regular time-table would have to be strictly enforced; all boats would
have to be made up into trains, involving loss of time at starting;
there would be delays at the turn-outs, where the canal was widened
for allowing the return trains to pass; and steamers could no longer
go where and when they pleased. Bridges and locks, being already of
single width, could be built no cheaper; while the proposed long locks,
of 150 metres = 490 feet length, to take a train of barges, would cost
much more than the present French locks of 126 feet length. Even with
very few locks, a single-width canal would not come more than one-ninth
cheaper than the ordinary canals of double width. At the outside,
therefore, it would not take off more than 1 millime per tonne-kilom.
= 0·016_d._ per ton per mile from the tolls. Under the head of towing,
the only possible saving would be in consumption of coal in the
steam-tugs, which on the Willebroeck Canal costs about ¼ millime per
tonne-kilom. = ·008_d._ per ton per mile; if half this were saved in
a single-width canal, ¼ millime = 0·004_d._, would be all the economy
thereby effected. As for dispensing with barges on all except the tug
and the rear barge of a train, it has been argued that it would be
practically impossible to work a train of rudderless barges round the
bends of a canal, and it would be a most tedious and difficult job to
handle the barges separately at the wharves and docks where the train
has to be made up or dispersed; moreover, the cargoes would not get
properly watched, with so few men to look after them. The total saving
possible on a single-width canal, 0·020_d._ per ton per mile, would be
likely to be swallowed up by the extra management expenses consequent
upon having to organise the canal service on a similar plan to that of
railways.
FOOTNOTES:
[303] Paper on the canals and shallow draught steam navigation of
Canada. ‘Journal of the Society of Arts,’ 1888.
[304] Select Committee on Canals, 1883, Report, p. 44.
[305] Report App. 2, p. 206.
[306] Report App., 2, 117-119.
[307] Ibid., 2, 1548-1550.
[308] Ibid., 2, 1281-1283.
CHAPTER XXXV.
THE STATE ACQUISITION AND CONTROL OF WATERWAYS.
“The march of the human mind is slow. It was not,
until after two hundred years, discovered that, by
an eternal law, providence had decreed vexation
to violence and poverty to rapine, Your ancestors
did, however, at length open their eyes to the ill
husbandry of injustice. They found that of all
tyrannies, the tyranny of a free people could the
least be endured; and that laws made against a whole
nation were not the most effectual methods for
securing its obedience.”
—_Edmund Burke._
England is the only nation in the world that has not either reserved
to itself State control over the means of communication, or provided
railways and waterways at the public cost. The United States Government
have no proprietary interest in the railways of that country, but
individual State Governments have such interests in canals. In
France the canals are largely owned, and almost wholly controlled,
by the State. In Germany, the State owns the greater part of the
railways and a great part of the canals, while it is extending the
latter system largely at the public cost. In Italy and Russia, the
same remark applies to the existing state of affairs. In the British
Colonies, and especially in India and Canada, both the railways and
the waterways have been and are being provided at the public expense,
and are administered by officials responsible to the people generally.
England, on the contrary, has allowed both railways and waterways to
be monopolised by private enterprise, with results disastrous to the
latter, as we have already seen, and with consequences, as regards the
former, that threaten to be almost as serious to the public, who are
held fast in the iron grip of a monopoly which they are powerless to
control.
Seeing that the proposal that the State should purchase the railways of
the United Kingdom, and carry them on as they are carried on in Germany
and Belgium, with a view to public interests, has not hitherto appeared
to find much favour in political circles, and has been discouraged
by several important Royal Commissions and other authorities, it is
perhaps worth while to consider whether the time has not arrived when
the State should make some attempt to undo part of the mischief that
it has done to the trade and traders of the country in neglecting
the acquisition of the railways, by aiding the movement for the
reconstruction of our waterways. The present moment is highly opportune
for such a step. The canals could, no doubt, be purchased cheaply, and
they could be enlarged and improved at comparatively little cost.
In some very pertinent remarks on the subject of the control of
Waterways by the State, Mr. M. B. Cotsworth has observed[309] that,
“considering the immense influence which the cost of transport has upon
the trade and progress of a nation, it is but natural that this remedy
should first suggest itself, especially when the advantageous results
of Government management are so strikingly shown in the working of
the Post Office and telegraphs, as also in the example of Government
control of canals in France. All who look solely to the interests of
the community must admit that this course offers the highest national
advantages, and will ultimately prove the best solution.
“Amongst the chief advantages of Government control are the
following:—
1. The whole system of ‘inland navigation’ would be
developed and worked for the benefit of the nation by a
complete scheme, and thus secure for the first time a
genuine and permanent competition with railway charges, and
so hold them in check.
2. All chances of monopoly and trade restriction by
private interests, would be avoided.
3. Government security would ensure capital being raised
at a minimum interest—say 2¾ or 3 per cent., and so keep
the costs down at a low figure.
4. By adopting a ‘sinking fund,’ these navigations might
ultimately become free from toll, except a very small
charge for maintenance and management.
5. Would facilitate uniformity of classification, toll,
and through-rate arrangements.
6. The question of railway-owned canals would thus be
settled.
7. Also the difficulty of floods would be removed as
far as practicable, and storage of water, for town and
other public uses, encouraged by the abolition of vested
interests in water rights, fishery obstructions, &c.
8. The above advantages, whilst affording unbounded
relief to commerce and the public, would result in
increased employment for the labouring classes, and add
to the wealth of the nation by creating a revival and
permanent expansion of trade—thus relieving our present
burdens without imposing new ones.”
The same writer thus expresses the disadvantages and difficulties in
the way of State management of canals:—
1. Public opinion is not yet ripened to enable such a
proposal to be carried.
2. To successfully compete with railways (who have now
such a firm grip of the heavy traffic), it is essential
that a strong carrying company should be established, on
a broad basis, to work the navigations and interchange
traffic for towns on the seaboard with the coasting
steamers at through rates.
3. If the Government did not undertake the carrying,
private traders would have great difficulty in meeting
railway competition, as, owing to the heavy terminal
charges they would incur, and costs of agencies, &c., they
would be handicapped, whilst railways could sustain their
competition against canals by means of their passenger and
other traffic.
4. The patronage being placed in the hands of
Government, might be abused for party purposes, and lead to
political jobbery, &c.
5. For the good canals a very high price would have to
be paid, whilst some of the poor ones would be looked upon
as a bad bargain at any price.
6. In justice to the railways, the Government could
not assume the responsibilities of carrying, without also
taking over the railways at their present inflated prices,
notwithstanding the 100,000,000_l._ of unproductive capital
(land and under-issued stock) with which they are burdened.
7. The present enormous capital of railways,
constituting such vested interests in Parliament, and
through the shareholders over the country generally, is too
strong to allow the Government to take over the canals.
A recent writer in the _Edinburgh Review_ declares that “the mode in
which the railway companies of the United Kingdom have been allowed to
ruin the canal property is a mark of the indifference of Parliament
to an important feature of public policy. It would have been as
justifiable, on the score of public welfare, to allow the railway
companies to buy up the turnpike bonds, and to charge what tolls they
pleased on the turnpike roads, as it was to wink at the purchase and
stoppage of the canals. The danger of allowing such a change of
mastership is admitted by the clauses inserted in several Acts of
Parliament regulating the maximum tolls—clauses which have been
allowed to remain a dead letter. The Board of Trade declared that it
had neither advice nor assistance to offer to complainants in the
matter. Mr. (now Sir Thomas) Farrer, then Secretary to the Board of
Trade, expressed his opinion, in 1872, that the actual state of canal
property, which was held by the railway companies just so far as to
enable them to destroy the traffic, was the worst possible, as regarded
the public interest. It is now too late to attempt to remedy the evil.
Nothing but the conviction on the part of the railway companies that
they are financially wrong in forcing the slow heavy traffic on to the
metals, will render possible the rehabilitation of the canal system,
however fully all other persons may be convinced of the national
importance of our internal navigation.”
Among the many current questions relative to transport, none is
more urgent than that of how far the waterways of a country can be
profitably and conveniently utilised in competition with railways.
This is a question that has come up again and again in all the leading
countries of the world, and one which is still unsolved. In Continental
countries—and especially in France, Germany, Belgium, and Holland—the
greatest possible importance is attached to having the command of cheap
and adequate water transport, and it seems to have been allowed that
there is a natural function for each system of transport—that of the
railways being the conveyance of passengers and traffic that will bear
a high rate of freight, while that of the waterways is to convey heavy
luggage or traffic, of low intrinsic value, from point to point at a
low rate of speed. Unfortunately, however, there is no common agreement
as to the average cost of service in each case. The fact is, as we
have seen, that the cost of water transport, under the most suitable
conditions, is almost ridiculously low. It has been proved in Belgium,
in France, and in Germany, to be under one-tenth of a penny per ton per
mile, whereas the cost of railway transport is seldom less than double
that amount. But, of course, much necessarily depends upon the local
conditions, and upon the means of transport employed.
The State should take care, by enactment or acquisition, that the
country does not lose the immense economic advantage that accrues from
the cheapness of water transport. Hitherto, this advantage has been
almost absolutely lost to the people of these islands: first, by the
neglect into which the canal system has been allowed to fall: and,
secondly, by the authority given to the railway companies to acquire
canal properties which they have allowed to become derelict or
converted into railway lines. Nor have the canal proprietors themselves
been free from serious blame. In their palmy days they paid immense
dividends by keeping up high tolls and charges, and thereby materially
assisted the development of the railway system and their own partial or
complete extinction.[310]
Parliament behaved to the canal companies much as it has since done
to the railway corporations. It granted them monopolies and excessive
powers, which were used, in a very great majority of cases, in much
the same way—to extort the utmost possible sums from freighters—both
against traders and against themselves.
One of the most remarkable privileges granted by Parliament to the
earlier canal companies was a right to levy bar and compensation tolls
on the traffic of the newly-constructed canals, in order to protect
their monopolies. In some cases, within a few years, canal companies
received more than the amount of their original capital by way of
compensation for injury to their traffic. On this point Mr. E. J. Lloyd
has observed that, “the fact that all these new lines of canal could
only succeed by bringing tributary traffic not otherwise attainable
to the older canals seems to have been completely lost sight of by
the Legislature, and no excuse appears to have been too absurd as a
reason for granting these oppressive and unjustifiable exactions on the
trading public. Many instances might be mentioned, but it may be stated
by way of example that in one case 11½_d._ per ton was granted where
the traffic did not pass within four miles of the existing canal, and
in another 6_d._ per ton where the distance exceeded five miles. To
these may be added bridge tolls, which were exactions payable by goods,
which having been landed, or were intended to be carried, on one canal,
passed over the bridges of another and older company.[311] Whilst the
canals had practically a monopoly of all the traffic of the kingdom, it
was not so serious a matter to their interests that these heavy burdens
were placed upon their traffic. No doubt the public were the sufferers,
but the weight of traffic passed was, in most cases, such as to enable
the canals to earn dividends satisfactory to their shareholders, and
they were therefore, more or less careless of the public interests,
and viewed restriction of trade very differently from what they can
now afford to do, when they have to keep up a constant competition
with railway companies for their traffic.” Mr. Lloyds contends that
the total abolition of all bar and compensation tolls, and the
establishment of free trade by the introduction of through mileage
tolls, is imperatively demanded if cheap canal transport is to be
attained in the public interests.
