Star.
London, England, 1830-04-22 00:00:00

LEA UNION CANAL.

'I here is just opened at the Eastern part of the suburbs a Canal
of great merit, which, however, except amongst the scientific, and in
the immediate neighbourhood of the Canal, appears to have been
begun and completed without exciting the attention aed notice ex-
ceeded to many weeks inferior in point of utility, excellence, and
twerprise ; for, though it is estimated to have cost about 60,0001.
it is said to have been e;ecuted at the sole expense of one individual,
Sir George Duckett. Accident took me to its neighbourhood two
or three days ago. Its imposing and complete appearance led me to
examine it ; and as it is opened this week (the ceremonial opening
of it is postponed till the completion of a large steam-engine at the
reservoir for keeping the Canal supplied), a sketch of it cannot be
uninteresting. It deserves a more scientific notice than I feel com-
petent to prepare. It is called the " Lea Union Canal." Its object
is to form a junction between the Regent's Canal and the Lea River
Navigation, both which courses empty themselves into the Thames,
to prevent the inconvenience felt in navigating the river Lea in
neap-tides. On arriving at Old Ford Lock, on account of want of
water, barges could not proceed into the Thames but were obliged
to wait for the tides. The junction with the Lea River is formed
near Old Ford, and with the Regent's Canal, near to the bridge at
Bonner's Hall, Bethnal-green. This junction, besides allowing barges
to proceed to the Thames out of the Lea river, without waiting for
favourable tides, is advantageous in another point of view—it super-
sedes the necessity of barges coming from Ware going down Bow
Creek, and through Lituehouse Cut into the Thames, which used to
be occasionally attended with days' delay, as well as considerable ex-
pense. It is also advantageous to the Regent's Canal, by enabling craft
to proceed from it along the Junction, and thus enter the Lea River ;
thence t• Ware and Bishop Stortford Canal, without entering the
Thames, which is likewise a great saving of time and expense. The
extent of this " Union " Canal is about a mile and a half. Its
depth is seven feet. There are three locks, with a rise of ten feet
each. The gates (as indeed may be truly said of the whole work)
arc of a more superior and scientific finish than I have seen on any
other canaL The levers arc of cast iron, weighing about four tons
each, and so adjusted as to turn on pivots with amazing ease and quick-
nevi • and the gates are so constructed, by being ground in, that, when
closed, not the smallest portion of water escapes, notwithstand.
ing the pressure of ten feet of water. The atone and wood-work
were ground together previously to water being admitted. There
are also stop-gates to every pond of water. The locks are 48 feet
long, so as to admit the largest description of barges and craft.
There are eight bridges over this short piece of Canal—seven con.
tinning public roads, and one connecting private property (Mr.
(Scales s), which was cut through to form the Canal. The bridges
are all cast iron, of light and elegant appearance, and of good
height. There is a reservoir, occupying about five acres of ground.
supplied from the Thames on each side ; sad there is erecting at it
a steam engine, by means of which the summit level of the Canal
will be supplied with water. The ceremonial opening of the Canal,
it is mentioned, will take place when this engine is finished, which
will be in the summer. This Union Canal is formed in a straight
line. As already intimated, it has been completed at the expense
of one individual (Sir Geotge Duckett, and whose family, I be-
lieve, wholly own the Bishop Stortford Canal) ; and, though it
goes through great variety of property. as may be Imagined, from
its contiguity to Bethnal-green, Stratford, etc., all was arranged to
the satisfaction of every party, without, as far as I could learn, one
instance of litigation ! Mr. Giles (a nephew, I think, of Mr. Tel-
ford) was the civil engineer, and Mr. 1116 Kay, the working engineer.

EXCISE—DUTY ow WIIISKEY.A Board's Order
has been received by our Excise Collector in this City, to
enforce the payment of the late additional Duties on
Whiskey. The duty was consequently obliged to be
paid yesterday on spirits taken out of she King's stores.
—Cork Constitution of Saturday.

