The Sun.
London, England, 1825-07-13 00:00:00

WESTERN SHIP CANAL.

rtqn the Dorchester and Sherborne Journal of July 8.)
The ancient Athenians took an oath to each
qt'-ter, to leave their country greater and better than they found
41 When, however, they lost the spirit of patriotism, to which
iney tiered all their greatness, and became indifferent to
tele- eghts and interests of each other, they broke their oaths,
ail Mei: country sunk gradually until she became a bye
v•-ord.". Happily, great and influential men in our land have
tee- spirit which dictated the oath, though they do not take it,
ealong as they feel themselves bounifitt honour to employ
--eves time and inimence in making their country, greater and
tetyrreTio fear! need- to. be entertained of her becomingso: It
ei 4ot ti)e soil, nor the trees, nor the houses, nor:. the tiplendid
• -Alpages, that are to be seen; that- make -up what we call
~.'oenere ;
.it is—Man--the modest work of God-in it, for
wheree,. of by. whom, all. the rest were, formed, and heeie,
eiteet the; elery, or the . Shame of th Universe, in proe
poreliai as be ii enlightened, public spirited, . and tree
or ignorant, selfish, and ~enalaved ; and which he shall
Nee depends rcereatly oft nie. character. of ethe rulers. We
':.ire been led to Make the.ee .oheervationi by a review of
• we have witnessed in Parliament, during the past three
in the progress_ of a for forming a Ship Canal, in
7eriai it is well knownr, that.. we , have taken a deeteinterest.
-itereit.leas..led us to watch the progress of the measure
nil its eta*, from.. the meetinwin London, at which, Mr.
Jowl BEST -preiided, with so much fairness and dignity (a.
yer;cd, by the bye,'when the- cause stood in..need of that support
ie-gave it, and Whfkle-iiipport he has continued to give
it in all periods of difficulty, •iiittra devotedness and constancy
whiz.% does him the greatest honour), to;k.the tithe when Lord
4hafteebitry moved the third reading '-e--the -.Bill in the
lidaF.e...of Lords. It has since received the .Royal msent
an'a .htss been thus stamped as a great national undertalc-
ir-ee highest authorities in the country. We sup-
poze no,er that, no, man will be found sufficiently pre.
eurrininoue questiOn its practicability or its importance,
yr ui il.O atiy thiag its any way thatenay be likely for a single -
norneetato retard its execution. For above seventy years-the
albs:fie titled has been directed towards this object, and if there.
eoe:d have been found sufficient capital, and energy, and per.
,everaeice to have secured its execution when it was first con-
eeeved, what evils might it not have prevented, what immense
f.,theEts might it not have ensured A view of theebvious.
lamentable effects of those evils, and the magnitude of the
her:elite which the execution of the work must secure, fill us
with regret on our own account, and that of our brother Edi-
tors. With the power of placing the one and the other before
men's minds again and again, until the whole force of the
rubllc attention had been directed towards it, we have allowed
he idea to rest in the minds of a few men, and compelled them
to cornininieate it to those who have no interest in it, compared
eeith.fnat of those who, residing on the spot; have witnessed
rrtowth of the evils, and who ought to have been so alive to
oenefits, as to have secured to themselves all the honour
er :I all the gratitude to which now they can lay but corn.
earatively feeble claims; when if we had fearlessly done our
lelt.y.in laying its benefits before them in the way we ought to
e done, they would long agn have atchieved the work with-
l:
.foreign aid. The .Committees of both Houses
Parliament have examined 'the question, and deter-
irtiried' upon it, with an attention, an impartiality, a
judgment, and an elevation of mind which entitle them to the
reverential respect of all those who have taken an interest in
abject, and they will have that respect from all who wit-
P eeeed their calm and discriminating and dignified proceedings.
To the 'exertions of that distinguished Nobleman who dis-
21ni.cd in the cause all the freshness of youth, and all the firm.
neee of middle age in advanCed life, the country owes a debt,
a,-hich it car. only pay by the expression of its confidence and
stein. .flay he live to see the work completed, and in the
-grateful feelings arising out of the improved condition of the
rieseizitry who inhabit that part of the country in which he•re-
&ldes, may he find a satisfactory reward for his labours ! But
even if that were wanting, we are quite sure that of all the
Acts of a long life, there is none that will afford him_ more ea.
-asfaction in the review, or better entitle him to the gratitude of
posterity than the part which he has taken in that effort which
tis at length been successfully made, to leave the M est of
Engiancl greater and better than it was found. When we can
.lairs the names of all the noblemen who have acted their parts
in t= is 'great work, we will record their services, that when
the change in the condition of the People, to which
this Undertaking will give rise, shall have become obvious,
the men of other times may be able to pay that debt of
justice to their memories which is now involuntarily paid
to those of Brindle), and the Duke of Bridgwater.—
What has caused the Committees of both Houses of Perlis-
reent to decide on this question as they have done, but the
~,i4ence which was brought to them ? Through whose noble
eite-tions, and at whose risk, were the means of procuring this
evidence supplied ? How cAme it that the last hope of those
-.irho were adverse to the Canal was defeated by the prompt and
. iecieive energy which signed the Contract Deed to an amount
far exceeding the sum required to meet the standing order of
lif.fiiament I Who are those men to whose public spirit and
e:zrrage it is owing thatellis peat measure did not at last fail ?
4re will endeavour, in same future Journal, to record their
• and if the people do not honour them as they deserve,
Ule-itault shall not be ours. We know of no more useful en-
g4ernent than that offaithfully and bravely describing the
ceas on one hand which have resulted from causes which their
• orgies promise to remove, nor of the benefits, on the other
which their noble spirit and perseverance are calculated
to ensure. The future numbers of the *Journal shall be devoted
io this subject, and We will sins to draw towards it that degree
*.): public attention which its importance demands. We under-
stund that the cutting of the Grand ship Canal will be corn-
..t4-teed within six weeks front the present time, and that
is intended to make Taunton a sea-port within two
'Tie execution of the Western Canal will also, we
be proceeded on with all possible dispatch, and from
ree:ie sources a revenue will arise to the Proprietors of the Grand
it) Canal long before the expiration of the five years which
wii be required to
.complete the whole Canal. A meeting of
;ft, iatabitants of this Town and Yeovil will very shortly he
..eeerened to ascertain the. practicability of cutting a branch Ca.
eal. front Sherborne by Yeovil to hlisterton, where one of the
:we:gable feeders of the Ship Canal will commence. The in.
ehitants of these popt:lous Towns will thus have a direct come
irJnieation with both the Channels; and considering the Yeci-
,.a market, and the great traffic Which will be. brought to the
tweet of Sherliorne from the many villages which will draw
U sir supplies of coals, groceries, iron, tic. by water convey-
Acct., instead of land carriage. and also be furnished with the
'opportunity of shipping their butter and manufactured articles
to any part of the world, at an expense of carriage trifling when
compered to that which they are obliged to pay at present—,
ttere can he no doubt of the benefit to this part of the country
as well as to die Ship Canal by an increased revenue, and an
• pie remuneration to. those who embark capital in effecting.
such an object. Such a Canal would also form an additional
israin to carry off the flood writers which arc so injurious to the
lands in, the valleys in rainy season'.

