C«AP. VIII.

BRITAIN.

573

Newcastle-under-l.yne extends to Stoke-upon-Trent .

Newport Pagnell Canal extends to the Grand Junction at Great Linford.

North Walsham und Dilliam Canal commences at Way ford Bridge, and terminates atAltingbam.

North Wilts Canal proceeds from Swindon , which is 345 feet above the level of the sea,to the Thames and Severn canal, at Weymoor Bridge.

Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation, improved under the direction of Mr. William Cubitt .The sluice and lock between the Lake Lothing and the sea had their foundations laid at30 feet below the level of spring tides, and upon these the side walls were constructed.The substructions are 10 feet in thickness, 50 feet in width between the walls, and450 in length, the whole built as an inverted arch, grooved and filled up solid to its chordline. The floor of the lock agrees with this line, and is 12 feet below the low water ofspring tides. The lake was deepened by a dredging machine, which lifted from two tofour tons per minute from depths of 10 or 12 feet.

Nottingham Canal unites the Cromford canal with the Trent, and has some collateralcuts. At Amsworth is a large reservoir, with a regulating, self-acting, sluice which letsout 3000 cubic feet per hour. This canal, executed under the direction of Mr. WilliamJessop , cost 75,000/.

Nvtbrook, or Shepley Canal , extends from Shepley to the Erewash Canal.

Oakham Canal from the town of that name to the Melton Mowbray Navigation.

Oxford Canal begins at Longford on the Coventry canal, where it is 315 feet above thelevel of the sea; its summit level at Marston wharf is 387 feet: its termination is in theThames at Oxford , where it is 192 feet above the level of the sea. Over the valley atBrinklow it passes by an aqueduct of twelve arches, each of 22 feet span, and at Casfordand Clifton are two others. At Newbold is a tunnel 125 yards long, and another at FennyCompton, 1188 yards long.

Peak Forest Canal begins near Ashton-under-Lyne , crosses the Mersey by an aqueduct90 feet high, with three arches of 60 feet span each; then rises 212 feet by sixteen locks,and afterwards joins the Macclesfield Canal: there is an inclined plane of 515 yards long,and 204 feet fall.

Focklington Canal commences on the river Derwent at East Cottingwith, and terminatesat Street Bridge.

Portsmouth and Arundel Canal , from Ford to Chichester harbour. It is supplied withwater from the harbour by a steam-engine. At the east end are two locks, one of 5, theother of 7 feet, and a basin at the termination at Portsea: from the main line of the canalin Chichester harbour to the canal at Cosham is 15^ miles; to Portchcster Lake it is 1^miles.

Regent's Canal unites the Paddington branch of the Grand Junction with the Commer-cial Road Basin, which locks into the Thames. It passes under the Edgeware Road by ashort tunnel, and by another under White Conduit Street. Bv this canal the London andLiverpool are united. The locks have all double chambers. The tunnel at Maida Hill is370 yards long, and the other at Islington 900 yards.

Rochdale Canal. — From the Calder navigation at Sowerby Bridge, it proceeds until itlocks down in the Duke of Bridgewater’s canal, at Castlefield, Manchester . It has severalreservoirs, a tunnel of 70 yards in length, 8 aqueducts, and forty-nine locks. Its total riseis 275 feet, and fall 438 feet.

itye, or Royal Military Canal commences near the castle at Sandgate, and terminates atClift' End.

Salisbury and Southampton Canal , intended to unite these tw r o places.

Sankey Canal commences at the mouth of Sankey Brook, in the Mersev, and terminatesat St. Helen’s. It has eight single locks of 6.feet fall each, and two double locks of 15 feeteach ; there are eighteen several bridges, and near St. Helen’s is a tunnel; this was thesecond canal made in England, that at Exeter being the first.

Sheffield Canal connects that town with the river Dunn. It commences in the townshipof Tensley, passing by an aqueduct over the road to Attercliffe and Sheffield.

Shrewsbury Canal commences in Castle Foregate basin, and terminates in the Ketleycanal; part of the ascent is by locks, and the other by inclined planes. At Langdon isthe first aqueduct, of cast-iron, over the Tern. The inclined plane at Wombridge is 223yards long, and 75 feet perpendicular fall.

Shropshire Canal. — From the Severn at Coalport to the Donnington Wood canal. Itrises 207 feet by an inclined plane. At Windmill Farm is another inclined plane, of 120feet. The summit of this canal is 333 feet above the Severn at Coalport, and 120 feetabove the summit of the Shrewsbury canal. The inclined planes, introduced by Mr. WilliamReynolds of the Ketley iron-works, is an epoch in canal history; and the Shropshire canalpassing over a rugged country with a great scarcity of water, the system usually adoptedwas not found practicable. On the banks of the Severn , up the face of a steep bank, aninclined plane, 350 yards in length, and 207 feet of perpendicular height, was constructed,