four locks will all be finished in the present season. The rail-ways extending from Clachnaharry quarry to the sta-mounds, and also to the Muirtown locks, have been maintained in excellent condition; otherwise these works could not have proceeded with so much effect. The banks of the Canal through the lands of Muirtown, Kinmylies, and Bught, are now completed at the latter place they have been formed by means of earth removed from the slope of Torvaine, in order to make a public road there immediately above the Canal. This road is carried along a benching on the side of the hill; and the earth which now remains to be removed will be carried across the Canal to strengthen the artificial bank which separates it from the river Ness at the foot of Torvaine. From Torvaine to the Bleachfield, the canal was long since completed; and it is more than half finished along the moor of Dodanchroy as far as Moulindour, otherwise called the Mill of Dunain. By means of the Clachnaharry lock and the four locks at Muirtown, the Canal will be raised to a level with Loch Ness, when the water is low in the lake; but when its surface is raised by rain, or by a sudden thaw, a regulating lock must be used; (the surface of the water in Loch Ness has been known to vary eight feet in height;) and this will be constructed between Moulindour and Doch four Loch, together with a weir across the river Ness.Westward of this it will be necessary to form a towing path, and perhaps to deepen part of the river Ness and of Dochfour Loch, to complete the access to Loch Ness. After the present season, when the Muirtown locks are all finished, the attention of the Superintendant, and of the rest of our establishment at Clachnaharry, will be chiefly directed to these operations, until the sea mound shall be ready to receive the entrance lock.

Glengary district.-In our last re

port we stated, that an establishment in the middle or Glengary district of the Canal, was incompatible with the scale of our expenditure; nor can we in justice to the public recede from this opinion, founded as it is on considerations of prudence and economy, whatever satisfaction we might derive from yielding to the repeated requests of the inhabitants, who naturally wish for employment in their own immedi ate neighbourhood; an advantage which they cannot fail to obtain to the full extent of their desires in the future progress of the work.

Corpach district.-The excavation of the Canal has not yet reached nearer to Loch Lochie than a mile and a half, nor has the weir or overfall projected at Moy been yet executed, as not being necessary till the Canal is in greater forwardness. Between the burn or brook of Moy and the river Loy, the excavation has not proceeded, during the last season, with so much exertion as was desired and expected; and remonstrances upon this subject have been made to the contractors there, who alledge the late scarcity of oatmeal in excuse. The several aqueducts of Loy, Muirshearlich, Shangan, Upper Banavie, and Lower Banavie, all described in our former reports, are now finished and in use. Their dimensions are much more ample than at first was intended, that these five aqueducts might save the cost and prevent the inconvenience of as many bridges, by serving the purpose of passages under the Canal for carts and cattle; and the expense has consequently been increased beyond the estimate, in proportion to their enlarged dimensions, from three thousand eight hundred, to nine thou sand two hundred pounds; but this excess of five thousand four hundred pounds is more than compensated by saving five bridges, estimated at fifteen hundred pounds each. The masonry of these aqueducts has been found to sustain the frost of two se

yere

vere winters without injury. Between Shangan Burn and Upper Banavie, the ground is opened along the entire line; and from Upper to Lower Banavie, the banks of the Canal are completed. On Corpach moss, part of the bottoming and upper bank remains to be done. In this district, the great object of attention is the chain of eight locks, to be placed on the rising ground above Corpach moss; and which will be the largest mass of masonry ever yet constructed for such a purpose. It is therefore with particular satisfaction that we are enabled to state the favourable progress of this great work, the masonry of which was commenced in October 1807; and in May 1808, three fourths of the lowermost lock was reported to be finished. Since that time, the exertions of Messrs Simpson and Wilson, the masonry contractors, have been so steady and effectual, that three locks are finished, and equal to two thirds of another. This progress is beyond our expectation, which was limited to two locks in a year. At the present rate of exertion, the whole chain would be completed within three years of its commencement. We have an additional source of satisfaction in being now enabled to foresee, with a considerable degree of certainty, the amount of expenditure on a large number of the locks, which formed the heaviest article in the original estimate, and have since been enlarged in all their dimensions. In the evidence given before the Committee of the House of Commons, which recommended the Caledonian Canal to be undertaken, Mr Jessop expressed an opinion, that the locks would cost ten thousand pounds each; and Mr Rennie, an engineer of equal eminence, estimated the locks at fourteen thousand pounds each, he having actually built one at Great Grimsby in Lincolnshire, which cost this large sum, though less than the locks on the Caledonian Canal by thirty-four feet in