It would easily be possible to greatly extend the consideration of the
subject of this chapter. But that does not appear to be called for.
Time will show how far the practice of England, which is at variance
with that of nearly every other European country, is justified by
results. So far, it must be confessed, that the justification is far
from obvious. The waterways have been grievously neglected, while the
railways have been authorised to impose very heavy rates and tolls.
These are hardly likely to become much lighter as time goes on, while
the controlling interest acquired by the railways in transportation
arrangements will almost certainly make it difficult to recur to canal
transport on a large scale.
FOOTNOTES:
[309] Paper on the present condition of inland navigation in the
United Kingdom, with suggestions for its improvement, ‘Journal of the
Society of Arts,’ 1888.
[310] In 1833, when railways were beginning to be generally
projected, the dividends of seven of the principal canal companies in
Great Britain, ranged between 25 and 124 per cent. per annum, while
it is probable that others yielded a still higher return.
[311] Two Warwickshire canals, with a capital of 250,000_l._ have in
this way paid in compensation tolls, to three other canal companies,
more than a million sterling.
APPENDIX.
I.
CHRONOLOGY OF RIVER IMPROVEMENT AND CANAL NAVIGATION IN ENGLAND UP TO
1852.
_Fifteenth Century._
1423. River Thames Navigation.
1425. River Lea Navigation.
1462. River Ouse (Yorkshire) Navigation.
_Sixteenth Century._
1503. River Severn Navigation.
1504. River Stour (Essex) Navigation.
1531. Rivers Humber and Ouse Navigation.
1531. River Exe Navigation.
1570. River Lea ”
1571. Welland ”
1572. Exeter Canal ”
_Seventeenth Century._
1623. River Colne Navigation.
1662. River Itchin ”
1662. River Wye ”
1664. River Avon ”
1664. River Medway ” (upper).
1670. River Wey ”
1670. Rivers Bure, Yare, Waveney Navigation.
1670. River Ouse (Suffolk) Navigation.
1670. Foss Dyke Navigation.
1672. River Witham ”
1678. Rivers Fal and Vale Navigation.
1699. Rivers Tone and Parrett ”
1699. Rivers Aire and Calder ”
1699. River Trent Navigation
_Eighteenth Century._
1700. Rivers Avon and Frome Navigation.
1700. River Dee Navigation (and 1732).
1700. River Lark Navigation.
1701. River Derwent ”
1702. River Frant ”
1705. River Stour ”
1714. River Nene ”
1715. River Kennett ”
1716. River Wear ”
1720. Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
1720. Rivers Mersey and Irwell Navigation (and 1794).
1720. River Weaver Navigation.
1720. River Dane ”
1721. River Eden ”
1726. River Dun ”
1726. Beverley Beck ”
1730. Stroudwater Canal.
1737. River Roden Navigation.
1737. Duke of Bridgwater’s Canal (and 1759).
1749. Rivers Ley and Lane Navigation.
1751. River Narr Navigation.
1751. River Avon (Warwickshire).
1753. River Cart Navigation.
1755. Sankey Canal.
1757. River Blyth Navigation.
1757. River Ivel ”
1758. Rivers Calder and Hebble Navigation.
1759. River Stort Navigation.
1759. River Clyde ”
1763. Louth Navigation.
1766. River Soar Navigation.
1766. Trent and Mersey Canal.
1766. Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.
1766. Rivers Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation (and 1793).
1767. River Ure Navigation.
1767. Driffield ”
1767. River Ancholme Navigation.
1768. Droitwich Canal.
1768. Coventry Canal.
1768. Birmingham Canal.
1768. Forth and Clyde Canal.
1769. Oxford Canal.
1770. Monkland Canal.
1770. Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
1771. Chesterfield Canal.
1771. Bradford Canal.
1772. Ellesmere Canal.
1772. Market Weighton Canal.
1773. River Bure Navigation.
1774. Sir John Ramsden’s Canal.
1774. Bude Canal and Haven.
1775. Gresley Canal.
1776. Dudley Canal.
1776. Stourbridge Canal.
1778. Basingstoke Canal.
1778. Bedford River.
1783. Thames and Severn Canal.
1785. River Arun Navigation.
1788. Shropshire Union Canals.
1789. Andover Canal.
1789. Cromford Canal.
1790. River Ouse (Yorkshire) Navigation.
1790. Glamorganshire Canal.
1791. Hereford and Gloucester Canal.
1791. Leicester Navigation.
1791. Wreak and Eye River Navigation.
1791. Manchester, Bolton, and Bury Canal.
1791. Leominster Canal.
1791. Melton Mowbray Canal.
1791. Neath Canal.
1791. Worcester and Birmingham Canal.
1792. River Medway (lower) Navigation.
1792. Nottingham Canal.
1792. Monmouthshire Canal.
1792. Horncastle Canal.
1792. Lancaster Canal.
1793. Gloucester and Berkeley Canal.
1793. Aberdare Canal.
1793. Brecon and Abergavenny Canal.
1793. Stratford-on-Avon Canal.
1793. Leicestershire and Northamptonshire Canal.
1793. Grantham Canal.
1793. Grand Junction Canal.
1793. River Foss Navigation.
1793. Derby Canal.
1793. Stainforth and Keadby Canal.
1793. Ulverston Canal.
1793. Shrewsbury Canal.
1793. Warwick and Birmingham Canal.
1793. Caister Canal.
1793. Barnsley Canal.
1793. Oakham Canal.
1793. Deame and Dove Canal.
1793. Cruian Canal.
1794. Montgomeryshire Canal.
1794. Warwick and Napton Canal.
1794. Peak Forest Canal.
1794. Rochdale Canal.
1794. Huddersfield Canal.
1794. Kennett and Avon Canal.
1794. Mersey and Irwell Navigation.
1794. Swansea Canal.
1794. Wisbech Canal.
1794. Somersetshire Coal Canal.
1794. Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal.
1794. Sleaford Navigation.
1795. Wilts and Berks Canal.
1795. Ilchester and Longport Navigation.
1795. Newcastle-under-Lyme Canal.
1795. Derby Canal.
1796. Dorset and Somerset Canal.
1796. Grand Western Canal.
1796. Aberdeen, or Don and Dee Canal.
1796. River Tamar Navigation.
1796. Salisbury and Southampton Canal.
_Nineteenth Century._
1800. Thames and Medway Canal.
1801. Grand Surrey Canal.
1801. Leven Canal.
1802. River Exe Navigation.
1803. Glenkennie Canal.
1803. Tavistock Canal.
1803. Caledonian Canal.
1803. Thames and Severn Canal.
1805. River Mersey Navigation.
1805. Ashton and Oldham Canal.
1806. Glasgow and Paisley Canal.
1807. River Adur Navigation.
1807. River Ribble ”
1807. Royal Military Canal.
1808. River Tees Navigation.
1810. Grand Union Canal.
1811. Bridgwater and Taunton Canal.
1812. London and Cambridge Canal.
1812. Regent’s Canal.
1813. Bure and Dillon Canal.
1813. Wey and Arun Canal.
1815. Pocklington Canal.
1816. Sheffield Canal.
1817. Portsmouth and Arundel Canal.
1817. Edinburgh and Glasgow Canal.
1819. Carlisle Canal.
1819. Bude and Launceston Canal.
1820. Macclesfield Canal.
1824. Kensington Canal.
1824. Hertford Union Canal.
1825. English and Bristol Channels Canal (Liskeard and Looe)
1826. Alford Canal.
1826. Macclesfield Canal.
1826. Birmingham and Liverpool Canal.
1827. Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation.
1828. Avon and Gloucestershire Canal.
1828. Nene and Wisbech Canal.
1829. Oxford Canal.
1830. Ellesmere and Chester Canal.
1842. River Severn Navigation.
1852. Droitwich Junction Canal.
II.
CANALS AND INLAND RIVER NAVIGATIONS IN ENGLAND,
SCOTLAND, AND WALES, DISTINGUISHING THE MILEAGE UNDER,
AND THE MILEAGE NOT UNDER, THE CONTROL OF RAILWAY
COMPANIES.
(_From the Report of the Select Committee on Canals, 1883, p. 225._)
──────────────────────────────────────────┬────────────┬───────────
│ Not under │ Under
│ Control of │ Control of
│ Railway │ Railway
│ Companies. │ Companies.
──────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┼───────────
ENGLAND: │ M. F. │ M. F.
