ABSTRACT
Inland navigations not only aided existing manufactures in the ways mentioned but also occasioned the establishment of many new manufactures in places where formerly the land was of little value and almost destitute of inhabitants. Much was said at the time about the desirability of inland navigation in order to render unnecessary the maintenance of the vast numbers of horses which were, employed unproductively on the coaches and stage waggons throughout the country. Before the framework of the inland navigation system could be completed the two great rivers at the south, the Severn and the Thames, must also be united. The network of inland navigations which overspread the country-proved to be the best means for carrying the heavy commodities, such as coal, and the like; and by taking the conveyance of these off the roads the waterways must have contributed materially to the stability and perfecting of the public highways.
