He next proceeds to examine the comparative expences of forming narrow and wide canals; and we regret that we are in a great measure obliged to pass over this part of the work, as because it would require the necessary diagrams to render it intellible. It is, however, demonstrated that the saving of expence, in forming canals, is far from being in the exact proportion of the breadth; since the embankments, towing paths, &c. must be nearly the same in both cases. The different situations, in which either mode should be preferred, are fully described; and Mr. C. admits that the sides of the mountains are also frequently too steep, and the soil too shallow, to admit of wide canals without great expence; therefore, under these predicaments, inclined planes and small boats are most eligible.'

The savings in such instances as I have premised, will be very considerably less than one half by adopting the navigation, described by Mr. Fulton, for four-ton boats, in place of those of 60 tons. I will call the saving two-fifths; and then proceed to examine what must be sacrificed for that acquisition.

1st. The carriage, in a very considerable degree, of all articles that will take damage by being wet *: because the narrow boats of 20 feet length, resting on two transverse lines over the wheels, would, with heavy cargoes, be very liable to strain, so as to become leaky and admitting they had a raised ceiling, which they must have for the carriage of dry goods, the water from the change of position of the boat, on ascending and descending the inclined planes, will run to the extremities, and be dashed about so as to damage the goods; unless the ceiling were raised at the ends, so as greatly to reduce the stowage of the boats.

2d. When boats, on the different levels, are committed to the care of different men, it will be impossible to fix under whose charge

* Under this description must be included grain, the chief produce of the land; the easier disposal of which forms the general inducement for landed proprietors to encourage canals. From this cause, and the creation of demand for internal products of the earth that might otherwise lie dormant, and for the conveyance of lime for manure to parts that could not otherwise easily obtain it, the landed interest receives more benefit from internal navigation than the adventurers who incur the charge of the works, and run the risque of their failure of reasonable success; which although dubious to the latter, can never be so to the land-owner; as, by means of canals, distant and unfavourable situations come under regular cultivation, and advance of rents far beyond what could otherwise be given. The frequent opposition from that quarter, and the support that such opposition meets with, clearly shew, that gentlemen of landed interest do not in general see this advantage in the light in which I have described it the same opposition, I am informed, existed on the first introduction of turnpike roads, the value of which has now been sufficiently experienced; and the superior advantages of canals cannot fail being soon as generally known.'

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the damage happened, unless it became a rule to examine the boats at every place of change of men, which would be attended with too much delay.

3d. From the same causes, and the boats having no decks, it will be difficult to prevent pilferage of liquors and small articles.

4th. Whenever the wind blew strong, the boats would be liable to take in water over their gunwales, notwithstanding their tarpaulins, unless they were battoned and nailed down as in ships hatchways: and, in every cross reach, the string of boats would blow ashore without a man to every boat to keep them off, which would be far too expensive. At Ketley, they had rails projecting into the canal, on the convex points, to keep the boats in their regular course, which enabled them to go forward in moderate weather; but to navigate, in any strength of wind, they would, if even they had rails all the way, require the aid of men to enable boats that were going opposite ways to pass each other. Or, otherwise, they must track their boats with such speed as to keep them off the shore, and consequently have very few to a horse.

• In moderate weather, it would be difficult for a horse to drag a line of them 200 feet long, viz. 10 boats as proposed by Mr. Fulton. The section of water opposed is but small; but the form of the ends of the vessels is that which gives the greatest resistance; and they are often repeated, which must produce a considerable effect, although one vessel follows in the wake of another. Further causes of resistance will arise from the line of boats frequently forming a zigzag, and from their vast surface exposed to the water. The whole of the effects combined are not reducible to calculation, and must depend on experience.

