penny per ton, per mile. Mr. Grahame cites one case, of the canal companies charging two shillings and threepence canal dues, for thirty-one miles and a half, upon the Union canal to Edinburgh; which, we may presume, is a minimum charge, being for coals, and being in competition with coals brought along a public railway to the same place. This would give, for canal dues, ·86d., haulage, 18d., and boat-hire, &c., 32d., altogether 1.36d. per ton, per mile; which is equal to the charge for conveying iron ore on the Merthyr Tidvil canal.

We may, therefore, take the minimum cost of conveying heavy goods, on canals, at 1.36d. per ton, per mile; and minerals, generally, at 1.5d. per ton, per mile; which will be, for the gross load, assuming the useful load to be seventy-five per cent., about 1.02d. per ton per mile.

With the fly boats, the resistance at four miles an hour, we have seen, is 7.07 lbs. per ton. A horse travelling at this rate of speed, will only exert a power equal to 78 lbs. ; consequently, his performance, on a canal, will be 220 tons gross conveyed one mile; or, taking sixty-five per cent. as the useful load, the performance will be 143 tons, conveyed one mile in a day, as the useful performance of a horse, dragging fly boats on canals at the rate of four miles an hour. The cost of haulage of this kind of boat is, likewise given, by the canal proprietors on the Forth and Clyde, and Union canals, between Edinburgh and Glasgow; viz., fifteen shillings for twenty-five miles on former canal, and sixteen shillings for thirty-two miles on the latter, for finding horses and drivers; the distance of fifty-seven miles being performed in eleven hours. These boats weigh from seven to seven tons and a half, and are said to be fitted to stow ten tons of measurable goods, and afford accommodation to forty passengers. Taking the latter at fifteen to a ton, or

equal to three tons, the cost of haulage, per ton, per mile, of goods, on these canals, is 33 of a penny per ton, per mile, gross, or 5 of a penny per ton, per mile, useful load, at an average rate of five miles an hour. The entire cost of conveyance, by fly boats, is about 3d. per ton, per mile. Mr. Grahame states, that the outlay of money, expended by the boat owners, in carrying goods by these boats, is about five shillings and sixpence per ton for fifty-seven miles, or about 1.16d. per ton, per mile. Taking the cost of haulage at 5d. per ton, per mile, we have, therefore, the cost of boats, &c., about 66 of a penny per ton, per mile; and the general expenses charged, 2.34d. per ton, per mile. The aggregate cost being, for goods, 3d. per ton, per mile, will be, for the gross load, including boat, 2-275d. per ton, per mile.

The resistance of the swift boats, at the rate of ten miles an hour, is 54-12 lbs. per ton. We have before noticed the extraordinary performance of horses dragging these boats, which was, that two horses drag along the canal, at the rate of nine miles an hour, on the average, a boat carrying three tons of useful load, and weighing, altogether, above five tons, the distance they travel being eleven miles. This will give a gross performance of fifty-five tons conveyed one mile, and of useful load thirty-three tons conveyed one mile, in a day, at the rate of from nine to ten miles an hour. Upon the Carlisle canal, the haulage of a swift boat is contracted for, the contractor finding horses and drivers; the price paid, for hauling the boat twenty-four miles, is twenty-one shillings, which is equal to 10 d. per mile. Mr. Grahame states the cost at eleven-pence per mile. This will give the haulage for the useful load about 3d. per ton, per mile, or 24d. per ton, per mile, gross load; or, if forty passengers are taken in the boat, at a time,

which we presume will be the utmost, on the average, the cost of haulage, per passenger, per mile, will be ⚫275 of a penny for each passenger per mile. The charges, for passengers, from Edinburgh to Glasgow, is six shillings, best cabin, and four shillings stowage passengers; or 1.3d. and 86d. per passenger, per mile, conveyed at the rate of nine to ten miles an hour; and upon the Lancaster and Preston canal 1·26d. and 34 of a penny per passenger, per mile; the average being about 1.08d. per passenger, per mile. Reckoning fifteen passengers to the ton, and each passenger twenty-eight pounds of luggage, the charge, per ton, per mile, will be 18.2d. useful load, or about ten-pence per ton, per mile, gross, which includes haulage, boat-hire, and general expenses; and as the cost of haulage is 3d., the general expenses and boat-hire will be 9.7d. per ton, per mile.

The following Table will, therefore, shew the result of these inquiries, on the cost of conveying goods and passengers on canals.

TABLE XVII.

Table of the cost of conveying goods, and passengers, on canals at different rates of speed.

We have not, in our inquiries on the capabilities of canals, as a mode of transport, taken into consideration the application of steam as a motive power; all the attempts, hitherto made, have been unsuccessful, and have not yet superseded the use of horse power. Until, therefore, that description of motive power has been brought into such a state of perfection, or usefulness, as to be equal to, or more beneficial than, the present mode; we did not think any inquiry into that part of the subject, in this work, could be of any practical utility.

CHAPTER XIII.

COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT MODES OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATION.

§ 1.-Railways and Turnpike Roads.

We are now enabled to compare the relative value of railways, with common turnpike roads, and other modes of internal communication. Whilst railways were in a state of infancy, and their powers scarcely developed, this was a question of great difficulty, as the conclusions were, necessarily, almost entirely speculative, dependent upon the results of improvements, which this species of transport was deemed susceptible of; but now those improvements have attained a degree of perfection, which enables us no longer to present to the reader conclusions drawn from theory, or speculative reasoning, we can appeal to practice, to shew the value of railways, as a means of inland transport. We are aware, that, in appealing to the present state of railways, we offer them to the notice of the public under disadvantageous circumstances. We can only appeal to existing railways, which have, as it were, created this species of transport, and where, it will at once strike the reader, the cost and disadvantage of doing so, must have been very considerable; subsequent establishments, profiting by what has previously been done, will be enabled to commence the traffic upon their lines, under very much more favourable circumstances, and at considerably less cost. In comparing railways with other modes of internal transport,-when we take, as a basis for estimat