Coal, and the carrying of Shelly Sand from the coast, to be used in the interior as manure.

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BULLO PILL OR FOREST OF DEAN RAILWAY
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 * 49 George III. Cap. 158, Royal Assent 10th June, 1809.
 * 7 George IV. Cap. 47, Royal Assent 5th May1 1826.

to the act of 49th George III. a railroad had been nearly completed, without the authority of parliament, from the Severn at Bullo Pill, near the town of Newnham, to Cinderford Bridge, in his Majesty's Forest of Dean, by Roynon Jones, Esq. Margaret Roberts, William Fendall and James Jelf, Esquires, the owners, but who, being desirous of obtaining power to extend their railway, and to make branches therefrom, applied to parliament and obtained an act, entitled,  'An Act for making and maintaining a Railway or Tramroad, from the summit of the Hill above Churchway Engine, in the Forest of Dean, in the county of Gloucester, to a certain place in the said Forest, called Cinderford Bridge,'  by which the above parties are incorporated by the name of "The Bullo Pill Railway Company."


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106

The line of extension which the above company are empowered to make, proceeds from the above-mentioned private railway, at Cinderford Bridge, in a northwardly direction, up a valley in the forest, to the summit of the hill above Churchway Engine, and the place where the Severn and Wye Railroad Company have subsequently formed a junction; its length is about three miles. There is also a branch from a place called the Dam, to the Upper and Lower Bilson Works; another from the same place to Kelmsley Green, and one from Nofold Engine, to the Old Engine and Nofold Green. These collateral and very short branches extend to several coal and other mines in the forest.

The Forest of Dean, through which this railway passes, belongs to the King; but after the passing of this act, the ground occupied by the railroad and branches is vested in the company, on payment of the yearly rent of £100, and one guinea per week towards the cost and charges of his Majesty's Inspectors. The railway not to exceed seven yards in breadth, except in passing places, embankments, deep cuttings, or where warehouses or wharfs may be erected.

TONNAGE RATES.

 * Fractions to be taken as for a Quarter of a Ton, and as for Half a Mile.
 * One Hundred and Twenty Pounds to be deemed a Hundred Weight, for the purposes of this Act.

RATES UPON THE PRIVATE RAILWAY FROM CINDERFORD BRIDGE TO THE SEVERN AT BULLO PILL.

 * None but Free Miners of the Forest, and his Majesty's Surveyor General, have power to use this private Railway, without consent of the Proprietors.

The private railway is nearly four miles and a half long, with a tunnel upwards of five hundred yards in length, situate about a mile and a half from Bullo Pill, at which place are convenient wharfs for goods intended for shipment on the Severn.


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BULLO PILL OR FOREST OF DEAN RAILWAY

On the 5th of May 1826, the royal assent was given to another act, entitled,  'An Act for maintaining an existing public Railway from the summit of the Hill above Churchway Engine, in the Forest of Dean, to Cinderford Bridge, and for making public a private Railway from thence to the River Severn, at or near Bullo Pill, all in the county of Gloucester; and for amending an Act of his late Majesty relating to the said Railways,'  by which a company, consisting of eighteen persons, agree to purchase the interest of the Bullo Pill Railway Company, and make the whole public, and they are by this act incorporated by the name of "The Forest of Dean Railway Company," with power to raise among themselves for these purposes, the sum of £125,000, to be divided into two thousand five hundred shares, of £50 each. Edward Protheroe, Esq. was the principal proprietor of this concern. The rents and payments due to his Majesty and inspectors, are by this act reserved, with the many other privileges which the King enjoys as owner of the Forest of Dean; so much of the former act as related to the tonnage is repealed, and the following are now the

WHARFAGE RATES.

 * His Majesty's Timber is exempt from Payment of Wharfage Rates.
 * Fractions to be taken as for a Quarter of a Ton, and as for a Quarter of a Mile.


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108

The object of this railway and branches, is to convey, with facility, for shipment on the Severn, the timber, coal, iron-ore, and other minerals, with which the Forest of Dean abounds, thus enabling the owners to transport their superabundant produce to distant markets.  {{c|

BURE OR NORTH RIVER.
}}
 * 13 George III. Cap. 37, Royal Assent 7th April, 1773

THE River Bure rises a few miles north of the town of Foulsham; it thence pursues an easterly course by Thurningbeck Hall, Blickling Park, to the town of Aylsham, to which place, from the head of the Bure Navigation at Coltishall, it was made navigable under the authority of an act of 13th George III. entitled,  'An Act for making and extending the Navigation of the River Bure, commonly called the North River, by and from Coltishall, to Aylsham Bridge, in the county of Norfolk.'  The length of this portion of the navigation is nine miles, with six locks, and it is in the natural course of the stream, with the exception of a few short cuts, made for the purpose of cutting off some bends of the river, or for passing the mills upon it.

This navigation is under the management of commissioners, whose qualification is the possession of freehold or copyhold estates in the hundreds of North and South Erpingham, Taverham, Eynsford, and Tunstead, in the county of Norfolk, of the annual value of £100, or a personal estate of £3,000; any seven of whom, whose usual place of residence is in any of the hundreds above-named, are empowered to act. They are authorized to borrow £5,000, for the purpose of carrying the powers of this act into execution, on security of the tolls therein granted.


