About 40,000l. was formerly expended in il directed attempts to remove the difficulties that impeded the navigation of the lower part of the river Shannon; after which, a company confifting of the principal gentlemen of the county of of Limerick was incorporated, who undertook to open the navigation of the river from Killaloe to the fea; and by an act paffed in the year 1789, this company received a grant of one third of their expenditure on this work, together with liberty of taking a toll of three-pence per ton per mile, on faid navigation, between Killaloe and the city of Limerick. Some unforefeen difficulties have retarded the progrefs of this work, and the proprie tors have made application to Parliament for fur ther affiftance, which it is hoped they may receive on condition of confenting to fome reduction of their toll. At Ballyshannon, works are carrying on under the direction of a company who obtained an act of Parliament in 1789, for the purpose of opening a navigable communication between Lough Earn and the Bay of Donegal. The proprietors of this work are by faid act likewife entitled to receive the third part of their expenditure. Of the further extenfion of this line I fhall have occafion to speak hereafter. The company of the undertakers of the Boyne Navigation were incorporated alfo in 1789 under fimilar circumftances, with permiffion to take a toll of 3d. per ton per mile. spirit-and have nearly as the town of Navan. They have proceeded with finifhed their work as far Having made a fhort review of all our inland navigations already finished or in progress towards completion: I haften with pleasure to the contemplation of the grand features which this country prefents for its further improvement. The most curfory obferver, cafting his eye on the map of Ireland, must be ftruck with the number and extent of rivers and lakes with which this ifland is fo happily enriched; the beauty and grandeur of the river Shannon, muft however, neceffarily arrest his attention; but when he confiders the fituation in which this river is placed, extending its deep and gentle ftream through the heart of the kingdom, from north to fouth for upwards of one hundred and eighty miles; that it rifes in an extenfive lake, which is furrounded for twenty miles, by hills filled with coal of the best quality, with iron ore, equal, if not fuperior, to that which Great Britain annually imports at a heavy expence from Sweden and Ruffia, and that the adjacent country every where abounds with flint, pipe-clay, and every material neceffary for the manufacture of earthen and ftone wares,-he will be astonished at the fports of nature, that has been fo lavifh of her gifts to a nation fo regardiefs of their ufes! A few words will be fufficient to give the reader an idea of the importance of the collieries and iron mines at Lough Allen. In Mr. Jeffop's report to the company of undertakers of the Grand Canal, on the fubject of the river Shannon, dated 19th September, 1794, he fays, "That as coal is found on both fides Lough "Allen, and at points widely extended from each "other, the ftrata inclining with a gentle dip, it "may be reasonably prefumed, that there are many "thousand acres of coal furrounding the Lough. -It ❝is of a good quality and easy to be worked, and, " as much of it can be drained without fteam "engines, it can be got at a small expence. "It is found excellent for fmelting IRON STONE, "of which there are immenfe quantities of the beft quality." These coals now fell at the pits at 8s. 8d. per ton of 30 hundred weight; were the market open the price would fall, as the collieries would then be wrought on a larger fcale-but at the prefent price, they might be carried from Lough Allen to Dublin, and fold there at 145. per ton, if the navigation were free from tolls.The quantity of coals imported from Great Britain in the year 1794 was 392,952 tons; the average price of British coal is not less than 19s. per ton of 24 hundred weight, but a continuance of unfavourable winds has frequently, in the depth of winter, encreased the price of coals to 30s. and 40s. per ton, and at one period, they were fold at 31. per ton. When brought by inland navigation the price can never vary, as the carriage does not depend on wind, tide, or war.-The colliers who bring this coal, generally return in ballaft, fo that little or no return is made to Ireland for the immenfe fum of 372,400. annually fent out of this country for coal. In Lord Sheffield's "Obfervations on the Com"merce of the American States," he fays, that from 15 to 20,000 tons of Swedish iron were annually imported into Britain, the quality thereof being fuperior, on account of its toughness, to the English iron. This iron in bars was valued at from 10l. to 10l. 10s. per ton-and when manufactured produced a profit of from 117. to 451. per ton-the average being about 281. per ton-and this produced a balance in favour of Great Britain amounting to upwards of 484,500l. The iron of Lough Allen has been frequently affayed by perfons of skill in this branch, who have all pronounced it to be equal to the best Swedish iron.Here then is a new fource of mutual wealth and advantage to Great Britain and Ireland. An iron foundery has lately been established on the banks of Lough Allen by Meffrs. Reyley's, under the protection of Peter Latouche, Efq. who has advanced a very confiderable fum of money upon the most liberal terms, in order to carry on this manufacture.-The works are nearly compleat, and nothing is wanting to make this foundery equal in magnitude and importance with that at Carron in Scotland, or Colebrookdale in England, except opening the navigation of the river Shannon, which would be a means of diftributing its produce throughout Ireland, and of producing a very confiderable foreign demand. I have already mentioned that some partial efforts were formerly made to render this river navigable, yet as those attempts were not conducted with skill, nor nor fupported either by public spirit or private intereft, it is not furprising that the few works now remaining, which were then erected, fhould be of no other use than to furnish materials for conftituting new works upon one general and improved plan.An accurate furvey of this river was in the course of the laft fummer made by engineers of unqueftionable merit, under the direction of the Grand Canal Company, and an eftimate of the expence of completing the fame, from Lough Allen to Killaloe, was made by Mr. Jeffop, amounting to 73,000l. A propofal on the part of the faid Company has been laid before Parliament this feffion, wherein they bind themselves to complete this great national object, on receiving from time to time fuch fums as they fhall expend thereon, not exceeding altogether the estimate above mentioned; and fhould the expenditure exceed the estimate, they guarantee the public against the lofs, by paying it themselves, on condition of receiving one halfpenny per ton per mile on the river, fuch toll not to exceed one fhilling per ton for any diftance, and no toll on the lakes. They further offer to reduce the faid toll one half, or fixpence per ton for any difiance, provided the expenditure fhall not ex• ceed 73,000l. or on their receiving from the public whatever fum they may expend over and above the faid eftimate. It is evident that the Company must derive great advantage from the river Shannon being made navigable and free from toll, as it must neceffarily produce a very confiderable trade on their canal, between Banagher and Dublin -and this circumftance will be a fufficient induce ment |