The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-09-14 00:00:00

From the head of Lough Allen to Athlone' (including
Lough Ree,) the distance is eighty-one British miles, and
from Athlone to Banagher twenty-four miles—being 105
miles of a nearly south course in the middle of the island.
From Banagher to Limerick, (including Lough Derg,) the
river takes, in its general curvatures, a S.S.W. direction—
distance fifty-four miles ; and from Limerick to the Atlantic
ocean, runs west a little southerly, 71 miles, making an en-
tire navigable course, with but few impediments, and all of
them removeable, of 230 miles. More than double that
length, or, at least, 500 miles of populous and highly im-
proveable coast, is watered by its stream, lakes, and lateral
branches, offering faculties of internal intercourse, by its ge-
neral depth, natural advantages, and diversity of character,
unequalled by any river in the United Kingdom, and sur-
passed by none of equal extent in the continent of Europe.
It washes the shores of ten counties—Leitrim, Roscommon,
Longford, Westmeath, King's County, Galway, Tipperary,
Clare, Limerick and Kerry, all susceptible of great agricul-
tural improvement, and some of them containing valuable
quarries and mines. Between Limerick and Killaloe there
are several falls or rapids, which are overcome in the navi-
gation by lutteral canals with occasional locks, cutting- off
deltas or curves, the boats, when these are passed, again
merging into the broad and placid stream of the river. The
falls, considering the great length of its course, are but few
and moderate, the general course being deep and sluggish,
approximating in character to our English navigable rivers.
Those from Killaloe to Limerick are the greatest, amounting
together to 97 feet 1 inch—those higher up, to the river
Arigna, to only 49 feet 10 inches—making in all from Lough
Allen to the tide-way at Limerick, 146 feet 11 inches. Very
little advantage has, however, been taken of these falls in the
working of mills, of which there are but two or three in the
whole line. _ .

The estuary of the Shannon, which is truly magnifi-
cent iu extent, and is capable of receiving all the
navies in the world, presents to the navigator the appearance
of a succession or chain of inland seas, in which, even so far
up as Limerick, a distance of 70 miles, he may dash along
before a fair wind, or beat up should it be unfavourable,
aided by a tide-way with a flood equal to a height of 20 feet
at the quays of the city. The banks of the river, particu-
larly along its lower half, are throughout highly interesting
both to the agriculturist and geologist. The several coun-
ties whose shores it laves, being relatively in a north and
south position, present considerable diversity both in soil
and climate, some containing vallies productive of the finest
herbage, others with soils on a warm and fertilizing substra-
tum of limestone, adapted to the production of the finest
grain and other produce, and some, though less prolific, in-
viting the improving hand of the husbandman, or the pro-
fitable labours of the miner, in the extraction of fine stone,
slates, and marble. Natural manures, particularly black and
white marls, are readily accessible to all, and turf, a first ne-
cessary of life in that country, is abundant in many of the
districts. The bogs, and callous (low meadow and grazing
land), are also extensive, and within the reach of great im-
provement. Yet, strange to say, those advantages have
until recently remained to a great extent unavailable, the na-
vigation of the river—the natural highway by which the
counties on its banks, by the cheap and easy transit of com-
modities, could supply mutual wealth and mutual wants—
having been almost wholly neglected.
In supplying a few hasty sketches of the Shannon, and
the scenery on its banks, designed rather as reminiscences
of its bolder features for the tourist, than as data for the
speculative philosopher, a detailed description of this noble

river and its capabilities, scarcely falls within my province ;
and I feel the less regret that I am not called upon to enter
upon, such a task,—first, because I feel my inadequacy to
point out the full advantages local and natural, of which its
improvement gives promise, amounting almost to certainty ;
and secondly, because my advocacy of effective measures of
redemption is the less required, inasmuch as the government
have at length resolved to improve, and it may be complete,
a line of navigation which, h.. d it been accomplished a cen-
tury ago, would have added millions to the agricultural and
commercial wealth of the united kingdom ; and, at the same

time, (a not less important advantage) by furnishing the vast
population of the counties through which it runs, with the
means of permanent employment beyond that arising from
the public works required, would have redeemed from general
or periodical destitution and disorder, to comfort and con-
tentment,—diffusing amongst them habits of. industry and
providence, and feelings of moral rectitude. Referring the
reader, however, to an admirable description of the Shannon,
in a treatise entitled, " The Inland Navigation of Ireland,"
&c., by C. W. Williams, Esq., of the Dublin Steam Com-
pany, of this town,--I cannot refrain from quoting a few
passages, bearing peculiarly on the subject of this article.
Mr. Williams, to whose enterprise and intelligence England
and Ireland owe almost exclusively the advantages of steam
navigation between the two countries, and its establishment
in the interior of the latter, handles the subject as a practical
man and a philanthropist. His work was published in 1833,
and lied, no doubt, great effect in rousing the government
to a sense of the great importance of the navigation in ques-
tion. After stating, with respect to the Shannon, that nature
has done her part ; that the capabilities of the river almost
provoke the population to industry and intercourse • and
that all the elements of internal and profitable trade are
in attendance, but have yet been neglected ;—he thus notices
that fine river : _ _