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Rh

EXEMPTION FROM TOLL.
Straw, Muck, Marl, Clay, or other Manure, and Materials for the repair of the Mills upon the River

As the navigable part of the North River and River Bure, from the head of this navigation, at Aylsham, to the sea at Yarmouth, is, by its course, forty-two miles, and as it passes through one of the finest agricultural districts of which this kingdom can boast, the advantages arising from the facilities it affords for the export of the natural productions of its vicinity are incalculable. The towns of Aylsham, Cawsham, Reepham, and the immediate neighbourhood, participate, perhaps, more directly in the advantages thus derived.

BURE, YARE AND WAVENEY RIVERS, AND YARMOUTH HAVEN.
22 Charles II. C. 16, R. A. 11th Apr. 1670.

9 Geo. IC. 10, R. A. 22nd Mar. 1722.

20 Geo. II, C. 40, R. A. 17th June, 1747.

23 Geo. II. C. 6, R. A. 14th Mar. 1749.

12 Geo. III. C. 14, R. A. 1st April, 1772.

As these rivers and the harbour of Yarmouth are under one description of management, and the principal legislative enactments relating to them are, with only one exception, combined, the description of them will be given under the above title. The first act of parliament relating to a part of these navigations, occurs in the 22nd Charles II. and is entitled,  'An Act for making navigable the Rivers Brandon and Waveney,'  in which commissioners were appointed to carry the act into execution, and to ascertain the damage done to the banks of the said rivers, by the haling of vessels thereon; so that it clearly appears that the River Waveney was navigable previous to this early date; but as this river became subsequently under the control of commissioners appointed by the corporations of Yarmouth, Norwich, and the magistrates of the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, it is not necessary to enter into the earlier provisions of the above recited act. The first act, therefore, in which is embodied the necessary power for rendering the whole of the above-mentioned rivers navigable, is the 9th George I. which is entitled,  'An Act for clearing, depthening, repairing, extending, maintaining and improving the Haven and


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110

 'Piers of Great Yarmouth; and for depthening and making more navigable the several Rivers emptying themselves at the said town; and also for preserving Ships, wintering in the said Haven, from accidents by Fire;'  whereby several duties were granted for the above recited purposes, and for depthening the channel of that part of the River Yare called Braydon, and for making more navigable the Rivers Yare, Waveney and Bure, &c.; but as the time to which this act limited the receipt of these duties had expired previous to 1747, another act was obtained in the 20th George II. to revive the duties granted under the 9th George I. and make them payable for two years from the above date, and from thence to the end of the session of parliament immediately following. This act is therefore entitled,  'An Act to revive, continue and amend an Act made in the Ninth Year of the Reign of his late Majesty King George the First, entitled, An Act for clearing, depthening, repairing, extending, maintaining and improving the Haven and Piers of Great Yarmouth; and for depthening and making more navigable the several Rivers emptying themselves at the said town; and also for preserving Ships, wintering in the said Haven,from accidents by Fire.'  Twelve commissioners were appointed to carry into effect the purposes of this act; three of whom were appointed by the corporation of Yarmouth, other three by the mayor, sheriff, citizens and commonalty of Norwich, and the remainder by the magistrates of Norfolk and Suffolk, assembled at quarter sessions; which said commissioners, or any seven of them, (five being of the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk,) are empowered to act.

In the preamble of the act of 23rd George II. entitled,  'An Act for repairing, improving, and maintaining, the Haven and Piers of Great Yarmouth; and for depthening and making more navigable the several Rivers emptying temselves into the said Haven; and also for preserving Ships, wintering therein, from accidents by Fire,'  we learn, that the duties heretofore granted were insufficient for the maintenance of the several navigations connected with the haven of Yarmouth; the corporation of Great Yarmouth are, therefore, by this act, empowered to collect new duties for the term of twenty-one years, from the 25th March, 1750; but as these are repealed, and give place to others granted


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Rh by the 12th George III. it is unnecessary here to recite them. The act of 12th George III. is entitled,  'An Act for clearing, depthening, repairing, maintaining and improving the Haven and Piers of Great Yarmouth; and for depthening and making more navigable the several Rivers emptying themselves into the said Haven; and for preserving Ships, wintering therein, from accidents by Fire;'  in the preamble of which it is recited, that the duties granted under the former act of 23rd George II. ceased on the 25th March, 1772, and the following are granted in lieu of them.

RATES AND DUTIES.
Or such other greater Sum, not exceeding Twe1vepence, which the Commissioners appointed by this Act, or any Seven of them, may order and direct; which Commissioners s.re to be chosen as directed in the Act of 22nd Charles II.

The Duties on all Goods imported, to be repaid on Exportation.

The Master of each Vessel to pay to the Pier Master One Shilling on entering the Haven.