Aire and Calder Canal │ 80 0 │ —
Ancholme Drainage and Navigation │ 19 0 │ —
Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal (Midland │ │
Railway) │ .. │ 26 4
Ashton-under-Lyne Canal (Manchester, │ │
Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway) │ .. │ 17 4
│ │
Barnsley Canal (Amalgamated with the │ │
Aire and Calder Navigation) │ 15 1 │ —
Baybridge Canal │ 3 3 │ —
Beverley Beck │ 0 6 │ —
Birmingham Canals (London and │ │
North-Western Railway) │ .. │ 160 0
Bradford Canal │ 3 0 │ —
Bridgwater, Duke of │ 39 6 │ —
Bridgwater and Taunton Canal (Great │ │
Western Railway) │ .. │ 15 2
Bude Canal │ 35 │ 4 —
│ │
Caistor Canal (County of Lincoln) │ 4 0 │ —
Calder and Hebble Navigation (Leased │ │
to the Aire and Calder Navigation) │ 22 0 │ —
Carlisle Canal │ 11 2 │ —
Chesterfield Canal (Manchester, │ │
Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway) │ .. │ 46 0
Coventry Canal │ 32 4 │ —
Cromford Canal (Midland Railway) │ .. │ 18 0
│ │
Dearne and Dove Canal (Manchester, │ │
Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway) │ .. │ 14 0
Derby Canal │ 18 0 │ —
Driffield Navigation Canal │ 5 4 │ —
Driffield River │ 6 6 │ —
Droitwich Canal │ 5 6 │ —
Droitwich Junction Canal │ 1 3 │ —
│ │
Erewash Canal │ 11 6 │ —
Exeter Canal │ 5 0 │ —
│ │
Foss Navigation, York │ .. │ 12 4
Foss Dike Navigation, Lincolnshire │ │
(Great Northern Railway) │ .. │ 11 0
│ │
Gloucester and Berkeley Canal (now part of│ │
Sharpness New Docks and Gloucester and │ │
Birmingham Navigation) │ 164 0 │ —
Grand Junction Canal │ 135 0 │ —
Grand Surrey Canal │ 4 6 │ —
Grand Union Canal │ 26 0 │ —
Grand Western Canal │ .. │ 12 0
Grantham Canal (Great Northern Railway) │ .. │ 33 6
Gravesend and Rochester Canal │ │
(South-Eastern Railway) │ .. │ 6 6
Gresley Canal, including │ │
Newcastle-under-Lyne Canals │ .. │ 9 0
Grosvenor Canal │ 1 0 │ —
│ │
Hertford Union Canal │ 6 0 │ —
Horncastle Canal │ 11 0 │ —
Huddersfield and Sir John Ramsden’s Canal │ .. 23 │ 6
Hull and Leven Canal │ 3 0 │ —
│ │
Ilchester and Langport Canal │ 7 0 │ —
│ │
Kennet and Avon Canal (Great Western │ │
Railway) │ .. │ 57 0
│ │
Lancaster Canal (London and North Western │ │
Railway) │ .. │ 60 0
Lea River Navigation and Branch Canals │ 33 4 │ —
Leeds and Liverpool Canal │ 143 4 │ —
Leicester Navigation │ 16 0 │ —
Leicestershire and Northamptonshire Union │ │
Canal │ 24 0 │ —
Leven Canal │ 3 0 │ —
Liskeard and Looe Canal │ 6 0 │ —
Louth Canal (Great Northern Railway) │ .. │ 12 0
│ │
Macclesfield Canal (Manchester, Sheffield,│ │
and Lincolnshire Railway) │ .. │ 26 2
Manchester, Bolton, and Bury Canal │ │
(Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) │ .. │ 16 0
Market Weighton Canal (North-Eastern │ │
Railway) │ .. │ 9 0
│ │
Newcastle-under-Lyne Canal (North │ │
Staffordshire Railway) │ .. │ 2 0
North Walsham and Dilham │ 7 4 │ —
North Wilts(part of Wilts and Berks Canal)│ 8 4 │ —
Nottingham Canal (Great Northern Railway) │ .. │ 15 0
Nutbrook or Shipley Canal │ 4 4 │ —
│ │
Oxford Canal │ 91 2 │ —
│ │
Peak Forest Canal (Manchester, Sheffield, │ │
and Lincolnshire Railway) │ .. │ 15 0
Pocklington Canal (North-Eastern Railway) │ .. │ 9 2
Portsmouth and Arundel │ 4 0 │ —
│ │
Regent’s Canal │ 9 6 │ —
Rochdale Canal │ 35 0 │ —
Royal Military or Shorncliffe Canal │ 30 0 │ —
│ │
St. Columb Canal │ 6 0 │ —
St. Helen’s Canal (London and │ │
North-Western Railway) │ .. │ 16 6
Sankey Canal │ .. │ 12 0
Sheffield Canal (Manchester, Sheffield, │ │
and Lincolnshire Railway) │ .. │ 4 0
Shropshire Union Canals (London and │ │
North-Western Railway) │ .. │ 204 0
Sleaford Chapel │ 13 4 │ —
Soar River or Longboro’ Navigation │ 8 4 │ —
Somersetshire Coal Canal │ 11 0 │ —
Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal │ 50 0 │ —
Stamforth and Keadby Canal (South │ │
Yorkshire Railway) │ .. │ 13 0
Stourbridge Navigation │ 7 1 │ —
Stourbridge Extension Canal (Great Western│ │
Railway) │ .. │ 3 0
Stratford-on-Avon Canal (Great Western │ │
Railway) │ .. │ 25 2
Stover Canal (South Devon Railway) │ .. │ 1 7
Stroudwater Canal │ 8 0 │ —
Surrey Dock Canal │ 4 4 │ —
│ │
Tavistock Canal │ 4 0 │ —
Thames and Medway Canal │ .. │ 9 0
Thames and Severn Canal │ 30 0 │ —
Thanet Canal │ 0 3 │ —
Tone and Parrett Navigation (Great Western│ │
Railway) │ .. │ 27 0
Trent and Mersey Canal (North │ │
Staffordshire Railway) │ .. │ 118 0
│ │
Ulverston Canal (Furness Railway) │ .. │ 1 2
│ │
Warwick and Birmingham Canal │ 22 4 │ —
Warwick and Napton │ 14 3 │ —
Wey and Arun │ 18 0 │ —
Wey River │ 20 0 │ —
Wilts and Berks Canal │ 60 2 │ —
Wisbech Canal │ 6 0 │ —
Worcester and Birmingham (now part of │ │
Sharpness New Docks and Gloucester and │ │
Birmingham Navigation Company) │ 29 0 │ —
├────────────┼──────────
TOTAL │1,260 2 │1,062 5
├────────────┼──────────
SCOTLAND: │ │
Aberdeenshire Canal │ 19 0 │ —
Borrowstowness Canal │ 7 0 │ —
Caledonian Canal │ 23 0 │ —
Crinan Canal │ 9 4 │ —
Edinburgh and Glasgow Union (North │ │
British Railway) │ .. │ 32 0
Forth and Clyde (Caledonian Railway) │ .. │ 53 0
Glasgow, Paisley, and Ardrossan (Glasgow │ │
and South Western Railway) │ .. │ 11 0
Glenkenn’s Canal │ 25 6 │ —
Monkland Canal │ .. │ 10 0
├────────────┼──────────
TOTAL │ 84 2 │ 106 0
├────────────┼──────────
WALES: │ │
Aberdare Canal │ 6 6 │ —
Brecon and Abergavenny Canal (Great │ │
Western Railway) │ .. │ 33 0
Briton Canal │ 4 2 │ —
Glamorganshire Canal │ 25 4 │ —
Kidwelly Canal │ 3 4 │ —
Monmouthshire Railway and Canals (Great │ │
Western Railway) │ .. 20 │ 0
Montgomeryshire Canal (now part Shropshire│ │
Union) │ — │ —
Neath Canal │ 14 0 │ —
Pembrey Canal │ 0 4 │ —
Penelawd Canal │ 4 0 │ —
Swansea (Great Western Railway) │ .. │ 17 0
├────────────┼────────────
Total │ 58 4 │ 70 0
──────────────────────────────────────────┴────────────┴────────────
RIVERS IN ENGLAND.
─────────────────────────────────────────┬────────────┬────────────
│ Not under │ Under
│ Control of │ Control of
│ Railway │ Railway
│ Companies. │ Companies.
──────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┼───────────
│ M. F. │ M. F.
Axe River │ 9 0 │ —
Adur River, Sussex │ 14 0 │ —
Arun River, Sussex │ 13 0 │ —
Avon River (Lower), Tewkesbury to Evesham │ │
(now leased to Sharpness New │ │
Docks, and Gloucester and Birmingham │ │
Navigation Company) │ 25 0 │ —
Avon River, Bath to Hanham Mills │ .. │ 11 0
Blyth River, Suffolk │ 9 0 │ —
Bourne Eare River, Lincolnshire │ 3 4 │ —
Bure or North River, Norfolk │ 9 0 │ —
Colne River, Essex │ 3 4 │ —
Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation, Essex │ 14 0 │ —
Dee Navigation │ 10 0 │ —
Derwent River Navigation (North Eastern │ │
Railway) │ .. │ 38 0
Dun River Navigation (Manchester, │ │
Sheffield, and Lincolnshire │ │
Railway) │ .. │ 39 0
Gippen River, Suffolk (Great Eastern │ │
Railway) │ .. │ 16 0
Idle River, County of Nottingham │ 10 0 │ —
Itchen Navigation │ 14 0 │ —
Ivel River, Hertford and Bedford │ 11 0 │ —
Kennet River, Reading to Newbury │ │
(Great Western Railway) │ .. │ 18 4
Larke River, Suffolk │ 14 0 │ —
Medway River, Lower Navigation │ 7 6 │ —
Medway River, Upper Navigation │ 15 0 │ —
Leicester and Melton Mowbray │ │
Navigation │ 14 6 │ —
Mersey and Irwell Navigation │ 57 0 │ —
Narr River, Norfolk │ 15 0 │ —
Nene River Navigation │ 50 0 │ —
Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation │ │
(Great Eastern Railway) │ .. │ 30 0
New Bedford Level │ 20 0 │ —
Ouse River Navigation (York) │ 60 0 │ —
Ouse River Navigation (Sussex) │ 30 0 │ —
The Little Ouse or Brandon and │ │
Waveney River │ 22 4 │ —
Rother River, Sussex │ 11 0 │ —
Stour River, from Manningtree, Essex, │ │
to Sudbury, Suffolk │ 20 0 │ —
Stowmarket Navigation (Great Eastern │ │
Railway) │ .. │ 17 0
Stort River Navigation │ 13 4 │ —
Severn River │ 44 0 │ —
Sankey Brook Navigation │ 3 3 │ —
Tamar Manure Navigation │ 22 0 │ —
Thames River │ 146 0 │ —
Trent River Navigation │ 72 0 │ —
Ure River Navigation │ .. │ 7 6
Weaver Navigation │ 24 0 │ —
Welland River │ 26 0 │ —
Witham Navigation │ .. │ 32 0
Wye and Lugg Rivers │ 99 4 │ —
├────────────┼───────────
Total │ 932 3 │ 209 2
──────────────────────────────────────────┴────────────┴───────────
CANALS AND NAVIGATIONS ABANDONED OR CONVERTED INTO RAILWAYS.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬────────
│ M. F.
Alford Canal │ 6 4
Andover Canal, converted into Railway │ 22 4
Avon River, above Evesham │ 18 3
Basingstoke Canal │ 37 2
Coombe Hill Canal │ 3 4
Croydon Canal │ 9 4
Glastonbury Canal, converted into Railway │ 14 2
Grand Western Canal │ 25 0
Grosvenor Canal, part of │ 1 0
Hereford and Gloucester, converted into Railway │ 34 0
Kensington Canal, part of │ 2 0
Leominster Canal, converted into Railway │ 22 0
Monmouthshire Canal, near Newport, part converted │ 0 6
Newport Pagnell │ 1 2
Oakham Canal, part converted into Railway │ 15 0
Portsmouth and Arundel (part abandoned since 1855) │ 8 0
Somersetshire Canal (part of), converted into Railway │ 7 2
Wey and Arun Junction Canal │ 18 0
├─────────
Total │ 250 1
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴─────────
SUMMARY.
──────────────────────────────────────────┬────────────┬───────────
│ Not under │ Under
│ Control of │ Control of
│ Railway │ Railway
│ Companies. │ Companies.
──────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┼───────────
│ M. F. │ M. F.
Canals in England │ 1,260 2 │ 1,062 5
Canals in Scotland │ 84 2 │ 106 0
Canals in Wales │ 58 4 │ 70 0
├────────────┼───────────
│ 1,403 0 │ 1,238 5
Rivers in England │ 932 3 │ 209
├────────────┼───────────
Total │ 2,335 3 │ 1,447 7
├────────────┼───────────
Canals and Navigations abandoned or │ │
converted into Railways │ 250 1 │ —
──────────────────────────────────────────┴────────────┴───────────
III.
THROUGH ROUTES OF CANAL AND INLAND NAVIGATION IN ENGLAND
AND WALES.
