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MOTIVE POWER ON

same expenditure of motive power on a Rail-road, at the rate of six miles an hour, thatgoods can be conveyed at the rate of two milesan hour upon a canal. If it be attempted toaugment the velocity on a canal to three milesan hour, then one loco-motive engine on aRail-road will, in six hours and two thirds,perform the work of nine horses on a canal;—and if the velocity be further increased to fourmiles an hour, then, in five hours, the loco-motive engine will perform the work of sixteenhorses; and as often as these times are repeat-ed, a similar ratio of performance will beaccomplished.

It follows, from this, that the only supe-riority existing in any part of the economy ofcanals, and that wherein a transient advantageover Rail-roads occurs, and which consists inthe less resistance opposed to the motive powerin transporting heavy goods at a slow pace; issuperseded by the application of machineryto Rail-ways. And this result may be ex-pected whenever, as previously stated, thenature of the work permits the application ofmechanical power in the one case, and it isbrought into competition with animal labourin the other.

These observations of the relative perform-ances, with respect to work on Rail-roads and