The duties are to be disposed of, for the several purposes recited in the act, in the following proportions;-three-twentieths to the chamberlain of the city of Norwich, to be applied for the purposes of depthening and otherwise improving that part of the River Yare, or Wensom, which lies between the New Mills at Norwich and Hardly Cross; one-twentieth to the magistrates of Norfolk, for the purpose of clearing and depthening the River Bure, the River Ant from St. Bennett's Abbey, to Dilham, and the Thurne River from Bastwick Bridge to Hickling; one-twentieth to the magistrates of Suffolk, for the improvement of the navigation of the Waveney; one-twentieth to be applied to the purpose of repairing the bridge and public quays of Yarmouth; one twentieth to be applied, by the Norfolk Magistrates, for the further clearing of the River Bure, and other branches above-mentioned; five-twentieths to the corporation of Yarmouth, for the improvement of the River Yare from Yarmouth to Hardly Cross, in such manner as the commissioners may appoint; and the remaining eight-twentieths is to be appropriated to the purpose of improving the haven of Yarmouth, and maintaining the piers and


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112 jetties, &c. &c.; and if the last-mentioned sum is insufficient, the commissioners have power to collect the twelve-penny duty for this purpose. The act to be in force for twenty-one years only, but its cessation is not to extinguish, or in any way to affect, the port duties which have been, by immemorial custom, paid to the corporation of Great Yarmouth.

That portion of the Bure River to which the above-recited acts relate, commences at Coltishall, where the Bure or North River Navigation terminates. Its course is very circuitous, in an eastwardly direction, by Wroxham Bridge, to the Ant River at Horning Marsh; from thence, by Weybridge and Runham Hall, to the town of Yarmouth, where it falls into the Yare. The distance from Coltishall to the mouth of the River Ant, is fifteen miles; from thence to the Thurne is two miles and a quarter; and from thence to time Yare is thirteen miles and a quarter. The Ant River Branch commences at the North Walsham and Dilham Canal, at Wayford Bridge, and takes a southwardly course, passing the Barton Broad, and the villages of Irstead, Ludham Bridge, to Horning Marsh, where it enters the Bure. Its length is nearly eight miles, and without locks. The Thurne River Branch commences at Hickling Broad, whence, passing through Heigham Sound, it takes a south-westwardly course by Heigham Bridge, to the River Bure, into which it falls near the village of Thurne. Its length is about seven miles, and level. In the township of Tunstall, about eight miles from Yarmouth, there is a navigable drain, of one mile in length, from the Bure to Tunstall Staith; and a little above Weybridge there is another, of half a mile in length, across Upton Marsh.

The Yare, or Wensom, has its source between the towns of Fakenham and Litcham, in Norfolk; whence, pursuing a south-easterly course by Sennowe Lodge, Westfield Park and Taverham Hall, to the city of Norwich, it there becomes navigable. From this place it continues, in a circuitous course, through low marshy grounds, by Hardly Cross, to near the village of Burgh, where it is joined by the Waveney; from thence its course is through Braydon Water, to Yarmouth, where the Bure falls into it; and from thence it takes a southerly course, running parallel with the coast, by South Town and Gorleston, to Yarmouth Roads. From


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Rh Norwich to Hardly Cross, is eighteen miles and a half; from thence, to the Waveney, is six miles and a half; from thence, to the Bure at Yarmouth, is three miles and three quarters; and, to the sea, a further distance of three miles and a quarter.

The River Waveney has its source near Finningham Hall, a few miles north of the town of Mendlesham, in Suffolk; it takes an easterly course, and afterwards a northerly, by the town of Eye; thence, by Harlaston to Bungay, where it becomes navigable. From this place its course is east, by Barsham Hall and the town of Beccles, to within three miles of Lowestoft, whence it takes a northerly course by St. Olave's Bridge, to Burgh Flatt, where it falls into the Yare. From Bungay to Beccles Bridge, the distance is seven miles and a half; from thence, to St. Olave's Bridge, is twelve miles and a half; and to the place where it joins the Yare, five miles and a quarter. Two miles above Beccles there is a navigable cut, from the river to Geldestone Staith, of three quarters of a mile in length, and level.

To any one who will take a cursory glance at the position of these rivers on the accompanying map of inland navigation, the great advantages which must accrue to above one half of the county of Norfolk, is so strikingly manifest, as to render it quite unnecessary that we should further expatiate on them.

It may not be amiss here to state, that the royal assent was given to an act on the 28th of May, 1827, for making a navigable communication for ships, between the city of Norwich and the sea at Lowestoft, which follows the course of a considerable portion of the Yare, with a part of the Waveney, but which is not to injure the navigation of those rivers.

Further particulars of the Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation, as it is to be called, will be found in the proper place.

BURY, LOUGHOR AND LLIEDI RIVERS.
53 George III. Cap. 183, Royal Assent 2nd July, 1813.

THE River Bury is a very wide estuary, situate between a promontory of Glamorganshire, terminating at Worms Head, and the


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114 southern coast of Carmarthenshire. Its length, from the bar at the entrance of the harbour of Bury, near Holmes Island, to where the River Loughor falls into it, is (taking the course of the channel,) about twelve miles. Over the bar, which changes frequently, there is about six feet at low water, with from three to five fathoms within the harbour.

The River Loughor rises in the mountains of Carmarthenshire, south of the town of Llangadoc, thence, proceeding in a southerly direction by Glynheir, Bettus, Penclear Castle, Llandilo Talybont, to Llangennech Ford, to which place it is navigable. From the ford to the estuary of the Bury, opposite the village of Loughor, is about two miles

The Lliedi is a very inconsiderable stream, which falls into the River Bury, a short distance below the dock belonging to the Carmarthenshire Railway Company, which terminates near the town of Llanelly; and it is navigable only to this place.

