of Ireland, dated Navigation-Office, Dublin, 3d May, 1808; ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 8th May, 1809. So much has Irish canalnavigation been improved of late years that in 1807 cavalry in the county of Kent, in England, was foraged with oats passed thither entirely by water-carriage from the internal parts of Ireland. In the last session of the Irish Parliament £500,000 were granted to forward the canal-navigation of Ireland, of which £400,000 had been expended by the beginning of the year 1808, and at that time had been completed the Grand Canal from Dublin to the river Shannon, near Banagher, and also other canals. The Shannon in one great line of navigation runs through the midst of Ireland from north to south; one other great line, the Grand Canal, runs from Dublin across the country to the Shannon, tending south of west; a third great line, the Royal Canal, runs from Dublin across the country to the Shannon, but tending north of west. The Grand Canal will receive into it at various points all other navigations lying southward, and the Royal Canal will receive all others from the north. The Shannon will receive what comes from Connaught, and by the Grand or the Royal Canal will enable that province to communicate with the metropolis.

How much the value of land is enhanced in Britain by the extension of inland navigation may be inferred from the fact, that in May, 1809, was sold for the sum of £3,795 a farm of sixty acres, principally arable and new inclosure, situated in a retired part of Wiltshire, but in the neighborhood of the Berks and Wilts canal; that is above £60 an acre for land in a remote district of the country.

For the great improvement and multiplication of roads and bridges in Britain within the last 20 years, from 1790 to 1810, see Reports from a Committee of the House of Commons relating to the preservation

of the turnpike roads and highways of the kingdom: Nos. 1, 2, 3, printed May 11th, 30th, and June 17th, 1808. These Reports contain much valuable information concerning wheels; carriages in general; construction of highways; general highway-act; general turnpike-act; particulars connected with highways; stage-coaches and their number of passengers; mail-coaches; and return post-chaises. They also bear ample testimony to the recent improvements and multiplication of turnpike roads and highways in England, Ireland, and more particularly in Scotland. See "Reports of the Commissioners for making roads and building bridges in the Highlands of Scotland," to the Hon. the House of Commons; No. 1. printed June 1st, 1804, No. 2. printed June 19th, 1805; No. 3. printed August 6th, 1807. In the year 1807, there were forming in the Highlands forty new roads, extending about a thousand miles in different directions; and ten new bridges were in great forwardness. The legislature pays one half the expense, and the landed proprietors of the respective Counties in which the roads are made and the bridges built, pay the other half. The Bank of Scotland agreed to advance the money wanted to carry on the works on receiving the personal securities of the parties, and allowing four per cent. interest until the money should be drawn out. The plans for facilitating the intercourse of this part of North-Britain are, 1st, a water-communication across the country, admitting passage to ships of bulk in a westerly direction, and the contrary, namely from the Irish to the Northern sea in the course to the Baltic; and 2dly, land-communications by new roads, chiefly north of the Lakes and Forts, opening the shortest and easiest intercourse from the South of Scotland to the Eastern and Western coasts, through the counties of Inverness, Ross, Sutherland, and Caithness, and especially to the Fishing Stations. The intercourse between

Inverness, the metropolis of the Highlands, and London by land and water is already constant and frequent. The mail-coaches enter it daily, and vessels arrive in its harbor twice a month. One among many instances of improvement may be noticed: by the new road made in the Island of Bute the passage from Rothsay to Inverary the chief town of the district is shortened from one hundred and seventeen to twenty miles. The old ferry was six miles, the new one not a quarter of a mile wide. In Loch Fine 500 large herring-boats are annually employed; and the town of Rothsay sends out yearly ninety large vessels in the bounty fishing. See innumerable interesting particulars in the Reports themselves.

There are also other public Acts of the British Government which manifest its laudable anxiety to advance the welfare and promote the prosperity of the people committed to its care; a few of these only can be now enumerated. The "Report from the Committee upon expired and expiring Laws," &c. printed 22d December 1806, is of great importance, in its relations to the system of public jurisprudence; the interests of manufactures, trade and commerce; the internal improvement of the country; the habits, manners, and morals of the people. Much agricul tural and colonial information is contained in the "Report of a Committee of the Honorable House of Commons appointed to inquire how far and under what circumstances it may be practicable and expedient to confine the Distilleries of the United Kingdom to the use of Sugar and Molasses only; and also what other provision can be made for the relief of the growers of Sugar in the British West-India Colonies," printed 22d, May 1808. The united interests of public morals and of finance are combined in the following Report, which most forcibly, by a long catalogue of melancholy facts, urges the abatement of that great political nuisance the Lottery, which has uniformly

depraved the morals and slackened the industry of every people amongst whom it has been suffered to spread its baleful influence. The politicians of this country are particularly invited to peruse this Report attentively; because in every State, and almost in every town and city throughout the Union do public and private Lotteries swarm. See the "Report of the Committee of the Honorable the House of Commons appointed to inquire how far the evils attending Lotteries have been remedied by the Laws passed respecting the same; and to report their observations thereupon, and upon such further measures as may be necessary for the remedy thereof," ordered to be printed 24th June, 1808.-The salutary jealousy of the British government, and its vigilant inspection of the finances of the country, may be known by perusing the facts and observations respections pensions, sinecures and reversions, contained in the "Third Report from the Committee of the Hon. House of Commons, appointed to examine and consider what regulations and checks have been established in order to control the several branches of The Public Expenditure in GreatBritain and Ireland; and how far the same have been effectual; and what further measures can be adopted for reducing any part of the said expenditure, or diminishing the amount of Salaries and Emoluments, without detriment to the public Service;" ordered to be printed June 29th, 1808. The "Fourth Report,” of the finance-committee, printed 24th March, 1809, contains an investigation of the establishment and transactions of the commissioners for the sale, management, and disposal of Dutch property, captured or detained on the commencement of hostilities with Holland in consequence of its invasion by the French. The "Ninth Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire and examine into the public Expenditure, and the conduct of public Business in the military departments," &c, printed 14th April, 1809, contains a

very elaborate inquiry into the army-expenditure of the West-Indies. The "Fifth Report," from the committee of the public expenditure of the United Kingdom, investigates at length the nature of the regulations under which the Marine-department is conducted, in order to ascertain if those regulations are insufficient, or ill-adapted to the service, or if there has been a culpable or negligent departure from them.

In the session of 1807-8 were passed 152 acts, public and general; 157 local and personal; 77 not printed; making a total of 386. In one single day during this session eighty-six presentations of private bills for the construction of canals, turnpikes, markets, and other improvements, were laid before the House of Commons. Nothing but the overflowings of private capital could enable men to encounter the expense, about £400, i. e. 1777, dollars, of procuring an act of parliament for the purpose of being permitted to lay out vast sums of money in undertakings which never promise any immediate or speedy return of profit. In the session of 1808-9, were passed more than four hundred statutes, of which 80 were for the improvement of the revenue, the encouragement of trade and navigation, the promoting the service of the army and navy; 150 for the purpose of facilitating internal intercourse, by roads, railways, canals, bridges, and drainings; 130 for inclosures, additional cultivation, and the general encouragement of agriculture; 30 for the express purpose of improving and encouraging the agriculture, manfactures, commerce, and internal intercourse of Ireland. Surveys also have been made and are now making by order of the Government for establishing a more ready communication between the north of England, the south of Scotland, and Ireland. This will bring the North of Ireland nearer to the metropolis of the United Kingdom by several hours in a