increased, and increasing, should demand those accommodations which interest of such moment imperatively re quired. Mr. Brindley, Mr. Whitworth, Mr. Tatham, &c. made propositions for considerable improvements; but they have all been hitherto unsuccessful. Mr. Whitworth's estimate for completing the canal from Waltham Abbey to Moorfields, amounted in 1773, to 52,495l.; and the estimate for that from Mary-la-Bonne to Moorfields, 25,7341. Trifling sums adequate to the benefit proposed! In 1785, Mr. Phillips proposed a plan of great merit, for a communication from Norwich, Lynn, and Cambridge, with London, through the counties of Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, &c. which at an expence of 146,2621. 10s. would at thirty years purchase, have increased the national capital to the amazing amount of 13,163,625t. About the year 1798, Mr. Tatham formed a grand plan of insulation in seven divisons. The first division extended from the grand bason at Paddington to Hackney, which he estimated at 32,3481. 16s. 3d. The second division from Hackney to Limehouse, estimated at 14,730. The third division from Paddington through Hyde Park to the Thames at Ranelagh, estimated at 19,9287. 15s. Fourth division from the Paddington canal at Kensall Green, to the Thames opposite Battersea, estimated at 26,750l. Fifth division from Mary-la-Bonne park, a lateral cut to Sommers Town, and thence through the Duke of Bedford's grounds to the lower side of Gray's Inn Lane; from which a small canal might be extended to Hackney, by help of rail-ways and machinery. Sixth division from York Place Battersea, to the Goat's Head, public house, below Nine Elms, estimated at 9,675. Seventh division, from Nine Elms to the Thames at Greenland Dock, estimated at 11,7757. making altogether a total cost of 120,0007. These modes of improvement having, however, not as yet been put in practice, though so excellent in theory; we proceed to state what has actually been carried into exe cution. VOL. I. No. 31, L GRAND GRAND JUNCTION CANAL.-This navigation joins the Oxford canal at Braunston, in Northamptonshire, on the bor ders of Warwickshire, the whole bearing nearly north-west by south-east. From Braunston, after passing a tunnel, its course is southerly between Welton and Daventry, with a cut of one mile and a half to the latter place. Then leaving Long Buckley to the left, it passes through Weedon, by Lower Heyford, Bugbrook, to Gayton, where the cut five miles long branches off to Northampton. From Gayton it passes Blisworth, whence through a tunnel it reaches Stoke, passes Grafton and Cosgrove, a little below which a branch of one mile and a half goes to Stoney Stratford; below this junction, it crosses the river Ouse, and bending eastward, passes Great Dinford, and is distant about a mile from Newport Pagnell; its course is again south, and passes Little and Great Wolston, Woughton, Simpson, through the town of Fenny Stratford, by Stoke Hammond, Soulbury, Linslade, Leighton Buzzard, Marsworth, Ivinghoe, Pittleshorn, Tring," distant one mile and a half, Aldbury, Northchurch, close to Berkhamsted, Hemel Hempsted, distant about a mile, and King's Langley; after which, passing a small tunnel, it goes by Grove Park and Cashiobury Park, and arrives at Rickmansworth, about a mile before which, a branch of two miles goes to Watford; from Rickmansworth it goes to Uxbride, running parallel with the river Coln, which it crosses. several times; from Uxbridge it passes Cowley and Hillingdon, to the west; and Drayton, Harlington, Cranford Park, Norwood and Osterley Park, to the east; where, intersecting the river Brent, it falls into the Thames between Brentford and Sion House; completing a course of ninety miles, passing one hundred and twenty-one locks, with seven hundred and ninety-six feet lockage; and going through three tunnels. The various rates of tonnage on this canal, are so reasonable, as proves the necessity as well as utility of such undertakings. PADDINGTON CANAL.-The Paddington Canal is a branch of the Grand Junction Canal, having its confluence therewith at a place called South Field, near Bull Bridge Brock, near near Southall; this brook empties into the river Coln, at the powder mills, upon the road from Staines to Brentford. From the Grand Junction Canal, which communicates between the river Thames at Brentford, and the Oxford canal near Braunston, a distance of ninety miles, one furlong, three chains, and sixty links, and thereby not only unites the great commercial interests of Bristol, Chester, Liverpool, Preston, Lancaster, and Hull, with those of London, but opens avenues also to the metropolis from every part of the kingdom, and particularly from the towns of Daventry, Northampton, Buckingham, Aylesbury, Wendover, and St. Alban's, which have already availed themselves of lateral cuts, to this great line of general intercourse; this canal to Paddington of about fourteen miles in length upon one continued level, forms one of the most interesting and useful designs which has ever been executed in an equal space of country; for by this facility of transfer, the uncertainties of river-transportation are avoided, in respect to winds, tides, and a thousand casualties and impediments; commerce will receive the means of dispatch, punctuality, and multiplied resources; water-ways will be opened between town and country residences, while the pleasure-boats and party excursions of the city alone will contribute to promote the health and amusement of its numerous inhabitants, and bid fair to remunerate largely to its proprietors, independent of commercial relations. The Grand Junction Canal Company are empowered" to make a cut from the town of Buckingham to join the branch of the canal at Old Stratford; also a cut from the town of Aylesbury, to join the canal at Marsworth, which is about two miles above Tring. And also to make navigable the cut or feeder from the town of Wendover, to join the canal at Bulbourne; which is about one mile above Tring; with all the powers for making the same granted by the preceding act. BASINGSTOKE CANAL.