The only act relating to these rivers is entitled,  'An Act for the Improvement of the Navigation of the Rivers Bury, Loughor, and Lliedi, in the counties of Carmarthen and Glamorgan;'  by which certain commissioners are appointed to cleanse, scour, enlarge, and deepen the same; and to make and erect buoys, beacons, and lights; and to establish and regulate the pilotage, anchorage, and mooring of ships and vessels in the said rivers. The qualification of a commissioner, is the possession of a freehold estate of the clear annual value of £80, and which must be situate within seven miles of some one of the rivers above-named; or a capital to the amount of £2,500, engaged in any mine or manufactory, within the prescribed distance above-mentioned; or have the same amount vested in ships, or other vessels, trading to the above rivers; or unless he be principal or managing clerk to any concern within seven miles, where £8,000 capital is employed; or a proprietor of the Carmarthenshire Railroad, the Penclawdd Canal, or Kidwelly and Lianelly Canal and Tramroad, to the amount of £500.

A committee of five are annually appointed to conduct the business of the commissioners, who are empowered to raise the sum of £2,000 on mortgage of the duties hereby authorized to be collected, or by granting annuities.


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Rh

TONNAGE RATES.
The Duties received in the Port of Llanelly, to be entirely applied to the Purposes of improving the Lliedi.

EXEMPTION FROM DUTIES.
All Vessels employed in his Majesty's Service; or in conveying Limestone or Fish; and all Vessels for Pleasure, or such as are under Fifteen Tons.

There is a clause, reserving to the Duke of Beaufort the rights and privileges of water-bailiff for the seigniories of Gower and Cilrey, in the county of Glamorgan; also the rights of the Lords of Kidwelly, the layer and keelage of the Carmarthenshire side of the Loughor; or the rights of the portreeve and burgesses of Llanelly; the Carmarthenshire Railroad Company; the Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal and Tramroad Company; the Borough of Loughor; the Penclawdd Canal and Tramroad Company; and the corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond.

These rivers, together with the canals and railroads connected with them, give great facility for the export of the produce of the valuable collieries, iron-stone mines, and limestone quarries in the immediate vicinity.

BUTE SHIP CANAL.
1 William IV. Cap. 133, Royal Assent 16th July, 1830.

This canal commences in Cardiff Harbour, at a place called The Eastern Hollows, near the mouth of the River Taft in the county of Glamorgan. Its course is in a straight line northwards to Cardiff Moors, and thence in a parallel course with the Glamorganshire Canal to near Whitnioor Lane, on the south side of the town of Cardiff, where it terminates. The length of that part lying between the Eastern Hollows and Cardiff Moors, (called The Entrance Ship Canal) is one mile, three furlongs and eight chains in length; the surface water of which is to be maintained at an elevation of 41 feet above the level of low-water-mark, spring tides, in Cardiff Harbour, which here averages 39 feet, by means of a sea lock and flood gates to be erected at its southern extremity; the depth of water in the canal is to be 33 feet. The


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116 upper portion of this navigation, called The Basin, is to be nearly one thousand five hundred yards in length, and 20 feet deep; from which are two communications by short cuts to the Glamorganshire Canal; one of which proceeding at right angles westwards from the inner lock at the northern extremity of the Entrance Canal, is three hundred and twenty yards in length; the other proceeds in the same direction from the upper end of the basin next to the town of Cardiff, and is two hundred and seventy yards in length.

The canal and basin is to be supplied with water by means of a feeder extending from a place in the River Taff, about half a mile north of Cardiff Castle; it is in length one mile and a half, and in its course will pass along some of the streets of Cardiff:

The whole of these works are to be executed at the sole expense of The Most Honorable John Crichton Stuart, Marquis of Bute and Earl of Dumfries, under the authority of an act which received the sanction of his Majesty King William IV. on the 16th July, 1830, entitled,  'An Act for empowering the Marquis of Bute to make and maintain a Ship Canal, commencing near the Mouth of the River Taff, in the county of Glamorgan, and terininating near the town of Cardiff, with other Works to communicate therewith.'

Mr. James Green, civil engineer, designed the above works, and estimated the cost at £76,669.

For the security of the water belonging to the proprietors of the Glamorganshire Canal, the Marquis is bound to maintain, by means of stop locks, his basin and the two collateral cuts extending therefrom at an elevation of 3 inches above the level of the top water-mark of the above-mentioned canal; and the proprietors of that navigation are in return required, upon one month's notice being given in writing, to let off their water to enable the Marquis to execute his works; but upon payment to them, on these occasions, the sum of £50 per diem, during the time their navigation is so obstructed.

The act empowers the Marquis of Bute to demand the following tonnage rates :-


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Rh

FIRST CLASS.
Vessels entering or departing with Cargoes.

SECOND CLASS.
Vessels entering or departing in Ballast.

WHARFAGE RATES,
''To be levied on all Minerals, Goods, Wares, Merchandize, &c. brought upon any Pier, Jetty, Wharf, Quays or Landing Places, or deposited in any Warehouse belonging to the Marquis of Bute - over and above the preceding Duties.''