(_From the Report of the Select Committee on Canals, 1883, p. 210._)
_Note._—An asterisk (*) against the name of a Navigation indicates
that it is owned or controlled by a Railway Company.
_Note._—Draft, in the dimensions of locks, denotes the greatest
immersion at which any craft can pass through the Navigation.
──────────────┬───────────────────────┬────┬──────────────────────────
│ │ │ Size of Lock.
│ │Mile├────────┬─────────┬───────
Route. │ Name of Navigation. │age.│ Length.│ Breadth.│Draft.
──────────────┼───────────────────────┼────┼────────┴─────────┴───────
│ │ │ft. in. ft. in. ft. in.
London to │*Regent’s │ 8½│ 90 0 by 15 0 by 5 0
Liverpool │ Grand Junction │101 │ 80 0 ” 14 6 ” 4 6
(First │ Oxford │ 5 │ No lock.
Route.) │ Warwick and Napton │ 15 │ 72 0 by 7 0 by 4 0
│ Warwick and Birmingham│ 22 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
│*Birmingham │ 15 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
│ Staffordshire and │ │
│ Worcestershire │ 1¼│ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
│*Shropshire Unions │ 68 │ 80 0 ” 7 6 ” 4 0
│ Mersey │ 10 │ Open navigation.
│ ├────┤
│ Total │245¾│
│ ├────┤
London to │River Thames │ 20 │ Open navigation.
Liverpool │ Grand Junction │ 94 │ 80 0 by 14 6 by 4 6
(Second │ Oxford │ 24 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
Route.) │ Coventry │ 27 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
│*Birmingham │ 5½│ No lock.
│ Coventry │ 5½│ Ditto.
│*North Staffordshire │ 67 │ 72 0 by 7 0 by 3 6
│ Duke of Bridgwater’s │ 5¼│ 84 0 ” 15 0 ” 4 6
│ River Mersey │ 15 │ Open navigation.
│ ├────┤
│ Total │263¼│
│ ├────┤
London to │ River Thames │ 20 │ Open navigation.
Liverpool │ Grand Junction │ 94 │ 80 0 by 14 6 by 4 6
(Third │ Oxford │ 5 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
Route.) │ Warwick and Napton │ 15 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
│ Warwick and Birmingham│ 22 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
│*Birmingham │ 15 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
│ Staffordshire and │ │
│ Worcestershire │ 23 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
│*North Staffordshire │ 55 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 3 6
│ Duke of Bridgwater’s │ 5¼│ 85 0 ” 15 0 ” 4 6
│ River Mersey │ 15 │ Open navigation.
│ ├────┤
│ Total │269¼│
──────────────┼───────────────────────┼────┼──────────────────────────
London to │ Regent’s │ 8½│ 90 0 by 15 0 by 5 0
Hull │ Grand Junction │ 96 │ 80 0 ” 14 6 ” 4 6
(First │ Grand Union │ 24 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
Route.) │ Leicester │ │
│ and Northampton │ 18 │ 80 0 ” 15 0 ” 3 6
│ Leicester │ 16 │ 70 0 ” 14 0 ” 3 6
│ Soar │ 8 │ 70 0 ” 14 0 ” 3 6
│ Trent │100 │ 90 0 ” 15 0 ” 3 6
│ Humber │ 18½│ Open navigation.
│ ├────┤
│ Total │289 │
│ ├────┤
London to │ Thames │ 20 │ Open navigation.
Hull │ Grand Junction │ 94 │ 80 0 by 14 6 by 4 6
(Second │ Oxford │ 24 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
Route.) │ Coventry │ 27 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
│*Birmingham │ 5½│ No lock.
│ Coventry │ 5½│ Ditto.
│*North Staffordshire │ 26 │ 72 0 by 7 0 by 3 6
│ Trent │102½│ 90 0 ” 15 0 ” 3 6
│ Humber │ 18½│ Open navigation.
│ ├────┤
│ Total │323 │
──────────────┼───────────────────────┼────┼──────────────────────────
London to │ Thames │ 78½│ Open navigation.
Severn │ Kennet │ 1½│120 0 by 18 0 by 5 0
Ports. │*Kennet and Avon │ 74 │ 75 0 ” 14 6 ” 4 6
(First │*Avon to Hanham │ 11 │108 0 ” 18 6 ” 4 6
Route.) │ Avon Tideway │ 15½│ Open navigation.
│ ├────┤
│ Total │180½│
│ ├────┤
London to │ Thames │106½│109 0 by 17 8 by 4 0
Severn │ Wilts and Berks │ 37 │ 78 0 ” 8 0 ” 4 0
Ports. ├───────────────────────┼────┼──────────────────────────
(Second │ │ │ 72 0 ” 17 6 ” 4 0
Route.) │ Thames and Severn │ 20½│ 86 0
│ │ │Altered to 12 3 ” 4 0
│ │ │ 72 0
├───────────────────────┼────┼──────────────────────────
│ Stroudwater │ 7 │ 72 0 ” 17 6 ” 4 6
│ Sharpness Docks, │ │
│ Gloucester and │ │
│ Berkeley, Section │ │
│ to Sharpness │ 9 │ No lock 18 feet deep.
│ ├────┤
│ Total │180 │
├───────────────────────┼────┼──────────────────────────
London to │ │ │ 140 0 by 22 0
Severn │ Thames │141½│ 109 0 ” 17 8
Ports. │ │ │ 90 0 ” 14 0
(Third ├───────────────────────┼────┼──────────────────────────
Route.) │ Thames and Severn │ 28¾│ 72 0 ” 12 6 by 4 0
│ Stroudwater to │ │
│ Tideway │ 8 │ 72 0 ” 17 6 ” 4 6
│ ├────┤
│ Total │178¼│
│ ├────┤
London to │ Thames │ 20 │ Open navigation.
Severn │ Grand Junction │ 94 │ 80 0 by 14 6 by 4 6
Ports. │ Oxford │ 5 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
(Fourth │ Warwick and Napton │ 15 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
Route.) │ Warwick and │ │
│ Birmingham │ 7½│ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
│*Stratford-on-Avon │ 12½│ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
│ Sharpness Docks, │ │
│ Worcester Section │ 24 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 5 6
│ Severn │ 30 │ 150 0 ” 30 0 ” 6 0
│ Gloucester and │ │
│ Berkeley to │ │
│ Sharpness │ 16 │ 100 0 ” 24 0 ” 6 0
│ ├────┤
│ Total │224 │
──────────────┼───────────────────────┼────┼──────────────────────────
Liverpool to │ Mersey │ 10 │ Open navigation.
Severn │*Shropshire Union │ 68 │ 80 0 by 7 6 by 4 0
Ports. │ Staffordshire and │ │
(First │ Worcestershire │ 26½│ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
Route.) │ Severn │ 44 │ 99 0 ” 20 0 ” 6 0
│ Gloucester and │ │
│ Berkeley │ 16 │ 100 0 ” 24 0 ” 6 0
│ ├────┤
│ Total │164½│
│ ├────┤
Liverpool to │ Mersey │ 15 │ Open navigation.
Severn │ Duke of Bridgwater’s │ 5¼│ 84 0 by 15 0 by 4 6
Ports. │*North Staffordshire │ 55 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 3 6
(Second │ Staffordshire and │ │
Route.) │ Worcestershire │ 21½│ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
│*Birmingham │ 15 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
│ Worcester and │ │
│ Birmingham │ 30 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 5 6
│ Severn │ 30 │ 150 0 ” 30 0 ” 6 0
│ Gloucester and │ │
│ Berkeley │ 16 │ 100 0 ” 24 0 ” 6 0
│ ├────┤
│ Total │187¾│
│ ├────┤
Liverpool to │ Leeds and Liverpool │127 │ 70 0 by 16 0 by 4 0
Hull. │ Aire and Calder │ 35 │ 212 0 ” 22 0 ” 9 0
(First │ Ouse │ 8 │ Open navigation.
Route.) │ Humber │ 18½│ Ditto.
│ ├────┤
│ Total │188½│
│ ├────┤
Liverpool │ Mersey │ 15 │ Open navigation.
to Hull │ Duke of Bridgwater’s │ 26¾│ 84 0 by 15 0 by 4 6
(Second │ Rochdale │ 33│ 73 0 ” 14 0 ” 4 6
Route.) │ Calder and Hebble (in │ │
│ course of improvement)│ 22│ 53 0 ” 14 0 ” 4 6
│ Aire and Calder │ 35│212 0 ” 22 0 ” 9 0
│ Ouse │ 8│ Open navigation.
│ Humber │ 18½│ Ditto.
│ ├────┤
│ Total │158¼│
│ ├────┤
Liverpool │ Mersey │ 15 │ Open navigation.
to Hull │ Duke of Bridgwater’s │ 26¾│ 84 0 by 15 0 by 4 6
(Third │ Rochdale │ 1 │ 73 0 ” 14 0 ” 4 6
Route). │ Ashton │ 6 │ 83 0 ” 8 6 ” 4 6
│*Huddersfield │ 19¾│ 70 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 6
│*Sir John Ramsden’s │ 3¾│ 53 0 ” 14 0 ” 4 6
│ Calder and Hebble │ 13 │ 58 0 ” 14 6 ” 5 6
│ Aire and Calder │ │
│ (original improved) │ 35 │212 0 ” 22 0 ” 9 6
│ Ouse │ 8 │ Open navigation.
│ Humber │ 18½│ Ditto.
│ ├────┤
│ Total │146¾│
──────────────┼───────────────────────┼────┼──────────────────────────
South │*Birmingham (average) │ 12 │ 72 0 by 7 0 by 4 0
Staffordshire │ Warwick and Birmingham│ 22 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
Mineral │ Warwick and Napton │ 15 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
District │ Oxford │ 5 │ No lock.
to London. │ Grand Junction │101 │ 80 0 by 14 6 by 4 6
│ Regent’s │ 8½│ 90 0 ” 15 0 ” 5 0
│ ├────┤
│ Total │163½│
│ ├────┤
South │*Birmingham (average) │ 10 │ 72 0 by 7 0 by 4 0
Staffordshire │ Staffordshire and │ │
Mineral │ Worcestershire │ 21½│ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
District to │*North Staffordshire │ 55 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 3 6
Liverpool. │ Duke of Bridgwater’s │ 5 │ 84 0 ” 15 0 ” 4 0
(First │ Mersey │ 15 │ Open navigation.
Route.) │ ├────┤
│ Total │106½│
│ ├────┤
South │*Birmingham (average) │ 10 │ 72 0 by 7 0 by 4 0
Staffordshire │ Staffordshire and │ │
Mineral │ Worcestershire │ 1¼│ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
District to │ Shropshire Union │ 68 │ 80 0 ” 7 6 ” 4 0
Liverpool │ Mersey │ 10 │ Open navigation.
(Second │ │ │
Route.) │ ├────┤
│ Total │ 89¼│
│ ├────┤
South │*Birmingham (average) │ 27 │ 72 0 by 7 0 by 4 0
Staffordshire │ Coventry │ 5½│ No lock.
