Above York, thc Ouse, or Vore river (act 7 Geo. III.) continues navigable for 20 miles to Aldborough, where it receives the Swale, and where, also, the Rippon canal commences, anti proceeds partly by the river, and partly by canal, to thc town of Rippon. At Linton is a lock and -weir, and the fall above it is one inch per mile. John Smeaton was the engineer. There are other locks at Borough Bridge, Ste. The Swale river is navigable by -weirs to Topcliffe In 1801, a canal was proposed from Topclifie to the river Tees, for the purpose of con veying coals from the county of Durham into the north parts of Yorkshire.
Returning to the mouth of the river Aire, which, with its branch, the Calder, forms the most direct anti import ant navigation into the coal and great manufacturing dis tricts in the West Riding of Yorkshire, not less than three canals, besides numerous branches, have been car ried from this river across the central ridge of England, to the towns of Manchester and Liverpool, thereby con verting it into onc of the two great channels of water communication across the kingdom, between the ports of Liverpool and Hull.
Thc Aire and Calder navigation, though proposed in the timc of Charles I. was incorporated under act 10 and 11 William III. being undertaken, it is said, by a Dutch company, who, after expending about &19,000, were ruined by thc enterprise. Their property was purchased, and the works resumed by the corporation of Leeds, and some gentlemen of Wakefield ; and by the subsequent extension of navigation, it has become very profitable. The second act was obtained 14th Geo. III. (1774.) The river Aire, from thc Ouse at Armin, is ascended by 50 or 60 ton sloops, for about 40 miles, to the town of Leeds, where the Leeds and Liverpool canal commences, as has already been described.
About 10 miles below Leeds, the river Calder branches off to the south-west, and is navigable about 10 miles to W kefield.
Here the Calder and Hebble navigation commences, and proceeds partly by the river, and partly by side cuts, and locks and weirs, 23 miles to Sowerby Bridge, near Halifax, where the Rochdale canal commences, and passing the central ridge at the north end of Blackstone Edge, proceeds to Manchester, as already described.
The third navigable communication across the summit, the Huddersfield canal, branches also front this naviga tion at Cooper's Bridge, near the junction of the Caine river, by Sir John Ratnsden's canal, to Huddersfield, and from thence the Huddersfield canal, as has already been desctibed, passes by a great lockage, and a tunnel of three miles, across the Saddleworth range of hills, and finally to 'Manchester, by the Oldham canal. By the
second act, (14 Geo. III.) power was given to make a canal from the Ouse at Selby., to the Aire at Haddlesey. At Selby there is a tide lock, and seven more between that and Wakefield. The distance from Selby to the junction of the rivers, is 201 miles, thence to Wakefield 10; and to Leeds 8 miles.
The Calder and I lebble act passed about 1757. The length from Wakefield to Sowerby Midge, is about 23 miles. In this distance there ate 15 side cuts of va lions lengths, from 200 yards to 2 miles. 'File whole rise from Wakefield is 178 feet, by 26 locks—eacla about 66 feet long, and 141 wide. Great improvements have been made under the present very desetling en gineer, Mr. Bradley.
Below Wakefield, the Aire and Calder company have widened their locks to 18 feet ; but should any vessels be built to suit these locks, they must navigate by way of Armin, as the tide lock at Selby is only 141. feet wide.
The boats used in these navigations arc 56 feet long, 131 wide, draw 3 feet water, and catry about 28 tons. 'Fhey usually go double, make way about from 2 to 21 miles per hour. They arc often taken down the Humber, and round the coast to the Welland and Great Ouse rivers.
The branches from the Aire and Calder navigations are numerous. Near Snaith it connects with the Dun river. Higher up is a cut to the ()use at Selby, to shorten the distance to York. At Wakefield, the Cal der and Hebble connects with thc Barnsley canal, (act 33 Geo. III.) and there are many rail-way branches to coalworks.
The Barnsley canal proceeds about south 111 miles to near Barnsley ; then westward miles, as continua tion of the Dcarne and Dove canal. At Eym is an aqueduct of five arches, over the Dearnc river. From the Calder, in the first three miles, the rise is 120 feet by 21 locks, partly fed by a reservoir near Old Ilimley, and partly pumping lack the water by a steam engine. This canal is for the export of coal, also flag-stone for pavements, and to connect the manufacturing towns in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Engineers, William Jessop and William Wright.