in their general economy, they may have been said to remain stationary. Their nature almost prohibits the application of mechanical power to advantage, in the conveyance of goods upon them; and they have not, therefore, partaken of the benefits which other arts have derived from mechanical science.

The reverse of this is the case with Railroads; their nature admits of the almost unrestricted application of mechanical power upon them, and their utility has been correspondingly increased. No wonder, then, that canals, which at one time were unquestionably superior to Rail-roads in general economy, by remaining in a state of quiescence should, at some period or other, be surpassed by the latter, which has been daily and progressively improving, and perhaps that time is arrived. The human mind is generally averse and slow in adapting itself to the changes of circumstances, and though from this cause the competition in consequence might not have been so speedily brought into action, had not the present prosperity of the country induced capitalists to seek out every source of speculation, affording the least prospect of success. The natural course of events would, however, soon have developed the real situation of the two modes, in their respective relations to each other, and

though the time might have been prolonged when Rail-ways were brought into active competition with canals, yet its arrival would not be the less certain.

One might be led to suppose, that the question could readily be solved by an appeal to facts, or by the comparison of particular Canals with similar Rail-ways; but it is here I presume where the difficulty lies,-we cannot perhaps find Canals and Rail-ways whose external features are precisely the same; we are obliged, therefore, to have recourse to a comparison of general facts or principles peculiar to each mode, which again cannot be accomplished, unless we are fully and intimately acquainted with all the various properties and characteristics of each mode. The want of proper data was felt, and it is with a view of furnishing these, that the present work was undertaken; which, by a concise and at the same time comprehensive description of the construction, uses, and advantages of Rail-roads, together with an elucidation of the various principles of their action, the reader might be enabled to make a comparison with other modes of internal communication, and thus form a judgment of their relative value.

It is much to be regretted that a similar enquiry has not been made with respect to

canals; the present state of commerce requires that goods should be conveyed from place to place with the utmost rapidity, and, perhaps, we owe no small portion of mercantile prosperity to our facility of dispatch. The slow, tardy, and interrupted transit by canal navigation must, therefore, of necessity yield to other modes affording a more rapid means of conveyance, (especially when their relative economy is the same) unless they can be made to partake of the general activity, and additional celerity given to the boats conveyed upon them. Experiments, to ascertain the amount of resistance, at different rates of speed, would be therefore highly valuable; and, it is to be hoped, that such will be made on a practical scale upon some of the canals, to shew how far they are capable of affording a more speedy transit.

CHAPTER II.

HISTORY AND PROGRESS OF RAIL-ROADS.

It is very difficult to trace the precise date when Rail-ways were first introduced into Great Britain. When the traffic consisted of various articles, to be conveyed in numerous directions, the difficulty of forming a road suitable for all parties, and the expence of branching it off to all the different parts where the goods were to be carried, would operate to prevent the introduction of Rail-roads, as a species of general communication.

The more probable supposition is, that the adoption of these artificial roads first took place when the goods were of a certain description, and had to be conveyed to one place only; and when the quantity also was considerable. Continually passing along the same road, when perhaps the materials for upholding and keeping it in repair were' expensive, might induce them to seek out some remedy; and, it is not unlikely, that the laying down of timber, in the worst parts of

C

the road, might tend to the introduction of wooden rails the whole distance. Such is the practice in Russia, and it appears to have been as ancient as civilization in that country.

At the coal-works in the neighbourhood of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the expence of conveying the coals from the pits to the places where they were to be shipped by sea, would be very great. Down to the year 1600, the only mode appears to have been by carts, on the ordinary roads; and in some instances by

panniers" on horseback. A record in the books of one of the free companies in Newcastle, dated 1602, states, "That from tyme out of mynd yt hath been accustomed that all cole-waynes did usually carry and bring eight baulls of coles to all the staythes upon the ryver of Tyne, but of late several hath brought only, or scarce, seven baulls." The cost of transporting such a heavy article as coal along common roads, which may be supposed would not be of the best description, in carts containing seven or eight bolls, would operate very powerfully in accelerating the introduction of some improvement in the mode of conveyance, to lessen the expence.

In a work published at Newcastle, in the year 1649, by a Mr. Gray, called "A Chorographia,” a survey of Newcastle-upon-Tyne,