Mineral │*North Staffordshire │ 26 │ 72 0 by 9 0 by 3 6
District │ Trent │102 │ 90 0 ” 15 0 ” 3 6
to Hull. │ Humber │ 18½│ Open navigation.
│ ├────┤
│ Total │179 │
│ ├────┤
South │*Birmingham (average) │ 10 │ 72 0 by 7 0 by 4 0
Staffordshire │ Worcester Section │ 30 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 5 6
Mineral │ Severn │ 30 │150 0 ” 30 0 ” 6 0
District to │ Gloucester and │ │
Severn │ Berkeley Section │ 16 │100 0 ” 24 0 ” 6 0
Ports. │ │ │
(First │ ├────┤
Route.) │ Total │ 86 │
│ ├────┤
South │*Birmingham │ 7 │ 72 0 by 7 0 by 4 0
Staffordshire │ Stourbridge │ 7 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
Mineral │ Staffordshire and │ │
District to │ Worcestershire │ 12 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
Severn │ Severn │ 44 │ 99 0 ” 20 0 ” 6 0
Ports. │ Gloucester and │ │
(Second │ Berkeley Section │ 16 │100 0 ” 24 0 ” 6 0
Route.) │ ├────┤
│ Total │ 86 │
│ ├────┤
South │ Birmingham │ 10 │ 72 0 by 7 0 by 4 0
Staffordshire │ Staffordshire and │ │
Mineral │ Worcestershire │ 25 │ 72 0 ” 7 0 ” 4 0
District to │ Severn │ 44 │ 99 0 ” 20 0 ” 6 0
Severn │ Gloucester and │ │
Ports. │ Berkeley Section │ 16 │100 0 ” 24 0 ” 6 0
(Third │ ├────┤
Route.) │ Total │ 95 │
──────────────┴───────────────────────┴────┴──────────────────────────
IV.
STATEMENT OF THE CANALS, ETC., IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, OWNED
OR CONTROLLED BY RAILWAY COMPANIES ON 31ST DECEMBER, 1882,
ARRANGED UNDER THE DATES OF THE SPECIAL ACTS AUTHORISING
THE ARRANGEMENTS.
──────────────────┬──────────┬──────────┬─────────┬─────────
Years. │ England. │ Scotland.│ Ireland.│ Total.
──────────────────┼──────────┼──────────┼─────────┼─────────
│ miles │ miles │ miles │ miles
Under Act of 1845 │ 78¼ │ .. │ 92 │ 170¼
” 1846 │ 774½ │ .. │ .. │ 774½
” 1847 │ 96¼ │ .. │ .. │ 96¼
” 1848 │ 20¾ │ 32 │ .. │ 52¾
” 1852 │ 86½ │ .. │ .. │ 86½
” 1862 │ 3¼ │ .. │ .. │ 3¼
” 1864 │ 74 │ .. │ .. │ 74
” 1865 │ 34 │ .. │ .. │ 34
” 1866 │ 15¼ │ .. │ .. │ 15¼
” 1867 │ .. │ 53 │ .. │ 53
” 1870 │ 50 │ .. │ .. │ 50
” 1872 │ 17 │ .. │ .. │ 17
” 1882 │ 9¾ │ .. │ .. │ 9¾
├──────────┼──────────┼─────────┼──────────
Total │ 1259½ │ 85 │ 92 │ 1436½
──────────────────┴──────────┴──────────┴─────────┴──────────
V.
THE PRINCIPAL RIVER SYSTEMS OF EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES.
The actual and direct lengths of all the principal rivers in Europe,
with the areas of their basins and the principal towns on which they
are situated, are shown in the following tabular statement. The
European river basins are inclined to the Arctic Ocean, to the Atlantic
and North Sea, to the Baltic, to the North Sea, to the Mediterranean,
to the Black Sea, or to the Caspian.
The remarkable differences between the total length of the basins and
their direct length will be noted. The Danube, for example, is, in
actual length, nearly double its direct length; and so also with the
Don, the Salembria, the Charente, the Rhone, the Po, and others; while
the Volga is more than twice its direct length, and the Ural more than
three times as much.
The Volga, with a total length of 2400 miles is the longest river in
Europe, but its direct length of 1080 miles is but little superior to
that of the Danube with a length of 980 miles. Twenty-one basins in
all incline to the Atlantic, five to the Arctic Ocean, thirteen to the
Baltic, eight to the North Sea, thirteen to the Mediterranean, three
to the Caspian, and five to the Black Sea. The enormous length of the
basins inclining to the two latter seas, makes their aggregate mileage
and area drained larger than those of any other.
RIVER BASINS OF EUROPE.
────────────┬───────┬─────────────┬─────────┬──────────────────
│Length │Direct Length│ Area of │ Capital
│ in │ of Basin in │ Basin │ of States
River or │English│ English │in Square│ and Provinces
Estuary. │ Miles.│ Miles. │ Miles. │ in each Basin.
────────────┼───────┼─────────────┼─────────┼──────────────────
_Basins inclined to the Arctic Ocean._
Petchora │ 900 │ 520 │ 114,400 │
Mezen │ 400 │ 300 │ 30,100 │
Dwina │ 700 │ 500 │ 134,400 │ Archangel.
Onega │ 300 │ 250 │ 21,000 │
Alten Fiord │ 150 │ 80 │ .. │ Altengard.
_Basins inclined to the Baltic._
L. Mälar │ 170 │ 130 │ .. │ Stockholm.
Dal │ 250 │ 200 │ │
Angerman │ 150 │ 120 │ .. │ Hernösand.
Umea │ 250 │ 220 │ │
Neva, and │ │ │ │ St. Petersburg
Gulf of │ │ │ │ and
Finland │ 625 │ 500 │ 99,700 │ Helsingfors.
Düna │ 400 │ 300 │ 34,700 │ Riga.
Niemen │ 400 │ 270 │ 35,700 │ Erodno and Wilna.
Pregel │ 120 │ 120 │ 6,800 │ Königsberg.
Vistula │ 530 │ 360 │ 72,300 │ Warsaw, Lemberg.
Oder │ 445 │ 360 │ 45,200 │ Stettin, Breslau.
Stör │ 95 │ 55 │ .. │ Schwerin.
Trave │ 50 │ 40 │ .. │ Lübeck.
Schleifiord │ 25 │ 20 │ .. │ Schleswig.
_Basins inclined to the North Sea._
Lymfiord │ 100 │ 90 │ 500 │ Aalborg.
Elbe │ 550 │ 420 │ 55,000 │ Hamburg, Gotha,
│ │ │ │ Weimar.
Weser │ │ │ │ Bremen,
│ 230 │ 250 │ 17,700 │ Brunswick.
Ems │ 160 │ 130 │ .. │ Münster.
Rhine │ 600 │ 400 │ 75,000 │ Bern, Cologne,
│ │ │ │ Amsterdam.
Scheldt │ │ │ │ Antwerp,
│ 210 │ 120 │ .. │ Brussels.
Meuse │ 580 │ 230 │ .. │ Liége, Namur.
Hunse │ 50 │ 40 │ .. │ Gröningen.
Vecht │ 90 │ 60 │ .. │ Zwoll.
_Basins inclined to the Atlantic._
│ │ │ │
Trondhjem │ │ │ │
Fiord │ 100 │ 60 │ .. │ Trondhjem.
Torrisdals │ 120 │ 100 │ .. │ Christiansand.
Christiania │ │ │ │
Fiord │ 60 │ 55 │ .. │ Christiania.
Gotha │ 400 │ 300 │ 17,000 │ Goteborg.
Loire │ 530 │ 350 │ 44,500 │ Tours, Orleans.
Seine │ 414 │ 250 │ 28,500 │ Paris, Rouen.
Garonne │ 300 │ 230 │ 31,000 │ Bordeaux, Toulouse.
Somme │ 115 │ 90 │ .. │ Amiens.
Charente │ 200 │ 110 │ .. │ Rochelle.
Vilaine │ 125 │ 80 │ .. │ Rennes.
Douro │ 450 │ 340 │ 34,200 │ Oporto.
Tagus │ 540 │ 450 │ 33,000 │ Lisbon, Madrid.
Guadalquiver│ 300 │ 270 │ 19,500 │ Seville, Granada.
Minho │ 220 │ 150 │ 14,700 │
Sado │ 100 │ 70 │ .. │Evora.
Also the basins of the Adour, the Nervion, the Ria d’Este,
the Ulla, the Nalon, the Guadiana, and the Mondego.
_Basins inclined to the Mediterranean._
Rhone │ 645 │ 340 │ 37,900 │ Lyons, Grenoble.
Segura │ 180 │ 120 │ .. │ Murcia.
Po │ 450 │ 280 │ 34,600 │ Turin, Milan.
Tiber │ 185 │ 130 │ .. │ Rome.
Arno │ 90 │ 75 │ .. │ Florence.
Vardar │ 170 │ 125 │ .. │ Salonika.
Salembria │ 110 │ 65 │ .. │ Larissa.
Ebro │ 340 │ 280 │ 32,900 │ Zaragoza.
Also the basins of the Guadalaviar, Dobregat, Narenta,
Bojano, and Maritza.
_Basins inclined to the Black Sea._
Danube │ 1,795 │ 980 │306,000 │ Vienna, Buda, Gräz,
│ │ │ │ and Munich.
Don │ 995 │ 500 │176,500 │ Stavropol, Kharkos.
Dneister │ 500 │ 400 │ 27,300 │ Kamilnetz.
Dnieper │ │ │ │ Kiev,
and Bug │ .. │ 640 │195,500 │ Ekaterinoslav.
Kuban │ 380 │ 280 │ .. │ Ekaterinodar.
_Basins inclined to the Caspian._
Volga │ 2,400 │ 1,080 │527,000 │ Astrakhan,
│ │ │ │ Nijni-Novgorod.
Ural │ 1,800 │ 550 │ 85,000 │ Orenburg.
Kur │ 520 │ 400 │ 80,800 │ Tiflis, Erivan.
────────────┴───────┴──────────────┴────────┴──────────────────
RIVER BASINS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.
─────────────┬──────────┬───────────────┬────────────────────────
│Length in │ Area in │
River or │ English │ Geographical │ Principal Towns
Estuary. │ Miles. │ Square Miles. │ on the Rivers.
─────────────┼──────────┼───────────────┼────────────────────────
_Basins inclined to the Atlantic._
St. Lawrence │ 1,400 │ 297,600 │ Ottawa.
Delaware │ 290 │ 8,700 │ Trenton.
Chesapeake │ 450 │ 12,000 │ Washington.
Hudson │ 210 │ 7,000 │ Albany.
Connecticut │ 280 │ 8,000 │ Hartford.
_Basins inclined to the American Mediterranean._
Mississippi │ 1,820 │ 982,400 │ New Orleans, Nashville.
Rio Grande │ │ │
del Norte │ 1,050 │ 180,000 │ Santa Fé.
Colorado │ 900 │ .. │ Denver, Cheyene.
