ployment of its population. The Duke of Bridgewater, by constructing his canal, had opened up an abundant supply of coal, but the transport of the raw materials of manufacture was still as much impeded as before. Liverpool was the natural port of Manchester, from which it drew its supplies of cotton, wool, silk, and other produce, and to which it returned them for export when worked up into manufactured articles.

There were two existing modes by which the communication was kept up between the two places: one was by the ordinary roads, and the other by the rivers Mersey and Irwell. From a statement published in December, 1761, it appears that the weight of goods then carried by land from Manchester to Liverpool was "upwards of forty tons per week," or about two thousand tons a year. This quantity, insignificant though it must appear when compared with the enormous traffic now passing between the two towns, was then thought very large, as no doubt it was when the limited trade of the country is taken into account. But the cost of transport was the important feature; it was not less than two pounds sterling per ton -this heavy charge being almost entirely attributable to the execrable state of the roads. It was scarcely possible to drive waggons along the ruts and through the sloughs which lay between the two places at certain seasons of the year, and even pack-horses had considerable difficulty in making the journey.

The other route between the towns was by the navigation of the rivers Mersey and Irwell. The raw materials used in manufacture were principally transported from Liverpool to Manchester by this route, at a cost of about twelve shillings per ton; the carriage of timber and such like articles costing not less than twenty per cent. on their value at Liverpool. But the navigation was also very tedious and difficult. The boats could only pass up to the first lock at the Liverpool end with the assistance of a spring tide; and further up the river there were.

numerous fords and shallows which the boats could only pass in great freshes, or, in dry seasons, by drawing extraordinary quantities of water from the locks above. Then, in winter, the navigation was apt to be impeded by floods, and occasionally it was stopped altogether. In short, the growing wants of the population demanded an improved means of transit between the two towns, which the Duke of Bridgewater now determined to supply.

The growth of Liverpool as a seaport has been comparatively recent. At a time when Bristol and Hull possessed thriving harbours, resorted to by foreign ships, Liverpool was little better than a fishing village, its only distinction being that it was a convenient place for setting sail to Ireland. In the war between France and England which broke out in 1347, when Edward the Third summoned the various ports in the kingdom to make contributions towards the naval power according to their means, London was required to provide 25 ships and 662 men; Bristol 22 ships and 608 men; Hull, 16 ships and 466 men; whilst Liverpool was only asked to find 1 bark and 6 men! In Queen Elizabeth's time, the burgesses presented a petition to Her Majesty, praying her to remit a subsidy which had been imposed upon it and other seaport towns, in which they styled their native place "Her Majesty's poor decayed town of Liverpool." Chester was then of considerably greater importance as a port. In 1634-5, when Charles I. made his unconstitutional levy of ship-money throughout England, Liverpool was let off with a contribution of 157., whilst Chester paid 1007., and Bristol not less than 10007.

The channel of the Dee, however, becoming silted up, the trade of Chester decayed, and that of Liverpool rose upon its ruins. In 1699 the excavation of the Old Dock was begun; but it was used only as a tidal harbour (being merely an enclosed space with a small pier) until the year 1709, when an Act was obtained enabling its conversion into a wet dock; since which time a series of docks have been constructed, extending for about five miles along

the north shore of the Mersey, which are among the greatest works of modern times, and afford an almost unequalled amount of shipping accommodation.

From that time forward the progress of the port of Liverpool has kept steady pace with the trade and wealth of the country behind it, and especially with the manufacturing activity and energy of the town of Manchester. Its situation at the mouth of a deep and navigable river, its convenient proximity to districts abounding in coal and iron and inhabited by an industrious and hardy population, were unquestionably great advantages. But these of themselves would have been insufficient to account for the extraordinary progress made by Liverpool during the last century, without the opening up of the great system of canals, which brought not only the towns of Yorkshire, Cheshire, and Lancashire into immediate connection with

that seaport, but also the manufacturing districts of Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and the other central counties of England situated at the confluence of the various navigations.* Liverpool thus became the great focus of import and export for the northern and western districts. The raw materials of commerce were poured into it from Ireland, America, and the Indies. From thence they were distributed along the canals amongst the various seats of manufacturing industry, and a large proportion was readily returned by the same route to the same port, in a manufactured state, for shipment to all parts of the world.

At the time of which we speak, however, it will be observed that the communication between Liverpool and Manchester was very imperfect. It was not only difficult to convey goods between the two places, but it was also difficult to convey persons. In fine weather, those who required to travel the thirty miles which separated them, could ride or walk, resting at Warrington for the night. But in winter the roads, like most of the other country roads at the time, were simply impassable. Although an Act had been passed as early as the year 1726 for repairing and enlarging the road from Liverpool to Prescot, coaches could not come nearer to the town than Warrington in 1750, the road being impracticable for such vehicles even in summer.†

A stage-coach was not started between Liverpool and Manchester until the year 1767, performing the journey only three times a week. It required six and sometimes eight horses to draw the lumbering vehicle and its load

along the ruts and through the sloughs,-the whole day being occupied in making the journey. The coach was accustomed to start early in the morning from Liverpool; it breakfasted at Prescot, dined at Warrington, and arrived at Manchester usually in time for supper. On one occasion, at Warrington, the coachman intimated his wish to proceed, when the company requested him to take another pint, as they had not finished their wine, asking him at the same time if he was in a hurry? "Oh," replied the driver, "I'm not partic'lar to an hour or so!" As late as 1775, no mailcoach ran between Liverpool and any other town, the bags being conveyed to and from it on horseback; and one letter-carrier was found sufficient for the wants of the place. A heavy stage then ran, or rather crawled, between Liverpool and London, making only four journeys a week in the winter time. It started from the Golden Talbot, in Water-street, and was three days on the road. It went by Middlewich, where one of its proprietors kept the White Bear inn; and during the Knutsford race-week the coach was sent all the way round by that place, in order to bring customers to the Bear.

We have said that Brindley was engaged upon the preliminary survey of a canal to connect Manchester with the Mersey, immediately after the original Worsley line had been opened, and before its paying qualities had been ascertained. But the Duke, having once made up his mind as to the expediency of carrying out this larger project, never halted nor looked back, but made arrangements for prosecuting a bill for the purpose of enabling the canal to be made in the very next session of Parliament.

We find that Brindley's first visit to Liverpool and the intervening district on the business of the survey was made early in September, 1761. During the remainder of the month he was principally occupied in Staffordshire, looking after the working of his fire-engine at Fenton Vivian, carrying out improvements in the silk-manufactory