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118

WHARFAGE RATES CONTINUED.
And so in proportion for any greater or less Quantity than a Ton.

For any other Article or Merchandize whatsoever, which shall be shipped from or landed or deposited upon any of the Wharfs, such reasonable Rate, Rent or Sum, not exceeding the Rates then usually paid in the Port of Bristol.

Goods not to remain on the Quays or Landing Places more than Three Days, without consent of the Marquis of Bute, or his Agents.

His Majesty's Vessels are exempt from payment of any of the above Rates or Duties,

The object of this canal is to avoid the dangers and difficulties of the present intricate navigation from the sea to the Glamorganshire Canal; and by affording additional accommodation to the shipping interest it will have the effect of increasing and improving the trade of Cardiff and its vicinity; and by facilitating the exportation of the mineral productions of this rich district, and providing a safe and convenient place for the loading and unloading afloat ships, and other vessels of greater burthen than can be at present accommodated, a general advantage will of necessity accrue to the public, and too much praise cannot be given to the noble Marquis for his spirited undertaking.

CAISTOR CANAL.
33 George III, Cap. 114, Royal Assent 3rd June, 1793.

THIS canal commences on the New River Ancholme Navigation, near Creampoke, in Kesley Carrs, and proceeds in an easterly


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CAISTOR CANAL direction by the village of South Kelsey, to its termination at Moortown, three miles and a half west of the town of Caistor. It is four miles in length, with Six locks, and it was made under the authority of an act, entitled,  'An Act for making and maintaining a navigable Canal, from the River Ancholme, in the parish of South Kelsey, in the county of Lincoln, into the parish of Caistor, in the said county,'  by which the subscribers are incorporated by the name of "The Company of Proprietors of the Caistor Canal Navigation," with power to raise £15,000, in one hundred and fifty shares of £100 each, with further authority for raising an additional sum of £10,000, if necessary.

TONNAGE RATES.
Fractions to be taken as for a Mile, and as for a Quarter of a Ton.

EXEMPTION FROM RATES.
Timber and Stone for the use of his Majesty; Gravel and Sand for the repair of Roads; Dung, Marl, and Soil for the purpose of Manuring Lands belonging to Owners of adjoining Lands; though these last-mentioned Articles are not permitted to pass a Lock free, unless the Water shall flow over the Waste Weir. Vessels under Twenty Tons, not to pass without leave, or without paying for that Tonnage.

By this canal, and the Ancholme Navigation, the surplus agricultural produce of the north of Lincolnshire is exported; and coal, agricultural lime, and general merchandize, is the return to Caistor and its neighbourhood.

There was some attempt made, in 1801, to make a canal from this, along the foot of the Wolds, to near Market Raisin, but as no act was obtained for the purpose, it seems now to be abandoned.


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120

CALDER AND HEBBLE NAVIGATION.
31 George II. Cap. 72, Royal Assent 9th June, 1758.

9 George III Cap. 71, Royal Assent 21st April, 1769.

6 George IV. Cap. 17, Royal Assent 31st March, 1825.

THE River Calder rises in the mountainous district north of the town of Todmorden, running along a most romantic and deep valley, called The Vale of Todmorden, where in many places the river, the turnpike road, and the Rochdale Canal, are within a few yards of each other; having passed Todmorden, it runs by Mytholme and Hebden Bridge, to Sowerby Wharf, about two miles from Halifax, where the Calder and Hebble Navigation commences. The Hebble is a small but rapid stream, which, rising above Ovenden, passes round the north and east sides of the town of Halifax, and falls into the Calder below Salterhebble. The course of the Calder, from the commencement of this navigation, is in an easterly direction, by Elland, Kirklees Park, near which place it is joined by the Colne, and Sir John Ramsden's Canal; from hence it passes by Dewsbury and Horbury Bridge, to Wakefield; at a quarter of a mile below Wakefield Bridge it terminates, on entering the Aire and Calder Navigation at a place called Fall Ing.

This river was rendered navigable by making cuts and locks for the purpose of passing mill weirs, &c. under the authority of an act of the 31st George II. entitled,  'An Act for extending the Navigation of the River Calder, to or near to Sowerby Bridge, in the parish of Halifax; and for making navigable the River Hebble, Halig, or Halifax Brook, from Brooksmouth to Salterhebble Bridge, in the county of York.'  Mr. Smeaton surveyed the proposed line in 1757, and it was carried into execution, under his superintendence, by commissioners appointed in the act, whose qualification was a landed estate of the annual value of £100, or a personalty to the amount of £3,000; any nine of whom were empowered to act.

Authority is given to raise money, for the purpose of carrying this act into execution, at five per cent. interest, on security of the tolls granted, which were as follow.


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CALDER AND HEBBLE NAVIGATION.

TONNAGE RATES.
And so in proportion for any shorter Distance.

EXEMPTION FROM TOLL.
Stones, Timber, Gravel, Sand, or other Materials, for the use of the Mills within the Limits of this Line of Navigation.

Soaper's Waste, Dung, and all Sorts of Manure, except Lime or Limestone.

