arts; hence the daily inventions of new machines to facilitate the works of labour, and to reduce their price, and hence the rapid progrefs of knowledge in every ufeful fcience. One of the chief fources of vigour and wealth to a nation, is an easy and cheap communication from one part of it to another. It is by this means that a small fpot of land, peopled with induftrious fubjects, is happier and more powerful than a large diftrict, thinly fcattered with inhabitants. The ftrength of the former, by being closely united, acts as one confiftent body; but the riches and extent of the latter are of little fervice to the community, while its inhabitants are thrown at fuch a distance as to be unable to supply the wants of each other; and it sometimes happens in the moft fertile countries, that the people of one diftrict are fupplied by foreigners, at a heavy expence, with thofe very articles which fuperabound in other parts of the fame kingdom. The natural courfe of civilization and improvement is from agriculture to arts.-Commerce is the certain refult of both, and that nation, which in the prefent enlightened ftate of man kind, is fo weak as to entertain a hope of arriving at wealth and power through any other gradation, will but too foon be fenfible of the folly of the attempt, and will at length be obliged to revert to the divine order which God, through nature, has prefcribed. Whatever therefore tends to promote and extend agriculture, may juftly juftly be confidered as the bafis of national wealth. An eafy mode of throwing off the redundance of a market by exportation, is the fure means of having that market well fupplied. A fafe, quick, and cheap communication with fuch a market, is doubtless the greatest incentive that can be held out to a farmer to extend his tillage. The fame inducement will encourage him to plant trees, because it fecures a ready fale for his timber; and an easy conveyance of manure from adjacent, and even from diftant towns, together with back carriage of grofs materials, fuch as coals, turf, brick, and ftones, which either lie as an incumbrance on his land, or are raised at a fmall expence, and produce a certain, though moderate profit, will tempt him to reclaim, improve, and enlarge. Bounties on the exportation of corn, when grain falls below a certain price, together with a ready and cheap conveyance to the fea, are the only means of laying a permnaent foundation for the establishment of agriculture. Ireland has already begun to experience, in a fmall degree, the happy effects of these advantages; to extend and fecure their influence is the fole object of this publication. Inland navigation is the improvement above all others, which has given the moft decided fuperiority, to the agriculture and commerce of those kingdoms wherein it has been judiciously encouraged; but though no country in the world is more fortunately circumftanced than Ireland for the promotion 1 promotion of this grand object, both in refpect to the general levels in the interior parts, and the abundance of water with which this ifland is every where fupplied, yet there is perhaps no modern improvement, the process and advantages of which were, till very lately, fo little understood among us. It is remarkable too, that from the first fettlement of the English in this country, the government appears to have been difpofed to take advantage of the facility with which inland navigation might be extended in this ifland, and our ftatute books are crowded with laws intended to encourage this wife and important improvement-but the general ignorance which prevailed, the unfettled ftate of the country, the want of public credit, the fpirit of jobbing (not yet entirely extinguished), together with the fhackled ftate of our commerce and legiflature, repreffed the ardour of every advance towards national improvement, and these laws like many other fpecious regulations for public benefit, ferved but to mock our wretchedness. While our ports were closed by commercial reftrictions and by repeated embargoes, it could be no object to the nation to obtain a cheap and easy mode of conveying the products of the interior country into our ports and harbours, from whence our merchants were prohibited to export them. The parliament finding that there was neither capital nor fpirit of adventure fufficient among the people to accomplish the great works works which they had projected, at length appointed certain commiffioners for this purpose, under the title of The Corporation for promot"ing and carrying on an Inland Navigation in "Ireland," and provided them with a fund of 8,000l. per annum. The principal object of the inftitution being avowedly to open the navigation of the river Shannon at publie expence. Though this fcheme was unqueftionably founded in an honeft and patriotic zeal for the public welfare, yet the plan and the executors of it, being both deficient in fome very material requifites, it has unfortunately failed in 'producing any good effect. The truth of this affertion may be clearly evinced by comparing the large amount of fums granted by parliament, with the inconfiderable portion of work performed, and by taking a view of the chance-medely manner in which the whole business was conducted. No less than twenty-three dif * From the 4th May, 1730, to 25th March, £ s. d. 1769, the commiffioners, expended, as appears by their printed accounts, From 25th March, 1769, to 25th December, 1785, they received from the Treasury, on ac count of the tillage duties at the rate of 7000l. per annum, from which deduct 500l. per annum, for charges of collection, there remains 6500l. 460,665 3 S per annum for 161⁄2 years,-amounting to neat, 107,250 o o On the 25th December, 1785, the faid commiffioners had over-drawn their funds. Vide, Commons Journals, vol. ii. page 529. (Note, the Lagan duties from 1769, are not included 26,284 17 f. 592,200 o 8 ferent ferent works were undertaken nearly at the fame time, and scarce any of them accomplished. The fable of the favage endeavouring to roaft a hen with a faggot, ftick by stick, was realized in the conduct of thefe commiffioners. Every member had his favourite work, the fund was divided and fubdivided into various channels, and at least one third of the whole expended in falaries to officers, whofe intereft it was to make their places perpetual by retarding the completion of the works, and the remainder in difcount for money advanced, and in jobs to contractors whofe accounts were never adjusted. If any one object had been fteadily pursued, it might eafily have been attained. If the river Shannon were to be made navigable, the commiffioners furely ought to have begun at one end or the other. They should have commenced their operations at Lough Allen, which is furrounded by collieries and iron mines that are almost inexhauftible, and from whence they foon might have been enabled to have diftributed coals in abundance through a very extenfive tract of country. If not at Lough Allen, their firft efforts, fhould have been 1. Newry canal-2. Tyrone old navigation-3. Tyrone new navigation-4. Shannon from Limerick to Killaloe-5. Shannon from Killaloe to the Source--6. Southern line-7. River Barrow-8. River Nore-9. River Lagan-10. Boyne from Drogheda to the Sea-11. Boyne from Drogheda to Navan13. River Black-water-14. River Finifk (Dungarvan)-15. River Fergus-16. River Suir--17. River Lee-18. Navigation from Letterkenny to Lough Swilly-19. Canal from Muff to Lough Foyle-20. Six Mile Water-21. Wicklow Harbour22. Bangor Pier-23. Bridges in the County of Kilkenny. pointed |