have this moment (Thursday, July 7), received the ac.
on,npanying statementsfrom 'Our agent at Chard, and a corre-
tronder.t at Winsham. 'As the news of the Ship Canal Bills
I I tying been reads third,time could not :each Ilminster, Taun-
Axminster,abd other towns on the litie of the Canal, on-
id late last r.ight.o4 cats of course have no information as to
tt,t popular feclillit ofieltested in other towns. We hear
that at AxOnater .11 geniltintut intended to give a }',it Ox
te tie peopler.estl thtit great-rejoicings were to be kept up if the
/Illt passed, ••• •
(3tiaani Jr;r.v.7.—Wx: si ERN SHIP CAYAL.—Never, in
the recollection of the oldest inhabitant of this flourishing town,
ani.Measure, of a local nature anticipated with such in-
tense areiqy and lively feeling by all classes, as was thepass-
'l27g of this Important Act. 'On Wednesday, at an earl), bour,
I7rc;7)aratiods were made to receive the glorious intelligence;
ard,- from the hour of twelve at noon, to six in the evening,
the Warts and road in arid tte.joining the town were thronged
with dense masses of anxious expectants. One or two false
slgnalsi given by some . ag„'served to exhibit the real interest
irk tit the assembled crowd, while the disappointment afforded
;flat er of merriment to others. At a little after six o'clock, a
n,e-saeoger, who had been dispatched on the London road, 're-
turned with the intelligence that the carriage with Mr. -Salter,
tiiepnanagiiig clerk of Mr. Clarke, solicitor to the Company in
the country,,aves at . hand • thousands of persons immediately
pauceeded to giouthirn...3l;l, site' taking the horses from the
carriage, owl Aleetwating-it with lames and flags, (pre-
ceded by the' G'llarti . band playing " See the conquering
hero consta," the beadle, hearing the Arnio.of the Corporation
the llnrOugti„ and several hundred of the respectable inhabit-
asAs of the teat 1, drew him to the market.place. As soon as
*tearing could be obtained, l lr. S.. stated that he felt great
yin inf"")i°g them that the good cause to which they had
leen engaged had mdstgloriously triumphed over all int enc.
TZcfteft ; and he believed, amongst all preseht, but one opinion
existed as to the utility of this grad undertaking ; andit might
he some pleasure Co them to hear that, arnougstall the Peers In'
his'Majesty's dominions, not one could be found by the opposi-
tion •to support them on the third wading; of the Rill in the
Kane of loOrtlS on the preceding evening. tit then concluded
by staign that, as beano nett in the babit of vakirig Speegles..
t they artieatil excuse the concise rivitittser -In- which he
had matietiki communication tether's, , mitt • ire should or.
40-1CA•10 eadof ateoripveer *Anthem in thelsealtho Gf
hial•Aatdist4'-and -Abe • find Gen.,
Comm irttoillioll •so tookli,ituppeprtedr.VAAtose.. Tins Procti-
A o
itltdtenimijitoititooestei-theatiaidentie 114•Cinsitoj who

Just arrived from the country. The yni. ce then insisted on
his also mounting the Carriage, whi _•2, after considerable en-
treaty, he consented to do; they t' .en proceeded through the
old town, passing the. splendid lace h ctory of :II es.srs. Wheatley
and Riste (two warm supporters oft ie measure), to the Corn-
hill. :Ur. C. then congsatulated li < fellow-townsmen .on the
termination of this glorious struggle, and ordered another
hogshead of strong beer to be given them ; several other hogs-
heads of beer were also given by subscription, and the rejoicings
are continuing up to,the time of sending away this account.
WuisAm, .JULY 7.—As soon as the news of the passing of
the Western Ship Canal Bill reached this place on Wednesday
evening, the bells rang merrily, and a band of music com-
menced playing, which was stationed in the.middle of the main
street, and was soon joined by the inhabitants; cider was given
away in great abundance ; and such was the joy evinced on
this memorable occasion, that old and' young joined in the
merry dance, which was kept up till one o'clock in the morning.