Grundy, who found the depth at that time to be about two feet, eight inches. They, however, discouraged the idea of deepening by excavation. . . It was resolved [1840] to increase the dimensions of the canal, and to repair the whole work . . and thus that ancient canal, which is quoted by Telford and Nimmo as 'the oldest artificial canal in Britain,' was restored to a state of perfect efficiency, at a cost of £40,000."[1]
The internal navigation of Great Britain was the subject of legislation in 1423; locks were known on the river Lee as early as 1570. The seventeenth century saw considerable canal digging, but the island is so narrow that in early days the coasting trade and navigable rivers answered almost all purposes of commerce. About the middle of the eighteenth century the growth of manufacturing centers wrought great changes, and for half a century canal building in England came to the fore, though south of Durham no point was fifteen miles from navigation. The Duke of Bridgewater, procuring a grant for construction of canals
- ↑ Id.
