CANALS AND RAIL-ROADS.

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is an object, then at the more rapid rates ofspeed the Rail-way will be proportionablysuperior.

These, however, being matters of calculation,where every instance may present a different,conclusion, and depending’ upon all the variousconcomitant circumstances incident to eachparticular case, cannot, in a work like this, bemade the subject of even conjecture, I haveendeavoured to furnish all those data whichappeared general, and which applied to thetwo modes in conjunction with each other, ina practical and general point of view. It mustbe left to those acquainted with all the circum-stances of each particular case, when they comeinto competition with each other, to judge,from the individual situations, which of thetwo is preferable.

When it becomes a subject of discussion,which of the two modes are to be adopted, itassumes rather a different shape than when aRail-road is to enter into competition with acanal already formed. In the latter case, thecanal proprietor commences with considerableadvantage by the additional quantity of goodswhich a horse can drag at a slow pace upon acanal, where perhaps a little loss of time maybe no object; the canal proprietor may, evenwith his great investment of capital, by reducingv 2