" How then can we convey to English eyes the picture of
the Shannon through its course. Let us suppose a navigable
river taking its rise in some distant county in England as
far from Liverpool as Essex or Middlesex. Suppose it occa-
sionally spreading itself into noble and picturesque sheets of
wrter, of more than 20 miles in length, with numerous islands,
receiving the waters of many rivers, and stretching its bays
into the adjacent counties, as it were to increase the measure
of its utility and beauty. Imagine it winding its way through
Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and War-
wickshire, and the rich soil of Leicestershire ; and after
passing by Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Cheshire, and
running a course of 230 miles, falling into the estuary of the
Mersey, in Lancashire. See it presenting to each of these
counties the benefit of 50 miles of navigation, and we shall
have a correct idea of the extent and capabilities of this river.
" But how shall we describe the state in which it has re-
mained for ages as to trading intercourse, and in which three-
fourths of it remains to this very hour. Absolutely wanting
in all the incidents of navigation. For nearly 100 miles of
its length, not a sail or boat to be met with on its waters.
No appearance of utility ; no incications of industry or capi-
tal ; even its beauties unknown. Deficient to an extent
scarely credible in roads and approaches to it, and conse-
quently having but little connexion with the interior, to
which nature designed its influence should extend. Without
any employment of its waters, it flows unheeded by, and un-
productive of any good. Over many of its districts of great
extent, from the absence of that control which human skill
and means could have effected, its waters have become a
source of wide-spreading waste.
" The inevitable result of this neglect and inactivity is,
that instead of becoming the direct means of connexion and
intercourse between this family of counties situated on its
banks, and of the consolidation of the interests of their re-
spective population ; it has, on the contrary, grown up, and
remains to the present time, a positive and mischievous line of
separation ;—the enemy, rather than the ally of social life.
Instead of proving the parent of family and trading alliances,
it has engendered nothing but a repulsive spirit, productive of
enmity, district broils, and almost civil wars."
Such was the Shannon, so lately as 1833, and the improve-
ments in the navigation, up to the spring of the present year,
when the government plans began to be developed, have been
partial and comparatively insignificant.
The project of rendering, the Shannon navigable, was en-
tertained so far back as 1638, when a letter on the subject,
(still preserved) was addressed to the unfortunate Earl of
Strafford, then viceroy of Ireland ; but though considerable
sums have, during the last century been expended upon it, in
some cases injudiciously, .no adequate effort was made to
complete it ; and so lately as 1832, Mr. Rhodes (civil en-
gineer, and member of a commission then appointed by go-
vernment,) reported that—
" Taking a view of this majestic river, its lakes and
latteral branches, which received the drainage of a consider-
able portion of Ireland, they also appear as if formed and
designed by nature, as the great arteries of the kingdom, for
facilitating its agricultural and commercial purposes, by
marking out a splendid line of intercourse for an expeditious
and cheap mode of conveyance, (through a populous coun-
try,) superior to any in the empire, and only requiring a
little assistance from art to render it beneficially useful to an
unlimited extent; but her grand designs have hitherto been
in a great measure frustrated, and may not improperly be
compared to a scaled hook. This is caused by a few natural,
but greater part of artificial obstruction, which dam up the
water, and inundate the country to a formidable extent., '
The principal wants of the Shannon are a deficiency of
roads and approaches. Few of the districts or towns by
which it flows have any connexion with it. Extensive tracts
are without landing or shipping accommodations, or even ap-
proaches to its waters, except at the bridges, which are few
and far between. Between Killaloe and Drumsna, a dis-
tance of 107 British miles, there are only seven bridges.
Shelter harbours, piers, and landing places, landmarks and
beacons are also much wanted, to render available many
otherwise convenient small stations for boats and shipping.
Almost incredibie as it may appear, as regards a river that
offers so many advantages in the improvement and conserva-
tion of its stream, about eighteen years ago the government
had in view the project of lowering its waters, with a view
to add a few thousand acres of land to the estates of several of
the proprietors on its banks—and for which an extent of ter-
ritory of about 2,000,000 acres, highly improvable by the im-
proved navigation, was to be sacrificed ; while the river was
to be rendered for ever useless as a general means of internal
intercourse ! It is scarcely possible to conceive how an idea
so utterly at variance with English feeling and good policy
could have been entertained by any set of men, not utterly
lost to reason and refleetion. The celebrated engineer, Mr.
Rennie, was, nevertheless, employed to survey the river
from its source to its mouth, with a view to its being drained
poffricca.enssd The
wialesexemployed Mr. Grantham to proceed with the
tzisos3timmaxiteoo(. " The death of Mr. Rennie, however,says Mr. Williams) of this destroying
happily brought the survey to a close—put an end to the pro-
ject—anti left to the Shannon its waters, and its capabilities,
to confer blessings on future generations." The same writer
forcibly remarks :
" Some justification may be found for the neglect of such
capabilities of intercourse, in the circumstances of the great
extent and peculiarities of the navigation rendering detached
efforts of counties or individuals unavailing. The very mag-
nitude of the object has been urged as sufficient to damp the
ardor and energies of even the most competent and enter-
prising. It is true, combined exertions and systematic
eflorts, which nothing but great co-operation,
or national
l
means could produce, were essential to this great work.
This may be some extenuation for the supineness of the land-
co- on
land-
owners and men of property, though none for the national
governments of the last century."
To the efforts of Mr. Williams to obtain justice to the
Shannon," the able reports of Mr. Rhodes, the late Mr.
Nimmo, Mr. Mullins, and other engineers, may he attri-
buted the improvements now commenced.
Roused to a sense
of the great importance of the subject, the government at
length, after previous minor grants, passed an act, in 1839,
appointing a board of commissioners to superintend the works,
and granting for their completion (so far as that suns will
effect it) £500,000 as a gratuity, and £500,000 as a loan, to