length, and by four feet in breadth. Subsequently Mr Jessop, upon a deliberate view of the whole course of the Caledonian Canal, and after sufficient inquiries into the price of labour and materials, found reason to lower his estimate to seven thousand four hundred and forty-nine pounds; and afterwards, upon the increase of dimensions, and including the digging of the lock-pits and other spade-work, the estimate became eight thousand and eighty-eight pounds for each lock. So soon as a single lock at Clachnaharry and two locks at Corpach were finished, we caused an investigation into the expense to be instituted by means of our abstracted account, and found that the three locks had cost about twenty-two thousand pounds, being considerably less than the estimated expense. From a similar investigation respecting the nine locks now actually finished, we have the satisfaction to infer, that the cost of the fifteen locks first to be made, will not much exceed one hundred thousand pounds, being a reduction of twenty thousand pounds upon Mr Jessop's estimate; but as the principal cause of this reduction of expence will result from the junction of the locks at Muirtown and at Corpach moss, which is not practicable to the same extent with respect to the residue of the locks, being twelve in number (including the two regulating locks,) it is not to be expected that they can be constructed for less than the estimated sum of eight thousand and eighty-eight pounds each; making, in all, an expense of about two hundred thousand pounds for locks upon the whole line of the Caledonian Canal. The construction of the Cofferdam, an operation necessarily dependent in a great degree on calm weather, has been retarded by the storms, which continued much later than usual in the present year. It would now be imprudent to commence the tide-lock till next spring, as it would

be

be exposed to unnecessary danger unless completed in one season; in the mean time the embankment and Cofferdam will be prepared for its recep

tion.

Purchase of Land.-Soon after the date of our last report, Mr Grant of Bught thought proper to accept the price offered for the land taken at Torvaine, for the purposes of the Canal; and two hundred and fifty-eight pounds have been paid to him accordingly. The decease of Mr Grant of Redcastle, and the illness of Mr George Brown of Elgin, have prevented us from settling the rent of the freestone quarry at Redcastle, though we have been desirous to expedite such settlement as soon as possible.

Roads.-The new road from Lochna-Gaul to Fort-William, now almost completed, crosses the Caledonian Canal on Corpach moss, immediately below the chain of locks. At this place, the intended line of road from Corpach moss to Loch Lochie commences; and in November last, was examined by Mr Telford, accompanied by Mr Duncombe, the surveyor who made the estimate, and Mr Simpson, who was then in treaty to become our subcontractor for making that road at the estimated expense. On this occasion an omission in the estimate was discovered, amounting to four hundred and forty pounds; certain embankments necessary for carrying the road across deep dingles not having been noticed. Hereupon Mr Telford was directed to make a new apportionment of the whole estimate, now augmented to five thousand one hundred and seventy-eight pounds; and of this augmented estimate, he was of opinion that we ought to pay eleven hundred and sixty pounds, instead of nine hundred and forty pounds, as mentioned in our last report. We understand that Colonel Cameron of Lochiel, the contributor 40 this road, has intimated to the ComJan. 1810.

