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in America, adopting the Fowler clip-drum, with a view toobtain a perfect grip on the Wire Cable .

In May, 1868, the Soeiete Anonyme de Touage de Liege , was incorporated for carrying out cable towage on theRiver Meuse , and in December, 1868, the Belgo-NetherlandsTowing Company, for working the Terneuze Canal from Ghent to the River Schelde.

The first section of the Liege Company’s line wasopened between Liege and Namur in the year 1869, and in1870 extended to Maestricht , and thence along the canal(connecting Antwerp and Rotterdam ), as far as Bocholt , a totallength of 137 kilometres. Although the materials and plantwere found on the whole to answer their expectations, and theresults -were satisfactory, yet on the Liege and Namur sectionthe service was gradually given up temporarily, on account ofthe large number of oldfashioned locks and weirs whichoccasioned such loss of time in passing the trains of bargesthat it was found more profitable to work this section by horses.There are ten sets of locks on this short length of canal, eachof which took a train of barges, with its towing steamer, twohours to pass through.

The Belgian Government, however, has finally beenbrought to see and understand the importance of cheap watercarriage, as carried out on a regular system, and it has learntto understand, that to neglect inland water traffic for the sakeof feeding its railway system, is contrary to all true principlesof economy. It has, amongst other works, undertaken there-building of these locks of sufficiently large dimensions topass several barges at a time, and far more speedily thanthrough the bid ones.

The Cable employed on the Meuse is 1 inch diameter ,and formed of 42 wires wound in a spiral round a tarredhempen core. Its weight is 1 *5 lb. per foot, its ultimate breakingstrain 290 cwt., and its safe working strain 41 cwt. A Chainto withstand the equal strains would require to be made of ’78"iron weighing 6-1 lbs. per foot, or nearly four times as heavy.