Page:The Canal System of England.djvu/85



that England may retain her position of commercial pre-eminence: a position which can only be maintained by the constant and careful investigation of the economy of each contributory factor.

In the briefest possible manner, the growth of our Canal System has thus been traced, the important features of its present condition have been outlined, and the great possibilities which lie before this method of transit have been pointed out.

In conclusion, to quote the oft-repeated words of Sir William Bayley, of Salford, and addressed to the Manchester Association of Engineers: —

"Make England to the world what London is to England—make every part of the verge, fringe, shore, creek, bay, river and inlet of our map as equal as possible in relation to distance from the shores of foreign countries,—double the coast line—resuscitate the ancient ports,—extend some more inland,—make Britain narrower—shorten the distance from coast to coast—from sea to sea, and increase the setting of Shakespeare's lines:—