Coal, under this Act, is prohibited from being carried down the Stream towards Wakefield, (except for the Use of the Vessels navigating the same) under the Penalty of £50, one-half to the King, the other Moiety to the Person who sues for the same.

Considerable damage having been done to this navigation by a great flood, which occurred in the night between the 7th and 8th October, 1767, and a total stop being put to the navigation, application was made in the following year to parliament, by the parties who had furnished the funds for constructing the navigation, and they obtained an act, entitled,  'An Act for extending the Navigation of the River Calder to Salterhebble Bridge, and to Sowerby Bridge, in the county of York, and for repealing an Act for that Purpose;'  in the preamble of which, after reciting the title of the original act, is the following statement of the reason for this measure;-

"And whereas the commissioners appointed for carrying the said act into execution, have borrowed of several persons considerable sums of money, which they have laid out for the purposes aforesaid, and great advantages arising therefrom have been already experienced: and whereas, before such navigation was completed, and all the necessary works for the defence and security of the cuts, locks and other works were perfected, such of the works as were then made, were, by the violence of repeated floods, destroyed or very greatly damaged, and the navigation is ruined so far as to be no longer passable for any kind of vessels from Wakefield to Brooksmouth, or from Brooksmouth to Salterhebble Bridge: and, whereas, the said commissioners cannot raise money to make the same good again, no person being willing to lend any, under the present circumstances, upon such security as they are empowered to give by virtue of


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122 "the said act, so that all those who have already advanced money for making the said navigation, are likely to lose their money so advanced, to the great discouragement of all persons willing to engage in such useful undertakings; and the public is in danger of losing the benefit of such navigation, unless some further provision be made by law for restoring, completing, and maintaining the same : may it therefore please your Majesty, &c. &c."

The proprietors, or original mortgagees, were eighty-one in number, amongst whom was Sir George Savile, Bart. and they were, by this act, incorporated by the name of "The Company of Proprietors of the Calder and Hebble Navigation," with power to raise among themselves, and by the admission of new subscribers, such sums of money, for the purposes of this act, as the company, at any general meeting, shall direct to be raised; and that this, together with the money already advanced, with interest due thereon, shall be divided into £100 shares. The company are also authorized to borrow, on security of the tolls, the sum of £20,000. The concern is under the direction of a committee of five, or more, who are under the control of the general meetings. As this act repeals the act of 31st George II. the following tonnage rates were substituted.

TONNAGE RATES.
And so in proportion for any less Distance or Weight.

EXEMPTION FROM TOLL.
Materials for the repairs of any of the Mills on this Line of Navigation, Soaper's waste, Dung, or any Kind of Manure, except Lime and Limestone, provided such Articles pass through the Locks at the time when Water is flowing over the Dam of such Locks.

Boats under Fifteen Tons, not to pass without leave.

Owners of Wharfs may charge Three-pence per Ton for any Article which may remain less than Six Days, if more, a Half-penny per Day in Addition.

The act contains this condition as regards dividends, viz, that whenever more than ten per cent. shall be paid in any one year, on the original sums expended on the navigation, then a reduction


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CALDER AND HEBBLE NAVIGATION. shall take place in the rates, in the year following the payment of more than ten per cent, in the proportion of two shillings and sixpence in the pound upon all such surplus.

Millers are required to stop their mills, when the water is reduced 18 inches below the crown of the dam.

Mr. Smeaton was again directed to view the Calder, by the new proprietors, with reference to the repairing and perfecting the navigation; and he accordingly reported on it in December, 1770, the year after the obtaining of the act. In February, 1779, he again examined the river and suggested several improvements, which were carried into immediate execution.

The Calder and Hebble Navigation, from its junction with the Aire and Calder Navigation at Fall Ing Lock, to the basin at Sowerby Wharf; where it communicates with the Rochdale Canal, is twenty-two miles in length, with a fall of 192 feet 6 inches, by twenty-eight locks.

A considerable portion of the line of this navigation occupies the original course of the river, and the remainder consists of cuts, to avoid the circuitous course of the river, and for the purpose of passing the mill weirs. It was first projected with the sole object of giving greater facilities to the populous manufacturing district situate westward of the town of Wakefield; but it has subsequently, by its connection with the Rochdale and Huddersfield Canals, become a very important part of the line of inland navigation between the ports of Liverpool, Goole and Hull, thus connecting the German Ocean and the Irish Sea.

For many years a considerable portion of the manufactures of Manchester and Rochdale were brought, by land carriage, across the grand ridge, to this navigation at Sowerby Bridge Wharf; but when the Rochdale and the Huddersfield Canals were opened, the increase to the revenues of this navigation was such, as to enable the proprietors to divide fourteen per cent, notwithstanding the prohibitory clause in the act of 9th George III. besides accumulating a considerable fund for any exigency. The country through which it passes has also partaken of the great advantages arising from a well regulated navigation. Agricultural lime has, by its means, been carried to fertilize a sterile and mountainous district; stone and flag quarries have been opened in its vicinity,


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124 which have furnished inexhaustible supplies for the London Market, and other parts of the kingdom; we allude, in particular, to the celebrated flag quarries of Cromwell Bottom and Elland Edge, at the former of which there is an extensive wharf, Iron-stone and coal works have been, and continue to be, extensively worked on its banks; and from the collieries at Flockton, a railway extends to the river at Horbury Bridge; from the Storr's Hill Colliery there is also a railway, terminating at the Calder, a little above the same bridge; within a few years there was a railway from the White Lee Colliery, above Heckmondwike, which terminated at this navigation, a short distance above Dewsbury, but the colliery is now worked out, and the railway taken up. At Kirklees a railway is laid to this navigation, from Sir George Armytage's Collieries; and the Earl of Cardigan has also a railway from his valuable collieries at New Park, to the Calder, at Wakefield, where are convenient staiths for shipment. Many other collieries, stone quarries, &c. have been opened on its banks, in consequence of the facility it gives for exporting their heavy produce, but they are too numerous to be all introduced within our pages.

