Several navigable canals have been constructed in this county with the view of promoting its internal communication. The most remarkable of these is the Thames and Severn canal, which communicates with the latter river through the Stroud canal, and with the former river at the town of Lechlade. It was begun in 1783, and finished in ten years. The summit level is 241 feet above the level of the Stroud canal, and 130 feet above the river Thames at the place of its junction. These rises of level are sur mounted by locks, admirably contrived and execut ed ; and in one place it passes under the park of Lord Bathurst, through Sapperton tunnel, and, after be ing buried for the distance of two miles and five furlongs, again emerges near Cirencester. The tunnel is lined with masonry, arched above, and at the bottom has an inverted arch, except in some very few places, where, passing through a solid rock, that expence has been spared. The breadth of the canal is 42 feet at the top, and 30 feet at the bot tom, and it is constructed for barges, adapted to the locks on the river Thames, as well as to those of the canal. The barges are 12 feet wide, from 70 to 80 feet long, when loaded, carry 70 tons, and draw about four feet of water. This work has, however, been more splendid than beneficial. The expence of its construction exceeded L. 250,000, and the tolls are scarcely more than sufficient to defray the expence of the necessary repairs. In fact, it con nects two rivers, the navigation of both of which is bad ; but especially that of the Thames, which, be fore it reaches Oxford, is subject to great expence in horses to draw the barges, which has many shal lows where the vessels must be lightened to pass over them, and is liable to frequent impediments, sometimes from a scarcity of water, and sometimes from inundations. The trade which once passed through this canal has been diminished by the open ing of the Kennet and Avon, which forms a better medium for the transit of goods from Bristol or Gloucester to London.
A canal, called the Berkley Canal, parallel to the River Severn, but which, by avoiding its sinuosities, shortens the navigation 20 miles, was begun in 1791. Though a valuable improvement, it languished many years, and is yet scarcely completed. The Hereford and Gloucester canal, designed to connect those two cities, passes near Boyce through a tunnel one mile and a quarter in length, between the Severn and Ledbury, to which place, a distance of 17 miles, the rise is 183 feet.
The mineral riches of this county are almost wholly confined to iron ; for though veins of lead exist at Sodbury, Deynton, and other places, they are not sufficiently productive of ore to induce the working of them. Iron is abundant in many parts of the county ; but the principal forges are on the west ern side of the Severn, near Lydney, in the fo rest of Dean; where both charcoal and coal are a bundantly produced. On both sides of the Severn coal is worked to a considerable extent. The fo rest of Dean contains upwards of 120 coal pits, from whence the city of Gloucester and its vicinity is sup plied with that necessary. At Kingswood, near
Bristol, there are considerable veins, but being at a great depth, the proprietors can scarcely compete with the miners of Monmouthshire, though by many of the inhabitants of the city, the coals of Kings. wood are preferred to those brought by water from Newport. The mineral springs in this county, at Clifton, at Cheltenham, at Stow on the Wold, and at Bourton on the Water, are well known, and the two former places, as well by their natural beauties as by their medicinal waters, attract considerable numbers of occasional visitors, who there find all thoseaccommodations which the best watering-places can afford. No part of the kingdom produces better or more abundant stone than is raised from the quar ries of Gloucestershire. Limestone of excellent qua lity extends from Cromhall south-east to Sodbury ; and Aust-Cliffratid the rocks of Clif ton yield an excellent stone, from which much lime is made, both for domestic consumption and for ex portation to the West Indies. Freestone is found on the Cotswold Hills, and near Lidney some grit stones are raised, which are adapted by the mill wrights to their purposes.
Gloucestershire is one of the chief manufactur ing counties, and though a greater progress has been made of late years in the northern ones of Lancaster and York, it is still very much distinguish ed in this particular. The woollen manufacture has been long established, in what are provincially called the Bottoms, a district in the vallies, between the range where the Cotswold Hills, with a less elevation, as sume the name of the Stroud Hills. Between the ranges of these hills there are clear and rapid streams, which supply the mills in which the manufactures are carried on. The principal seats of the manufac tures are in the thickly peopled parishes of Bisley, Hampton, Stroud, Painswick, Woodchester, Horsley, Storehouse, Stanley, Uley, Dursley, and Wotton under-Edge. Almost the whole process is now per formed by machinery except the weaving. The dyers in this district are celebrated for their scarlet, but more especially for their dark-blue colours, the excellence of which is attributed to some peculiar properties in the Stroud water. The greater part of the cloths of this county are dyed in the piece, not in the wool. Those of the superior quality, made from Merino wool, are destined either for the con sumption of the kingdom, or for the supply of Rus sia ; and some few are exported to America. The inferior kinds, made of the wool of the Cotswold, the Hereford, or the Southdown sheep, are mostly calculated for the markets of India and China. These are sent to London, white, and the agents of the East India Company select such as suit their demand, which are dyed to the requisite colours, and pressed and packed by their own different trades men in the vicinity of the metropolis. Cassimeres of the best quality are also made in this district to a very considerable extent.