Santandar │ 245 │ 10,000 │ San Luis, Potosi.
San Juan │ 275 │ 8,000 │ Leon.
Tobosco │ 245 │ 12,000 │ Ciudad Real.
_Basins inclined to the Pacific._
Rio Colorado │ 750 │ 170,000 │ Tucson.
Columbia │ 800 │ 194,000 │ Salem.
Frazer │ 480 │ 90,000 │ New Westminster.
Sacramento │ 350 │ 20,000 │ Sacramento.
Culiacan │ 280 │ 7,000 │ Culiacan.
Youcon │ 1,150 │ 100,000 │
_Basins inclined to the Arctic Ocean._
Mackenzie │ 1,200 │ 441,000 │
Nelson and │ │ │
Saskatchewan│ 1,000 │ 360,000 │ Fort York.
Churchill │ 1,300 │ 73,600 │
Back, or │ │ │
G. Fish │ 420 │ │
─────────────┴──────────┴───────────────┴────────────────────────
SOUTH AMERICAN RIVERS.
──────────────┬──────────┬───────────────┬─────────────────────
│Length in │ Area in │
Basin. │ English │ Geographical │ Chief Towns.
│ Miles. │ Square Miles. │
──────────────┼──────────┼───────────────┼─────────────────────
Magdalena │ 700 │ 72,000 │ Bogota.
Amazon │ 2,100 │ 1,512,000 │ Santa Cruz.
Paraná │ 1,600 │ 886,400 │ Monte Video and
│ │ │ Buenos Ayres.
San Francisco │ 900 │ 187,200 │ Duro-Preto.
Tocantins │ 1,260 │ 294,480 │ Pará.
Essequibo │ 400 │ 61,650 │ George Town.
Orinoco │ 1,000 │ 252,000 │ Angostura.
──────────────┴──────────┴───────────────┴─────────────────────
NAMES AND AREA OF LAKES IN
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.
┌──────────────────┬───────────┬────────────┐
│ │ Area in │ Height │
│ Name. │ Square │ above │
│ │ Miles. │ Sea-level. │
├──────────────────┼───────────┼────────────┤
│ │ │ feet. │
│ Ontario │ 6,300 │ 231 │
│ Erie │ 9,600 │ 565 │
│ Huron │ 21,000 │ 578 │
│ Michigan │ 22,400 │ 578 │
│ Superior │ 32,000 │ 627 │
│ Winnipeg │ 9,000 │ 628 │
│ Winnipegoos │ 2,300 │ 650 │
│ Great Bear Lake │ 14,000 │ 230 │
│ Great Slave Lake │ 12,000 │ .. │
│ Athabasca │ 3,400 │ .. │
│ Great Salt Lake │ 1,800 │ 4,210 │
│ ├───────────┤ │
│ Total area │ 133,800 │ │
└──────────────────┴───────────┴────────────┘
COMPARATIVE AREA OF SEAS.
Square Miles.
Total area of Caspian Sea 178,000
” ” Black Sea 172,500
” ” Mediterranean 976,000
” ” German Ocean 244,000
” ” Baltic 135,000
” ” White Sea 40,000
INDEX.
A.
Addison, quotation from, 94
Aire and Calder Canal, 49;
cost of transport on, 383;
system of towage on, 402;
sluices, 432;
boats on, 461
Allen’s, Capt., proposals for Jordan route to India, 273
Allport, Sir James, on the cost of mineral traffic, 390
Alpine Canal, 106
Amazon river, 229
American canals, plans of, 266-267;
lakes, cost of transport on, 386
Amsterdam Canal, 19, 147
Ancients, skilled in canal-making, 22
Aqueduct, Chirk, 48
Archipelago, first attempts to unite Ionian Sea with, 13
Arkwright’s first patent for spinning frame, 8
Austria-Hungary, waterways of, 185;
Danube regulation works, 184;
canals, 190
Avon, improvement of, 23
B.
Backwater (India), 243
Bailey, Ald., on sea transport, 385;
on canal transport, 401
Baltic and Caspian Seas, junction of, 18;
canals connecting the, 175, 176
Barge, proposed, for mowing weeds, 466
Barges, on Leeds and Liverpool Canal, 400;
use of as tugs, 401
Bartholomew, steamboat trains on Aire and Calder Canal, 383;
system of towage on Aire and Calder, 402
Barton Aqueduct on Bridgwater Canal, 428
Belgium, waterways of, 134;
ship canals of, 135;
canal from Ostend to Bruges, 138;
the Terneuzen Canal lift, 140;
the Scheldt Navigation, 142;
economical conditions of water transport in, 143;
extent and income of Belgian canals, 143
Bengal, canal system, 240
Beresinsk Canal, 176
Berlin, traffic of, 133
Birmingham Canal, 49, 51;
embankment of, 430;
and London, water connection between, 58;
proposed connection between and the sea, 89
Black Sea and German Ocean, first attempts to unite, 13;
and Caspian, junction of, 18;
and Azov Canal, 182
Blackman, Col., locks proposed by, for Nicaraguan Canal, 418
Blackmore, Sir R., quotation from, 116
Boats employed on British canals, 55;
size of on different English canals, 56;
on French canals, 414;
numbers and tonnage capacity of, on French waterways, 115;
on German waterways, 131, 133;
on Russian canals, 183;
on Indian canals, 239, 463;
on American rivers and lakes, 388;
on different canals, 460;
on English canals, 462
Bourgogne Canal, 464
Brahmapootra river, 240
Bread, price of, in seventeenth century, 8
Briare, Canal de, v
Bridgwater, Duke of, 11;
canal, 24;
history of, 41;
cost of transport of coal on, 40;
aqueduct on, 344;
charges on, 387;
system of transport on, 402;
underground plane on, 412
Brindley, genius of, 11;
projected system of main waterways by, 11;
construction of Bridgwater Canal by, 43;
his first lock, 411
Bristol and London, proposed improved waterway between, 88
British rivers, 23
” shipping and the Suez Canal Company, 267
Briton Canal, 52
Brussels and Charleroi Canal, lift on, 421
Bude Canal, Cornwall, inclines on, 413
Buonaparte, Napoleon, and the Suez Canal, 249
Burke, Edmund, on our foreign commerce, 16;
on tyranny, 469
C.
Cable Haulage on the St. Maurice Canal, 403
Caerdyke, the, a Roman waterway, 23
Cæsar, Julius, Caligula and Nero, canal-makers, 13
Calcutta Canals, 240
Caledonian Canal, 19, 69
Camden, on the Clyde, 63;
on the Mersey, 28
Canada, waterways of, 216;
Welland Canal, 216;
Cornwall Canal, 224;
Sault St. Marie Canal, 225;
Canadian canal system, 225;
Ottawa river, 227;
St. Lawrence river, 228
Canadian dredger, the, 452;
canals, boats on, 461
Canal Acts, period of first, 11, 365;
boats, 469;
categories of, iii;
mania, 365-69;
engineering, 15;
companies’ shares, fluctuations in, 17;
system of Great Britain, 40;
gauge, differences of, 53;
extent of, 54;
examples of, 61;
traffic, 441;
navigation in England, chronology of, 475
Canals, ship, projected in United Kingdom, 21, 82;
owned by railway companies and employés thereon, 53;
mileage of, connecting chief navigable rivers, 54;
system of, between London and Birmingham, 58;
advantages offered by, 60;
extent of, completed and projected in Germany, 133;
speed on, 435;
see English, French, German, Dutch, &c.
Capital expenditure on railways, 377
Caspian and other seas, junction of, 19
Centre, Canal du (France), 415
Ceylon and India, proposed connecting canal, 241
Chagres river, and Panama Canal, 305
Chain traction in France, 395;
in Germany, 396
Charlemagne, canals projected by, 13
Charleroi Canal, 384
Cheap canal transport, conditions required for, 474
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, 206
Chesney, Capt., and the Suez Canal, 249;
and the Euphrates Valley route, 271
Chinese waterways, 232;
piers, 410
Chronology of river improvement and canal navigation in England, 475
Cities and seaboard facilities, 21;
boats, 466
Clyde, the river, 63
Coal, production of, 130 years ago, 2;
scarcity of in seventeenth century, 8;
transportation, cost of, 40;
supply of Paris, 96
Colonies, British exports to, 16
Compensation tolls, 473
Competition of railways and canals, 369;
in France, 441
Conder, Mr., on the cost of mineral traffic, 390
Condreux excavator, 449, 458
Conservancy of rivers, principles of, 36
Contracts for works on Suez Canal, details of, 254
Corinth, Isthmus of, canal attempted by Cæsar, Caligula and Nero, 13;
description of, 346
Cornwall Canal (Canada), 224
Cortez and the Isthmus of Panama, 274
Cost of transport by turnpike roads and railways, 15;
reduction of by canals, 40-41;
of remodelling canal system of United Kingdom, x, 54;
present cost by English canals, 55;
of transport of coal to Paris, 115;
of works on the Dortmund and Emden Canal, 129;
on the Oder and Upper Spree Navigation, 130;
by different systems of transport, 281;
of Panama Canal, 287;
of the proposed Nicaraguan Canal, 324;
of water and land transport, 375;
on lakes and Erie Canal, 380;
on Elbe Canals, 383;
on Aire and Calder Canal, 383, 389;
horse and steam towing, 384
Crapone, Adam de, canal maker, 14
Crinan Canal, 72
Cunda Canal, 170
Cuttings, large, in England, 449
D.
Dalsland Canal, 167
Dampier, and the Panama Canal, 275
Dams, principal canal, 433
Danube and Rhine, first attempts to unite, 13;
river improvement, 185;
dredgers employed on, 457
Delaware and Chesapeake Canal, 214
” Raritan Canal, locks on, 423
Density of traffic on German water- and railways, 132;
on French canals, 445, 446
Desague Real de Huchuetoca, 230
Deûle and Neufossés Canals, locomotive haulage on, 402
Distance, saving of by the Suez Canal, 260;
by Nicaraguan Canal, 328;
by Isthmus of Corinth Canal, 346
Dodd, Ralph, apparatus for canal excavation, 448
Don river, 184
Dortmund and Emden Canal, 128
Dredger, the Couvreux, 451;
the Canadian, 452;
the Otago, 454;
the La Châtre, 454
Dredging machines on Panama Canal, 309-312
” operations, cost of, on Humber, 455;
on Clyde, Tyne, Wear, Tees, and Birmingham Canal, 456
Dudley Canal, 51;
tunnel, 427
Dutch Canals. _See_ Holland.
Dykes, repair of canal, in Holland, 151
E.