In 1825 the company of proprietors applied for an act to enable them to extend a branch of their navigation to the town of Halifax, which will be attended with considerable advantage to that populous and important manufacturing town; it is entitled,  'An Act to enable the Company of Proprietors of the Calder and Hebble Navigation, to make a navigable Cut or Canal from Salterhebble Bridge, to Bailey Hall, near to the town of Halifax, in the West Riding of the county of York; and to amend the Act relating to the said Navigation. ' By this act the company are empowered to raise among themselves, or by the admission of new proprietors, the sum of £40,000 for carrying into execution (only one mile and three-eighths of canal,) the works proposed; with further power to raise, by way of loan, or by creating new shares, an additional sum of £10,000; but which sums of £40,000 and £10,000 may be raised upon promissory notes, or on mortgage of the tolls and duties authorized to be collected.

The clause in the former act relating to the limitation of the dividends, is in this act repealed, so that the proprietors may


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Rh divide the whole of their profits: the tonnage rates are also altered, and the following are what the proprietors are now empowered to collect.

TONNAGE RATES.
And so in proportion for any less Weight or Distance.

Fractions to be taken as for a Quarter of a Mile, and as for a Quarter of a Ton.

The new tonnage rates above-recited came into operation for the whole line of navigation on the 1st day of June, 1825. The gross receipts of this work amount to about £40,000 per annum.

The cut authorized to be made by the last act, is nearly one mile and three-eighths in length, with a rise of 100½ feet. It commences in the Salterhebble Basin, and proceeds up the valley to the east side of the town of Halifax, where there are convenient wharfs and basins for the accommodation of the trade. The water for supplying it is procured by means of a drift eleven hundred and seventy yards in length, from the basin of the canal, at Salterhebble, to a pit beyond the uppermost lock, from which it is raised by a powerful steam engine, into the head level. This novel and expensive mode of procuring the lockage water was resorted to by Mr. Bradley, the company's engineer, for the purpose of avoiding disputes with the numerous mill owners on the line of the Hebble Brook, below Halifax.

CALEDONIAN CANAL.
43 George III Cap. 102, Royal Assent 27th July, 1803.

44 George III. Cap. 62, Royal Assent 29th June, 1804.

6 George IV. Cap. 15, Royal Assent 31st March, 1825.

THIS canal, or rather series of canals and navigable lochs, forms one of the most magnificent inland navigations in the world; and its execution has been justly accounted one of the brightest examples of what the skill and perseverance of our engineers can accomplish. It commences at the Corpach Basin, in the tideway of Loch Eil, at the north end of Linnhe Loch, near Fort William, and


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126 at the foot of that celebrated Mountain Ben Nevis, which rises 4,370 feet above the level of the sea. From hence its course is nearly in a straight direction, north-eastwardly, through Lochs Lochy, Ness, Doughfour, to Clacknacarry Basin in Loch Beauly, where it enters the Murray Firth, on the west side of the town of Inverness. Its total length is sixty miles and a half, and the following are the particulars of the lengths of the several cuts and locks, extracted from a document ordered by the Honourable the House of Commons, on the 1st of June, 1821.

Of this, twenty-three miles and eight chains are artificially formed,and the remaining thirty-seven miles, three furlongs and two chains, are natural locks or lakes, which have been made navigable.

There are twenty-eight locks upon this navigation, viz:— from Loch Eil to Loch Lochy, twelve locks; and two more to the summit level at Loch Oich; from hence are seven locks to Fort Augustus, at the west end of Loch Ness; and seven from the end of the last-mentioned loch to the sea, at Loch Beauly, above low water of which, the summit level is only 91 feet.

The first act relating to this grand national undertaking occurs in the 43rd George III. and is entitled,  'An Act for granting to his Majesty the Sum of £20,000, towards defraying the Expense of


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Rh making an Inland Navigation from the western to the eastern Sea, by Inverness and Fort William; and for taking the necessary steps towards executing the same,'  by which, commissioners were appointed to carry the act into execution; some progress was, in consequence, made, but in the following session, another act was passed, entitled,  'An Act for making further provision for making and maintaining an Inland Navigation, commonly called "The Caledonian Canal ," from the eastern to the western Sea, by Inverness and Fort William, in Scotland.'  By this legislative enactment, the commissioners, appointed in the first act, are authorized to receive, at his Majesty's Exchequer, the sum of £50,000, in two half yearly instalments, for the purposes set forth in the preamble.