missioners for Highland Roads and Bridges, his wish to undertake the contract for the northern part of it, from the burn of Culross to Clunes and Auchnacarrie, and that his offer has been accepted. Our contract, therefore, extends no farther than to the burn of Culross; and, as our proposal to make this road arose merely from a desire to prevent the interference of workmen under different employers, we deemed it advisable to effect that object by proposing to Messrs Simpson and Wilson, the masonry contractors, to become our subcontractors for making this road; and they have accordingly undertaken so much of it as has been allotted to us, at the estimated price of four thousand two hundred and thirty-six pounds, we having previously signed a contract with the Commissioners for Highland Roads and Bridges to the same effect. Messrs Simpson and Wilson have engaged to complete this road on or before the 1st November. 1810; but we have reason to suppose that they will finish it much sooner, about three miles in length having been already formed, and fifty men being at present employed upon it. The length of this road, from its junction with the Loch-na-Gaul road, on Corpach moss, to the burn of Culross, is seven miles and a half, and our contract includes also the bridges on Locheil's part of the road.

Accounts. In arranging our money transactions, and settling our accounts, we have acted on the persuasion that, in justice equally to the public, and to the persons whom we employ, it is incumbent on us to proceed with vigilance and promptitude; so that we have not deviated in any point from the arrangements and plan of checks described in our second report. The monthly bills, when paid, are transmitted from Clachnaharry and Corpach, certified by the respective superintendants, and accompanied by a letter from Mr Telford, containing an esti

mate

mate of the next monthly payment, as compared with his balance in hand, whereupon an adequate sum is writ ten over to the credit of his account at Messrs Hoares, on whom he draws bills at thirty days after date; that being the usual premium allowed at Inverness for bills payable in London. The vouchers are examined and approved on the spot half-yearly by Mr Telford, who then brings them from Scotland. At the present time, we have received the vouchers to the 15th October last, to which time they have been examined and passed by our accountant. Mr Telford is now on the line of the Canal, and will bring with him, at his return, the vouchers to the end of April last, these being the appointed periods of his half-yearly in spections of the progress of the works. A cash-account of our own receipts and payments to May 1806, has been passed at the Treasury; and we are preparing to transmit a further account, extending to the 31st December last. Subjoined to the present report, is an account in the usual form, carried on to the beginning of the present May; by which it appears, that we have received from his Majesty's Exchequer, and as interest on Exchequer bills, adding thereto certain small receipts at Corpach, the sum of nearly two hundred and fifty thousand pounds; of which has been expended nearly two hundred and forty thousand pounds, leaving above ten thousand pounds now at our disposal; besides which, a moiety of the last year's grant is due to us from his Majesty's Exchequer; and the sum of fifty thousand pounds has been already granted by Parliament in the present session.

Militia on the same footing with that in England, a topic which warmly engaged and divided the public mind about the years 1760, 1761, and 1762, gave rise to another club, which comprehended the greater part of the men of letters in Scotland at that period This was the Poker Club, instituted in the year 1762. Lord Kames, though a warm friend to the measure of a national militia, had his own peculiar ideas on that subject, which he has given to the public in one of his later works (Sketches of the History of Man, Book 2. Sk. 9.) But the consideration of his office and station must have prevented his joining a society of this nature, however warmly he might have approved of their principles, and however keenly he relished social and convivial intercourse among men of wit and literary talents. The Poker Club subsisted in vigour and celebrity for many years, and continued its weekly meetings with great regularity long after the object of its institution had ceased to engage attention: and it is not to be doubted that its influence was considerable in fostering talents and promoting the cultivation of good taste and elegant literature.

A few publications of a political nature had in the infancy of the Poker Club been published under its auspices; but, like most productions of that sort, they were ephemeral, and are now quite forgotten.

The only publication of sterling merit which has outlived the occasion which called it forth, is the History of the proceedings in the case of Margaret, commonly called Sister Peg: a performance of great wit and humour, written in a most happy vein of irony, and in imitation of Dr Arbuth not's History of John Bull, to which it is an admirable counterpart and supplement. This ingenious satire is well known to have proceeded from the pen of one of the ablest and most elegant of the Scottish writers of that era: but as it never was directly avowed by its author, I do not conceive my

self