5th. Packs of hemp and wool, bales of eotton, sacks of hops, crates of earthenware and of glass, oak bark, bavins, &c. &c. would lie too high, so as to overturn the boats, unless iron, lead, blocks of tin, or other ponderous articles, were carried at the same time; without which, these boats would not carry half their tonnage of light goods in any package; the Staffordshire square-sectioned boats of seven feet width, will seldom stow, without becoming top heavy, more than two-fifths of the weight they can carry, at a less proportionate depth than the boats in question must be loaded to, to carry four tons.

In addition to the articles already mentioned, these boats cannot carry either long or crooked timber; the former, if of fir, may be floated: but the latter, if of heavy wood, will sink, and cannot easily be managed. Neither would these boats be very suitable for the conveyance of quick-lime, nor would they carry (because of their soon overturning) nearly their tonnage of wheat in sacks, and still less of rye, barley, oats, and malt: I, however, do not mean to infer that they will not carry these latter articles at all; but only that the quantities will be less, nearly in the ratio of their specific gravities; which deficiency in tonnage may, in some instances, be compensated by reduction of toll. This width of boat is, however, what cannot be recommended for general purposes.

The broad boats of 14 feet will nearly carry their full tonnage of light goods, which circumstance arises from two causes; the one REV. SEPT. 1800.

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is their form (as well as their width) which occasions their mete centre, or point below which the joint weight of boat and cargo may lie without overturning, to be higher than in the other boats; and the other is, that they are sunk, when laden, to a much less proportion of their width: besides which, when their draught of water is indefinite (as will further appear from the next chapter) the quantity of light, articles that can be carried by boats of different widths, but of similar form and length, will be as the squares of their widths; therefore, a boat of four feet width, in place of carrying half as much as a similar one of eight feet, will carry only a fourth, although of the same length; and but a ninth of one of twelve feet width.

6th. The trans-shipping of articles removes the responsibility; and, as boats are frequently wanted to navigate both canals and rivers, which cannot be done by the small boats, that degree of responsibility must be lost, and the charge and delay of trans-shipping be incurred.

7th. The saving in point of reduction of canal dues, would not, in articles of merchandize, be equivalent to the inconveniences described.'

Then follows a detail of the advantages to be derived from combining the two modes, chiefly among mines and quarries; with practical remarks and calculations on the construction of canal vessels, &c.

Two chapters succeed, on the internal navigation of America and China; the last of which contains many important remarks, closely connected with the subject under investiga

tion.

The Chinese, in their interior navigations, appear to have exercised less of the inventive than the imitative powers; as all their attempts in that useful science, amount to nothing more than a servile imitation of Nature, in the navigation she affords upon those rivers, where the quantity of water is such as to give depth, notwithstanding the inclined position of their surface.'*

It is an argument against the inventive powers of the Chinese, that they have not hitherto constructed locks, as a great part of invention lies in the conception of the possibility of the event; and the Chinese have been informed, for upwards of a century, of its absolute possibility; as the Jesuit Missionaries sent to China by Lewis the XIVth, in 1685, acquainted them with the principles of a lock, with which they appeared astonished. The fathers also thought that any one who would carry to China the model of a lock would be well received; and cause as much admiration as the first watches that the Missionaries presented to the Emperor.'

We are sorry that the nature of the subject prevents us from following Mr. Chapman farther into the particulars of this

*This reminds us of the late Mr. Brindley's answer, when asked in the House of Commons of what use rivers were? that "God Almighty did not intend rivers for navigation; they were only the natural drains of a country."

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able inquiry. We fully agree with him that, where plenty of water is at command, and other obstacles do not occur, locks and moderate-sized canals are preferable to others that smaller canals, with inclined planes, may be judiciously branched off according to circumstances; and that in fine, canals have been, and must still continue to be, of dimensions varied according to the form and species of the boats designed to navigate them: which should differ, so as to coincide with the circumstances of the country passed through; the nature of its commerce and produets; and the canals, and rivers, or lakes, that must eventually be navigated by the same vessels. Thus no general system can be adopted, and nothing extensive can be determined on with propriety, without the aid of great experience and abilities.'