Though this line of navigation was commenced by government, yet the last-recited act contains a clause securing a proportionate dividend to all who may be disposed to become shareholders in the undertaking for any sum above £50; ten per cent, to be paid at the time of subscribing, the other at such times, and by such instalments as time commissioners may determine. For the purpose of securing a supply of water for the lockage in this navigation, the act empowers the commissioners to embank Loch Garry, Loch Quoich or Quich, and Loch Arkeg, so that they may more effectually act as reservoirs.

THE RATES OF TONNAGE ALLOWED UNDER THIS ACT.
And so in proportion for any greater or less Quantity than a Ton; and payment shall be made for a full Mile, if any Portion of such Mile shall have been passed.

Vessels entering a Loch or Lake shall pay for the whole Length of such Loch or Lake.

Thirty-six cubic Feet of Oak, Ash, Elm. Beech, Poplar, or Birch Timber, and Forty-five cubic Feet of Fir, or Deal Balk, shall be deemed a Ton.

All Vessels in his Majesty's Service are exempt from Toll,

The act of 6th George IV. entitled,  'An Act to explain and amend two Acts passed in the Forty-third and Forty-fourth Years of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third, for making and maintaining an inland Navigation, commonly called "The Caledonian Canal," by establishing further Checks upon the Expenditure of the Public Money for that Purpose, in certain cases,'  was passed chiefly with the view of better regulating the


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128 payment of compensation claims, in respect of consequential damage, wherein it is requited that all such claims should be made on or before the 1st of February, 1826.

This canal, which was projected and commenced chiefly with the view of giving facilities to the Baltic Timber Trade, was opened in October, 1822. Its depth is 15 feet, although it was proposed, originally, to be 5 feet deeper; but as the estimate for giving this increased depth was £41,000, and, as the Baltic Timber Trade has been in a great measure destroyed, by the new scale of duties having directed the trade to Canada, the commissioners have, at present, decided, not to add this cost to the enormous sum of £977,524, which had been expended on the canal up to the 1st of January, 1828.

Though this is a capital navigation for ships drawing 15 feet water, in addition to the advantages gained by avoiding the circuitous and dangerous navigation through Pentland Frith, and the Western Hebrides, it has not hitherto attracted the attention of seafaring adventurers so much as might have been expected; for it appears from the twenty-fourth report of the commissioners in July, 1828, that the total number of ships which availed themselves of this passage, in 1826, was nine hundred and forty-four; in 1827, seven hundred and sixty-six; and in 1828, eight hundred and eighty-two; and the total produce of the rates for the year ending May, 1828, was only £2,870, whilst the expense incurred in keeping up the canal amounted to £4,173, leaving a deficiency of £1,303, which has been borrowed.

Since January 1st, 1828, the tonnage rates have been reduced to the original rate of one farthing per ton per mile, which may have the effect of attracting the shipping interest to the more frequent use of this canal.

Nearly thirty years previous to the passing of the first act relating to this canal, Mr. Watt surveyed the line, and estimated that a canal of 12 feet water would cost £164,031, exclusive of land. Two years, however, previous to the date of the first act, Mr. Telford, along with Mr. Murdoch Downie, being directed by government to examine the line, recommended a canal of the width of 110 feet at the surface, and 50 feet at the bottom, with 20 feet water, and the locks 162 feet by 38; and the estimate formed by Mr. W.


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Rh Jessop, according to these dimensions, amounted to £497,531, including the land required, and the necessary mooring chains. It was afterwards directed that the locks should be 172 feet by 38 to 40 feet; and, with the view of giving greater facility to the passage of small vessels, it was in contemplation to construct side locks for vessels of two hundred tons, but as this appendage was estimated to cost £75,200, and the advantage appearing very uncertain, the idea was abandoned.

The whole of the works on this line of canal are of the first order, and exhibit the combined skill of the excellent engineers, who were entrusted with its execution, in the most favourable point of view; and whoever views the celebrated chain of eight locks, called "Neptune's Staircase," situate at the eastern end of this navigation, which alone cost upwards of £50,000, and the sea lock at Clacknacarry, extending upwards of four hundred yards lnto the sea, will not hesitate to confirm the opinion we have thus expressed.

CAM OR GRANT RIVER.
1 Anne, Cap. II, Royal Assent 27th February, 1702.

53 George III. Cap. 214, Royal Assent 21st July, 1813.

THIS river rises on the confines of Hertfordshire, between Biggleswade and Royston, from whence it pursues a north-easterly course, on the south side of Orwell Hill, to the Queen's Mill, at Cambridge, to which place it is navigable. From hence its course is by Fen Ditton to Clayhithe Ferry, the place where the London and Cambridge Junction Canal was intended to communicate with this river, and where the navigation, as comprehended under the foregoing acts, terminate. The remaining portion of the Cam River being in Bedford Level, and consequently under the jurisdiction of the Bedford Level Corporation, will be described under the head of Ouze River, as all the legislative enactments relating to the lower end of the Cam are introduced into acts of parliament, obtained by the above body, the titles of some of which terminate in the following manner, viz:–  ' and for improving the Navigation of the River Ouze, in the county of Norfolk, and of the several Rivers communicating therewith.'  The first act, therefore,