Edinburgh Review on the Suez Canal, 19, 266;
on the Panama Canal, 310;
on canal property, 471
Egypt, occupation of by England, 264
Eiffel, M., sluices for Panama Canal, 301, 409
Elbe, the river, 116;
canals, cost of transport on, 383;
early propulsion, experiments on, 395
Elbing Highland Canals, 148
Ellesmere Canal, 47;
viaduct on the, 427
Embankments, 424
Employés on British Railways and Canals, comparison of, 53
Ems, the river, 117, 118
Engineers, hydraulic, 12
England and Wales, rivers of, 23;
canals of, 40;
boats on, 462;
progress of inland navigation in, v
Epochs in history of canals, 18
Erewash Canal, 18
Erie Canal, 194, 202, 215;
competition of with railways, 379
Euphrates Valley route to India, 270
Excavators, 449
Exeter Canal, 11
Exports from United Kingdom, 16
Eyder, the river, 123;
the canal, 124
F.
Falmark, Capt., and the Panama route, 276
Farrar, Sir Thomas, on state of British Canals, 472
Finland, canals of, 183
Florida Ship Canal, proposed, 213
Forth and Clyde Canal, 66;
section of, 67;
proposed new canal, 83
” Bridge, the, 73
Fossdyke navigation, 18;
Roman origin of, 23
France, cost of canal system of, in 1880, 97;
cost of river improvement in, 98;
expenditure on ports of, 98;
traffic of principal river basins, 99;
early canals of, 99;
canal of Languedoc, 100;
Crappone Canal, 105;
Alpines Canal, 106;
Lens La Deûle Canal, 107;
Marne Canal, 108;
canalisation of the Moselle, 110;
Mediterranean and Biscay Canal, 111;
Rhone Canals, 112;
St. Louis Canal, 112;
mania for canals, in, v
French canals: Charolais, 14;
Languedoc, 14;
waterways, 93;
general character of system, 94;
total tonnage carried on canals, 94;
canals compared with railways, 95;
density of traffic on, 98;
size of locks on principal, 113;
law of 1879 as to dimensions of, 113;
cost of transport on, 387;
locks on, 414
French rivers, 115
Froude, Mr., on Panama Canal, 310
G.
Ganges, river, 240
German Ocean and Black Sea, first attempts to unite, 13;
waterways, traffic on, 382;
railways, cost of transport on, 383
Germany, waterways of, 116;
river systems, 116;
the Rhine, 117;
the Ems, 118;
the Mosel, 118;
the Rhine and Danube Canal, 119;
the Oder and Elbe Canal, 120;
the Holstein Canal, 121;
North Sea and Baltic Ship Canal, 122;
Rhine-Ems Canal, 127;
Scheldt and Rhine Canal, 127;
Dortmund and Emden Canal, 128;
Oder and Upper Spree Canal, 129;
traffic on German waterways, 130
Glamorganshire and Aberdare Canal, 52
Gloucester and Berkeley Canal, system of towage on, 402
Gotha Canal (Sweden), 164;
West Gotha Canal, 167
Government control of waterways, 470
Grand Canal (Ireland), 80;
(China), 232, 302
” Junction Canal, locks on, 415
Great sluice, Boston, 37
H.
Hamburg, traffic of, 133
Hargreaves, invention of spinning-jenny by, 9
Haskew’s excavator, 448
Haulage and transport, systems of, 391;
cost of different methods of, 440
Henry II. and the canal of Charolais (France), 14
History, personal, of canal navigation, 13
Holland, waterways of, 145;
North Holland Canal, 145;
Haarlem Canal, 146;
North Sea Canal, 146;
Amsterdam Ship Canal, 147;
Elbing Highland Canals, 148;
Voorne Canal, Niewe-waterweg, Walcheren
and South Beveland Canals, 149;
Afwaterings Kanaal;
canalised river Ijssel; Keulsche Vaart, Meppelerdiep,
Drentsche, Hoofdvaart, Kolonievaart, and Willemsvaart, 150;
Apeldoorn Canal, Noordervaart, and Dokkum Canal, 151;
construction of canals in seventeenth century, 365
Holstein Canal, the, 121
Hoogly river, 240
Horace Walpole, robbed in streets of London, 3
Horse towing, cost of, 384
Humboldt, on the volcanoes of Nicaragua, 317
Hungary, canals of, 190
Hyegra and Kovja Canal, 181
I.
Ice on Canals, dealing with, 467
Inclines for canals, 413
India, British, waterways of, 237;
Madras Presidency, and Delta Canals, 238;
Godavery delta, 239;
Calcutta Canal, 240;
Naddea rivers, 240;
Madras Canals, 241;
Ramisseram Canal, 241;
Indus canals, 242;
Ganges and Hoogly, 239, 442;
recent Indian Canals, 243;
South Malabar and Travancore Canals, 243;
projected Palk Straits Canal, 244
India, Euphrates Valley route to, 270;
Jordan route to, 272;
boats on canals of, 463
Indus river, the, 243
Inventions of 18th century, 8
Ireland linen manufacture of, 9;
waterways of, 74
Irish rivers and canals, minor, 78
” Sea and Birkenhead Ship Canal, proposed, 87
Iron, production of, 130 years ago, 2
Irrigation canals in Italy, 160;
tanks or reservoirs in India, 241
Irwell and Mersey, proposed improvement of, 26, 35
Isthmian Canals, xii
Italy, waterworks of, 153;
early canals in, 153;
the Tiber, 157;
the Villoresi Canal, 158;
the canals of Venice, 159;
irrigation canals, 160;
river Po, 162;
projected canals, 163;
early sluice-gates in, 409
Itchin Dyke, a Roman waterway, 24
J.
Johnson, Dr., an enemy to canals, 369
Jordan, proposed canal from Acre to the, 273
K.
Kattegat and Skager Rack, 126
Kennet and Avon Canal, 45
Ketley, William, first inclined plane, 411
L.
Lakes, American, commerce of the, 213;
transport on, 386;
areas of, 494
La Louviére hydraulic lift, 420
Land transport, conditions of, 376
Languedoc Canal, v, 14, 19, 100
Leeds and Liverpool Canal, 12, 44; cost of transport on, 383
Lens la Deûle Canal, 106
Lesseps, M. de, portrait of, 261; plans of, for Suez Canal, 250
Level, differences of, on English canals, 436
Levy’s system of cable haulage, 403
Lifts, canal, 420
Liverpool and Manchester, cost of transport between, 40;
traffic carried between, 41;
Goole and Hull, section of navigation between, 50
Lloyd, Capt., and the Panama route, 276;
E. J., on best size of locks, 417;
Samuel, on national canal, viii
Locking, length of operation, 464
Locks size of, between London and Birmingham, 58;
dimensions of on principal French canals, 113, 415;
different systems of, 409, 414;
earliest, 411;
on English canals, 415;
on St. Mary’s Falls and Welland canals, 417;
on Manchester Ship Canal, 418;
on Nicaraguan Canal, 418
Locomotive haulage on canals, 402;
on French canals, 403
London, condition of streets of, in eighteenth century, 3;
through water routes between, and manufacturing districts, 12;
and Birmingham, water routes between, 58;
and Bristol, canal connection between, 88;
traffic of port of, 97
Lord Clarence Paget, on the Languedoc canal, 100
Loughborough Canal, 18
Louis XIV. and the Languedoc Canal, 14
Louvain Canal, cost of horse towing on, 384
M.
Macaulay, Lord, on inventions which abridge distance, 1;
on condition of England at end of seventeenth century, 4
Maclaren, Charles, on railways and canals, 368;
on economical transport, 436
Madras, canal system, 241
Magdalena river, 229
Maintenance, expense of, on railway and canals,
Manchester Ship Canal, 19, 329;
probable trade of, 330;
history of, 332;
docks, 333;
works, 337;
sections, 340;
Brindley’s aqueduct, 343;
and Liverpool, cost of transport between, 40;
works on, 448
Marco Polo, 232
Markets often inaccessible at end of seventeenth century, 6
Marne Canal, 108
Masonry weir on Cavour Canal, 434
Menes, construction of waterways by, 13
Menocal, on the Nicaraguan Canal, 323
Merchandise, general, on canals, 441
Mersey and Irwell, proposed improvement of, 26;
development of, 26, 27
Miami and Erie Canal, 202
Milan, canals of, 153, 411
Milton, on British rivers, 23
Monkland Canal, 68;
inclines employed on, 413
Morris Canal, 205; inclines on, 413
Mosel or Moselle, the river, 118;
canalisation of the, 110
N.
Napoleon III. and the Nicaraguan Canal, 14, 316.
_See_ Buonaparte
Natural condition of earth’s surface, 2
Navigation, length of, on principal English canals, 56;
map showing extent of English canal, 57;
between London and Birmingham, 58;
development of inland, in England, vi
Neath Canal, 52
Nene and Ouse, the, 34
Nero, a canal builder, 13
Netherton tunnel, 427
Neutralisation of waterways, importance of, 9
New York State, canals of, see United States; Act of Legislature, 465
Nicaragua lake, 317
Nicaraguan Canal 14, 314;
history of, 317;
description of proposed, 319;
locks, 321;
basins, 322;
estimates of cost, 324;
harbours, 327;
saving of distances by, 328;
locks proposed for, 418
Nieman, the river, 116
North and Caspian Seas, junction of, 19
North Sea and Baltic Ship Canal, 122
North Sea Canal, 146
O.
Oder, the river, 116;
and Elbe Canal, 120;
and Upper Spree Navigation, 129
Ohio Canal, 208
Orebro Canal, 170
Ottawa river, 227
Ourcq Canal (Paris), 97
P.
Pack-horse, cost of transport by, 7
Palmerston, Lord, and the Suez Canal, 264
Panama Canal, cost of, 19;
history of, 295;
proceedings at Congress of geographical science, 278;
proposals of M. de Lesseps, 280;
rival projects, 280;
works required, 282;
progress of operations, 286;
capital, expenditure of, 287;
difficulties, 288;
mortality, 289;
cost of labour, 290;
financial troubles, 292;
suspension of the company, 293;
decision of Chamber of Deputies, 294;
comparison of railway and canal experiences, 296;
technical description, 298;
profile and tracing of canal, 298;
plans of proposed sluices, 299;
calculations of traffic, 203;
the Chagres river, 305;
American opinion, 307;
dredging machines, 309-312
Papin’s digester, Watt’s first experiment with, 8
Paris, traffic of by railways and waterways, 95;
coal supply of, 96, 97
Peel, Sir Robert, print works of, 9
Perekop Canal, 180
Peter the Great and Catherine as canal-makers, 14;
canals planned by, 173
Pitchora river, 184
Planes, locks, sluice-gates, and lifts, 408;
first inclined, for waterways, 411
Po, the river, 162
Ports of France, expenditure on, 98
Poutiloff Canal, 177
Price-Williams, R., on the cost of mineral traffic, 390
Priestley, on British canals, 54
Provinces, condition of, in eighteenth century, 4
Ptolemy II., a canal-builder, 13
Q.
Quarterly Review on the Suez Canal, 266;
on the early railways, 366
R.
