HISTORY OF

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and twenty yards ; so that it is adapted, as well as possible, for the for-mation of reservoirs, canals, and passages for water: indeed the wholebog might be easily put under water, by a small dam between the highgrounds at each of the contracted places.”-

" From the summit, or point of partition, westward, the Kelvin runsin an open valley, for about thirteen miles, upon a very regular and al-most insensible decline, as far as Garfcud-bridge, where it begins to bevery rapid, and runs through a very deep channel, quite confined byrocks and precipices, in some places almost perpendicular, down to Par-tick, where it falls into the Clyde. Of this district all that can be saidis, that it is not impossible to be made navigable ; but it would cost agreat sum to make a bad navigation : for this reason those who haveturned their thoughts towards this project* have sought out a new pas-sage into the Clyde ; and nature has kindly furnislied two practicableones ; one by the valley of the Allander, leaving Douglaston, Kilmar-dony, and New Kirk-Patrick, all on the right, and cutting through a risingground between the two last places, into a valley leading down to Graf-caldon. The other passage leads out of the Kelvin’s valley, just aboveGarfcud-bridge, and, going by way of Canny’s-burn, traverses a risingground, and falls into St. German’s loch, and from thence, by the samevalley as the former, to Grafcaddon. Neither of these passages is with-out difficulty, on account of the rising ground to be cut through beingabove thirty feet perpendicular above the general level; yet both aregreatly preferable to the passage by the Kelvin, below Garfcud-bridge,which, besides the difficulties already mentioned, is silled with mills ofvarious kinds, that occupy the ground where any cuts might conve-niently be made. At Grass-gadden the ground falls considerably in alittle space, and then the passage is very easy and regular down toYocker-burn, which discharges itself into the Clyde, almost oppositeBensield, and a little above a place called Barn’s of Clyde. From hence,downwards, the Clyde is navigable at all tides with any vessels that canbe expected to navigate upon the intended canal ; which vessels I would

propose

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