We shall close this article with strongly recommending those, who wish to obtain information on this interesting subject, to peruse the works of Messrs. Fulton and Chapman, as containing together a valuable combination of ingenuity and judgment.

ART. III. The Political Economy of Inland Navigation, Irrigation, and Drainage; with Thoughts on the Multiplication of Commercial Resources; and on Means of bettering the Condition of Mankind, by the Construction of Canals, by the Improvement of their various Capacities for Commerce, Transfer, Agriculture, Household Supplies, and Mechanical Power; and by the unlimited Extension thereof into the remotest Interior of Great Britain and of Foreign Parts. By W. Tatham. 4to. pp. 520, and 11 Plates. l. 6s. Boards. Faulder. 1799.

THIS

HIS large work is partly a compilation from different writers on the subject of inland navigation; with the addition of some projects, and cursory remarks on their probable effects and influence in the various concerns of life: including also statements of the population, trade, and commerce of various countries. When completed by another volume, according to the proposal, it bids fair to constitute an extensive account of what has been advanced on the subject; and some idea of it may be formed from the present volume: about three fourths of which are occupied with reports on the London docks, and on a canal of insulation round London.

Of the author's projects, and of his long-winded composition, the following is a specimen:

My own inventions, for passing vessels from one level of a canal to another, here follow

The inclined planes, designed to mount a perpendicular summit, between a lower and upper line of canal, or other Inland Navigation, (regulating the quantum of power by the general depth of water) is particularly

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particularly suited to such a place as the falls of Niagara, contemplating that place as the commercial center of all the surrounding countries of the lakes, the grand mart for the raw and rough prepared materials of interior American produce, and the political center where the provincial interests of Great Britain and the United States should be made to harmonize, and meet each other in mutual offices of brotherly love, and reciprocal advantage.

Hence arises a national convenience, in our contriving to construct planes for the transfer of large vessels at that particular place, as one of the greatest examples in the world, and, consequently, applicable to any other spot, which may require similar machines, but upon a smaller scale; because, in the first inventions, for the accommodation of a traffic upon such expanded prospects as this scene affords, and where nature nilitates in her own operations, to concentrate those of an immense future commerce, the mind should not be contented with the mere make-shift convenience of a selfish period of time, or the erection of temporary works, which must needs be eradicated by our succeeding generation, to make way for the accumulated trade of a highly-increased population; but we should extend our thoughts into the prospect of future occasions, so that those who come after us may bless our forethought, and that we may enjoy the comfort of a capacity fully adequate to any probable contingency, while we may thus certainly invest monies on a sound datum, which cannot fail to remunerate liberally to our offspring, although the functions of finance may now enable us to anticipate the result of future advantages to the aid of our present necessities nevertheless.

It should be understood, however, that the present infant state of commerce upon the lakes, is far short of being adequate to the support of such machines, (by the mere toll of boatage) as may be equal, in their power, to transferring any vessel whatsoever, or howsoever great may be her burthen, for which, there is a depth of water to come up the rivers Hudson and Saint Lawrence, to the falls; or sufficient soundings in the waters above to answer for the largest possible sized barks, which can also navigate the upper lakes; for this should be the criterion for regulating the passage over that great point of partage at Niagara, which nature and national treaties have rendered equally important, and of joint consideration in the commercial and political interests of England and of America.

These reflections have induced me to study the accommodation of individual enterprise, and the casual passage of ever so small a number of large vessels at the present day, without losing by the erection of an apparatus, sufficiently powerful to this end; because, also, there is the additional stimulus to such an undertaking, which arises from the prospect of increasing commercial resources, and of multiplying the comforts of civilization with unexampled rapidity, if vessels from Quebec on the one hand, and New York on the other, can be thus helped to pursue a voyage into wild and savage regions, upon those fresh-water seas, which are of so vast expanse, as to open communications nearly as much farther into the interior country, as the primary distance of a voyage across the Atlantic ocean, from London to the American coast.