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HISTORY OF

Liverpool, which are about thirty-eight miles distant from each other,costs forty shillings per ton; water carriage by the duke of Bridge-water’s canal only six shillings and eight-pence one way, and tenshillings the other: suppose nine shillings upon an average; and thesaving by the navigation is about three-fourths of the expence of landcarriage.

If we suppose the saving to be only six shillings in nine, which is avery moderate computation, this circumstance alone will not only enableland-owners, manufacturers, and merchants to convey many articles tomarkets where they never could have borne the expence of land-car-riage; but will also bring into use many natural productions, such ascoals, stone of various kinds, timber, iron ore, alabaster, &c. &c. whichfrom their unfavourable situations never could have been employed.

To give some idea of these advantages, we must endeavour to enu-merate the chief sources of employment for the intended navigation;and these may be considered under the three following heads: ist. Na-tural productions of the countries that lie near the canal. 2d. Culti-vated commodities and manufactures. 3d. Imported raw materials andgeneral commerce.

From Northwich to Lawton, there lies a vast bed of rock fait, aboutforty yards thick, which, besides being purified and crystallized forhome consumption and exportation, as will be mentioned in its properplace, might be made great use of in agriculture, and probably inmetallurgy, and several of the mechanic arts, if any method could bediscovered of granting the liberty of using it with safety to the re-venue.

There is a mountain called Molecop, near Lawton, that contains fourdifferent and useful kinds of stone. ist. Mill-stones, of an excellentquality, which are now carried by land upwards of one hundred miles,

and