34S

ON THE POLITICAL ECONOMY

land, whose attention to the improvement of his northernestates does him infinite credit. It extends from Kilmarnockin the county of Ayr , to Troon Bay at the mouth of the Frithof Clyde, a distance of about ten miles. The whole eX-pence of making it, is supposed to exceed L. 40,000 Sterling-It is understood that one horse will draw on this railway fromten to twelve tons along its declivity, and from eight to tenin the contrary direction.

From Berwick to Kelso .—An act has passed for erecting arailway to extend from Berwick on the Tweed, to Kelso inRoxburghshire; the distance is 23 miles, and the estimatedexpence, including a bridge across the Tweed, is aboutL. 90,000 Sterling. A railway has likewise been proposedbetween Glasgow and Berwick, which would establish a com-munication between the manufacturing districts of the west,and the agricultural counties of the south-east of Scotland .

Power of horses on a railway ascertained. —The advantageof railways to the power of horses, in dragging a loaded car-riage, is astonishing, when compared with what they can pos-sibly perform on the very best roads. It has been ascertain-ed by experiment, that a horse of L. 20 value, will draw upona railway, with a declivity of one foot in the hundred, 32 tonswith ease, and 43 with some difficulty while descending; and7 tons in a contrary direction, exclusive of the weight of thecarriages.

Peculiar advantages of railways. —The superiority of rail-ways over canals, seems to arise from their occupying lessground, and their formation being less expensive, also, frombeing more easily repaired, and the passage on them not soliable to interruption by frost. Were iron railways adaptedto common carts, laid down upon the ascent of roads, a horsewould be enabled to draw a load, upon an ascent of one footof rise, in twelve feet of road, as he does upon the level partsof most roads in this island. Mr Monteith of Closeburn,who suggests this hint, saw, in summer 1813, one horse at