-This canal begins at Basingstoke, from the little river Loddou, and at a place called Newmansprings, by the village of Basing; thence it was intended to pass across the road at Newham, and to take a sharp turn round Tilney Hall and Park, almost back again to near the town of Odiham; but has now been carried straight by a tunnel into the little river called Deepford; whence it pro ceeds round Dogmersfield Park to near Crookham, straight along by Aldershot, over Dradbrook, which divides the counties, and thence turns up to Colingley Moor, and returns by Purbright and Oak Farm, into the river Wey, near the little village of Westley. Its length is rather more than thirty-seven miles, with a fall of one hundred and ninetyfive feet in the last fifteen miles, viz. from Dradbrook; the other part, of twenty-two miles, is upon a level. There is a collateral branch over Hook Common to Turgis Green, of six miles, and level. This canal promises to be of great public utility, as it is intended to be carried on to join the navigation at Winchester, which falls into the sea at Southampton, whereby it will furnish an easy conveyance to the London market, and to the public dock yards for vast quantities of timber, which at this time lie useless in the country for want of such con veyance. CROYDON CANAL.-The beginning of the digging, at pre sent in hand, is about one hundred yards below the Deptford and Greenwich road, under which it is intended to pass by a bridge, about five furlongs from Deptford town's-end. This part of the cutting is in a reddish-yellow clay, and the same continues across the road, and up the close for a small distance, towards Plow Garlick Hill, then a thin stratum of thin broken oyster-like shells, are to be seen cropping out, in the new cutting; above this, a thick stratum of clay occurs, of nearly the same kind; then a thick stratum of very dark blue clay is seen, interspersed with a few small specimens of pyritic wood, and plenty of selcrite. Some of the crystals of these are very well formed, and beautifully. embedded in each other. One single rhomboidal crystal, obtained from the cutting in this place, weighed near a pound. Upon this blue and seleritic clay, eight or ten feet thick of a reddish clay occurs, forming the top of the emi nence, nence, called Plow-Garlick Hill; from the top of which, the ground declines towards the south east, and the canal pursues its level by a course nearly thereon, across a large field, and through an old and wide lane, on the east side of which there is a small old wooden cottage, Shortly after passing this cottage, the ground begins to rise up towards Brockley Green, and the first thing observable in the newly cut banks, is a very curious stratum, of a yard thick, or more, consisting entirely of small bivalve shells, and long slender screw shells: these are in very good preservation; but the greater part of them are broken. Most of the whole bivalves have the two shells adhering together, and closed. Some thin veins of these broken shells exhibit a beautiful example of the process of nature, in the formation of limestone; and several lumps, and although, no harder than gingerbread, have the appearance and fructure of compact shelly lime-stone, so exactly, that, in a cabinet, where it could be seen, but not touched, it might deceive almost every one, in thinking it to be real stone. For eighty or one hundred yards further, the banks of the canal are almost entirely formed of these shells, and through which, as well as the stratum itself, the water will, hereafter, leak, in large quantities, if this part of the canal is not most carefully lined with puddle. In ascending the hill, it appears that a stratum of reddish coarse sand, of several feet thick, crops out above these shells; then a clay of considerable thickness is seen, and then a slight spring of mineral water, very highly charged with iron, as appears by ochry deposit: this was apprehended to proceed from a layer of ludus hetmanti; but, owing to an old pond, through which the canal has been here dug, and which has so completely slipped in, the truth of this could not be ascertained. This old pond had a considerable thickness of peat formed in its bottom; and the same was observed in another old pond, in the clay, a few yards higher up the hill; but there was no appearance of ochry water. Above this clay is a stratum of very fine clay, with the appearance and fructure, when dry, of Fuller's earth, but abounding with minute and shining specks of mica. |