GRIaVANCES.—Mr. O'Connell has taken Irish whis-
key and tobacco under his special protection, as things
necessary for the moral and physical happiness of ould
Ireland. It seems to be for the sake of the distillers
alone this comprehensive statesman takes up the cudgels
for the native ; which is pretty much the same thing as
if a man should deprecate a stamp duty upon dice and
cards, for fear of injuring poor Crockford. Let the Mi-
nisters only protect agriculture by leaving malt free, and
then, if they think proper to put a guinea a gallon on
whisky—so much the better.

MR. COMYN.—It is reported, we should hope without
foundation, that the Irish Government have decided that
the sentence upon Mr. COMYN shall be carried into
effect.—Dublin Morning Register.
Mr. Co )11'n, the gentleman who burnt the thatched
cabin in Clare, supposing it to be his own, he himself
having built it, is, it is said, to suffer the extreme penalty
of the law, and pay the forfeit of his life, for having vio-
lated the technicality of an Act of Parliament. We pro-
test we do not understand this mode of administering jus-
tice ; for we are of those who draw a strong distinction
between moral and legal crimes. The ruffians who con-
spired, and who actually did attempt to murder Mr.
CREAGII and Mr. GEORGE BOND Low, are pardoned.
The murderers of the unfortunate SCARLETT are re-
prieved, and Mr. Cost VN, after having been respited for
a season, and of course induced to suppose that his life
would have been spared, is to be executed—Dublin
Evening Mail.
SOCIETY OF UNITED IRISHMEN. • The " body" met
on Saturday, and several subjects of agitation were dis-
cussed with a becoming spirit of faction. As a text
for the debate, Mr. O'CoN NELL asserted, amidst vehe-
ment cheering, the following words—" Emancipation,
the Government thought, would crush the spirit of
agitation—while I live that shall not be."—Mr. O'CON•
NELL is unquestionably a great man in his way, and
possesses in an extraordinary degree the elements of
turbulence in his composition—he has moreover grown
brave with the success which his system of intimidation
has produced upon the Duke of WELLINGTON'S Ca-
binet; but he mistakes himself. His strength does not
consist in himself ; it arises out of the weakness of the
Government. His powers of doing mischief are not the
result of his own capabilities—they are produced by the
fears of those against whom he contends ; and we protest
we are far from being displeased at the open defiance
with which he treats the laws and authorities. The Go-
vernment would put him down if it dare. There is a
poor man --a respectable man too—a Mr. Antisell, a Bar-
rister, who has been seduced into this society. This Gentle-
man—Go nhelp his silly head—thought that matters were
going rather too far, and upraised his voice for moderation.
He was, as a matter of course, laughed at. His description
of the body, and the mode of doing business, is, however,
worth quoting: " He was disappointed at hearing some of
the speeches mado this day Though his learned friend
wishes for peace, his language leads to an opposite conse-
quence, and must have the effect of arousing the passions of
the peasantry of this country—than whom there was no bet-
ter species of men on the face of the earth; he knew them
well, he was educated amongst them, and ho could say
there aas no more grateful or generous people to be met
with. Mr. A. as on former occasions, strongly urged
the disarming of the peasantry, and declared that it was
the only means of putting an end to absenteeism. He
condemned one of the resolutions of the society—that
which promises protection from legal oppression—and
instanced a case in which Lord Castlomaine was a party,
to show that such protection had the effect of encourag-
ing men to bring actions against their landlords, if the
latter turned them out for not voting according to their
direction. He conceived that much of their time was
occupied in debating subjects from which no immediate
good would result ; and he did not think they should sa-
tisfy themselves by making speeches without some prac-
tical measure that would really benefit the people."—
Dublin Evening Mail of April 19.
The Independent chapel in Queen-street, near the
Cobourg Theatre, was forcibly entered between the even-
ings of Wednesday and Saturday last week, and the fol-
lowing articles stolen, viz. :—Bagster's Comprehensive
Bible, ten brass branches, a brass candlestick, a quantity
of candles, and the covering of the table and cushions.