Railroad, the Callao, Lima, and Oroya, 15
Railway rates, prohibitive character of, 9;
Liverpool and Manchester, 367;
and canal traffic Acts, 1888, 374
Railways, average cost of, per mile, in different countries, 10;
traffic carried on, in United Kingdom, 15, 17;
in Germany, traffic on and waterways compared, 133;
and canals, general comparison of 364;
cost of, 377;
canals owned by, vii
Rainhill locomotive contest, 367
Rates, railway, 376;
railway and canal compared, 378;
on New York State canals, 381;
inland navigation in Germany, 388;
on British canals, 387
Regulations for Dutch canals, 152
Rhine, wire ropes used for traction on, 397;
Marne canals, 110
Rhine and Danube, attempted union of by Charlemagne, 13;
proposed canal between, 119;
characteristics of, 117;
Rhine Ems Canal, 127;
and Scheldt, 127
Rhone, systems of haulage on, 392;
canals of the, 112
Ribble, the river, 31
Rio Grande river, 317
Rio San Francisco, 317
Riquet, M., and the Languedoc Canal, 100
Rivers in England, number of made navigable, 12;
conservancy and improvement of, 36;
suggested department for control of, 37;
shipping trade of 37;
particulars of principal, 38;
basins, principal, 491
Rivers of England and Wales, 23;
of France, 115;
of Germany, 116;
of Italy, 157, 162;
of Russia, 184;
of United States, 191;
of Canada, 227
Roads, condition of, in middle of eighteenth century, 3;
from Kensington to London, 3;
difference between macadamised and other, 7
Rokeby, Justice, on going circuit at end of seventeenth century, 5
Romans, the, as canal makers, v;
and British waterways, 23
Rope traction, 395
Rotterdam, canals of, 149
Royal Canal (Ireland), 81
Rundall, General, on advantages and defects of canals, 60
Russia, waterways of, 172;
canals projected by Peter the Great, 173;
Baltic and Caspian Sea canals, 175;
Baltic and Black Sea canals, 176;
Beresinski Canal, 176;
Ognisky Canal, 176;
King’s Canal, 176;
canal communication with Bay of Finland, 176;
Iwanoff Canal, 177;
Kamüshinski Canal, 177;
the Poutiloff Canal, 177;
Perekop Canal, 180;
Baltic and White Sea Canal, 181;
Volga and Don Canal, 181;
Hyegra and Kovja Canal, 181;
Black Sea and Azov Canal, 182;
the canals of Finland, 183;
river systems of Russia, 184;
early canals of, 365
S.
Sailing ships and steamers, and Suez Canal, 260
Salwarp, proposed improvement of, 23, 25
Sandys, William, and the Avon improvement, 23;
and Salwarp Navigation, 23;
100 years before Brindley, 24;
improvement of Wye by, 24
San Juan de Nicaragua river, 316
” del Norte, 320
” del Sur, port of, 316
Saône, weirs on the, 431
Sault St. Marie Canal, 209;
locks on, 417
Scheldt and Rhine Canal; and Meuse Canal, 415
Schuylkill Navigation, 205
Scotland, waterways of, 63
Seaboard, struggle for by modern nations, 9
Sea transport, cost of, 385;
seas, areas of, 494
Seine, regulating weirs on the, 431
Sesostris, a canal builder, 13
Severn and Thames, proposals for connection of, 25;
improvement of the, 32;
section of navigation between, and the Thames, 50
Shannon, the, 74
Sheffield and Goole Canal, proposed, 85
Ship Canal projects, 20.
_See_ Panama, Suez, Nicaragua, Manchester, &c.
” Railway, proposed by Captain Eads, 422;
canals, future of, viii
Shipping trade of chief British rivers, 37;
of Clyde, 66;
of Tyne, 31;
of Suez Canal, 259, 267
Shropshire Canal, planes on, 413
Single-width canals, 467
Sluices proposed for Panama Canal, 311;
on Aire and Calder Canal, 432;
on the Weaver, 432;
earliest in Italy, 409;
at Trolhätta in Sweden, 430
Sluice-valves, substitution of, for let-offs, 429
Sluiceways on Aire and Calder Canal, 432
Smeaton, construction of great sluice by, 37
Smiles, Samuel, on canal development, 369
Sone Canal (India), boats on, 463
South and Central America, waterways of, 229
Speed, details of, 399;
on Belgian Canals, 399, 435;
on Lea, 399;
on Grand Junction Canal, 435;
on Rotterdam Canal, 435;
increase of by lifts or inclined planes, 436;
effect of breaking waves on, 437;
on Suez Canal, 437;
in Sweden and Holland, 437;
effect of size and number of locks on, 438;
depth of English canals, 439;
canal and railway compared, 439
Squires, Mr., and the American isthmus, 277
Stafford and Worcester Canal, 41;
first locks on, 411
Stage-coach and railway travelling compared, 6
Stage-coaches, rate of speed of, 7
State acquisition and control of canals, 469
State, English waterways under control of, 11;
ownership of, _versus_ private enterprise, x, 11
Steam locomotives on common roads, proposed by Robinson, 8;
towing, cost of, 384;
on shallow canals, 399;
application of, to locks, 423
Stephenson, Robert, and the Suez Canal, 265
St. Lawrence river, 228;
plan of locks on canals, 416
St. Mary’s Falls Canal. _See_ Sault St. Marie
St. Maurice Canal, cable haulage on, 403
Stockton and Darlington Railway, 366
Stourbridge Canal, 51
Stour, river, 25
Suez Canal, inauguration of new era by, 18;
cost of, 19;
history of, 245;
canal of Rameses, 247;
proposals of M. de Lesseps, 250;
concessions granted, 251;
contracts, 253;
progress of work, 255;
effect of Suez Canal, 257;
saving of distance, 260;
size of ships, 260;
income and working expenditure, 259;
Euphrates Valley route, 270;
enlargement of canal, 268;
Trebizonde and Tigris Valley routes, 272;
proposed parallel canal, 273
Swansea Canal, 52
Sweden, waterways of, 164;
the Gotha Canal, 164;
West Gotha Canal, 167;
Dalsland Canal, 167;
Cunda Canal, 170;
Orebro Canal, 170;
projected canals, 170
T.
Tehuantepec, Isthmus of, 278;
proposed ship railway for, 422
Tees, the, 34
Telford, Thomas, and the Gotha Canal, 165;
locks on Caledonian Canal, 417
Textile industries, condition of, in eighteenth century, 3
Thames, early propulsion on, 394
Thames, Severn and Mersey, communication between, 12;
conservancy of, 37
Thames, the river, 353;
extent of commerce of, 354;
ship canal, 356;
Tilbury docks, 357;
comparison of proposed ship canal with Suez Canal, 358;
plan of the, 360;
navigable facilities of Thames, 361;
the upper Thames, 362
Thread and gauze, manufacture of, begun at Paisley, 8
Tiber, the river, 157
Tigris Valley route to India, 272
Tolls, examples of on English Canals, 387
Torksey, a Roman town and fort, 23
Towing, cost of, 381;
by horse and steam, 384;
by men, 399;
on Aire and Calder canal, 402;
on Gloucester and Berkeley Canal, 402;
paths, 429
Traffic carried on French waterways, 94, 115;
on German waterways, 130;
canal, character and density of, 441;
on English waterways, 442
Trajan interested in canals, iv, 13
Transport and haulage, systems of, 391
Transport and working of canals, 364;
water and land, compared, 375;
cost of, by different systems, 380, 381;
cost of, on German railways, 383
Transportation, higher cost of in United Kingdom, 10;
cost of coal, to Paris, 115;
conditions of in United States, 214
Trolhätta, cataract of, 430
Tugs, employed on Danube, 397;
on Rhine, 399;
wire-rope, 398;
Jacquel’s system, on Saar coal canal, 398
Tunnels, viaducts, embankments, and weirs, 424;
on Bridgwater Canal, 424;
on Shropshire Canal, 426;
length of chief on English canals, 426;
on Birmingham system of canals, 427;
Dudley and Netherton, 427
Turf and wood, fuel, used in seventeenth century, 8
Tyne, the river, 29
U.
Ulloas, de, and the Panama route, 276
Union Canal (Scotland), 68;
Pennsylvania, 205
United Kingdom, coast line of, 9.
_See_ England and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland
United States, waterways of the, 191;
river systems, 191;
historical notes on early canals, 192;
Erie Canal, 194;
Ohio canals, 195;
Indiana and Illinois, 196;
growth of traffic, 197;
details of chief canals, 201;
extent of system, 202;
Miami and Erie, 202;
Morris Canal, Union Canal, and Schuylkill Navigation, 205;
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, 206;
Ohio Canal, 208;
Sault St. Marie Canal, 209;
projected canals, 213;
transportation in the United States, 214;
contest between railways and canals in, 370
Ural, the, 184
V.
Vasa, Gustavus, as a canal-maker, 14
Venice, Doges of, as canal-makers, 14;
canals of, 159
Vernon-Harcourt, on canal inclines, 413
Vessels. _See_ boats
Viaducts, embankments, tunnels and weirs, 424;
on the Ellesmere Canal, 427
Villoresi Canal, Italy, 158
Vinci, Leonardo da, as a canal-maker, 13
Vishni Volotchok Canal, 443
Vistula, the river, 116
Volga, the, 184;
Volga and Don Canal, 181
Voyage of Lord Clarence Paget on the Canal du Midi, 102
W.
Wafer, Lionel, and the Panama route, 275
Wages, rates of, in seventeenth century, 7;
paid on Panama canal works, 302
Wales, canal facilities of, 53
Waller, quotations from, 40
Warwickshire canals, compensation tolls paid by, 273
Water and land transport compared, 375;
elements affecting cost of, 377
Waterways: of England and Wales, rivers, 23;
canals, 40;
of Scotland, 63;
of Ireland, 74;
of France, 93;
of Germany, 116
Waterways, results of construction of, 8;
neglect of, in United Kingdom, 12;
total length of, in United Kingdom, 12;
Roman, in Great Britain, 23;
traffic carried on, and length of, principal in Germany, 130-131;
making of, 447;
Government control of, 471;
cost of transport by, ix, 472
Watt, James, personal details of, 72;
as a canal-maker, 72
Watt’s first experiment on the power of steam, 8
Wear, the river, 36
Weaver, the, 28;
cost of transport on, 385;
lift on the, 420;
sluices on the, 432
Wedgwood ware, manufacture of first begun, 8
Weirs, 424;
regulating, on the Seine, 431
Welland Canal, 216;
plan of locks on, 416
Weser, the river, 117
Wheelwright, Mr., and the Panama route, 277
Whittier, quoted, 447
Willebroeck Canal, cost of towing on, 384
Windmills, use of in Holland, 151
Wire rope traction, 397;
unsuccessful in England, 402
Witham, the, 33
Wood, Nicholas, calculations as to cost of transport, 15;
on speed on railways, 366;
on cost of transport of minerals, 367
Worcester and Birmingham Canal, 51
Wye, improvement of, by Sandys, 24
Y.
Yarranton, Andrew, and river improvement, 25;
proposal to deepen the Salwarp, 25;
Stour navigation improved by, 25;
proposed connection of Thames and Severn by, 25;
personal details of, 25
Yellow river, or Ho-hang-ho, 233
LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.