gh Grampius was at one
time commonly accepted and indeed gave rise to the modern name Grampian.

CALEDONIAN CANAL. The chain of fresh-water lakes--Lochs Ness, Oich and
Lochy--which stretch along the line of the Great Glen of Scotland in a S.W.
direction from Inverness early suggested the idea of connecting the east
and west coasts of Scotland by a canal which would save ships about 400 m.
of coasting voyage round the north of Great Britain through the stormy
Pentland Firth. In 1773 James Watt was employed by the government to make a
survey for such a canal, which again was the subject of an official report
by Thomas Telford in 1801. In 1803 an act of parliament was passed
authorizing the construction of the canal, which was begun forthwith under
Telford's direction, and traffic was started in 1822. From the northern
entrance on Beauly Firth to the southern, near Fort William, the total
length is about 60 m., that of the artificial portion being about 22 m. The
number of locks is 28, and their standard dimensions are:--length 160 ft,
breadth 38 ft., water-depth 15 ft. Their lift is in general about 8 ft.,
but some of them are for regulating purposes only. A flight of 8 at
Corpach, with a total lift of 64 ft., is known as "Neptune's Staircase."
The navigation is vested in and managed by the commissioners of the
Caledonian Canal, of whom the speaker of the House of Commons is _ex
officio_ chairman. Usually the income is between L7000 and L8000 annually,
and exceeds the expenditure by a few hundred pounds; but the commissioners
are not entitled to make a profit, and the credit balances, though
sometimes allowed to accumulate, must be expended on renewals and
improvements of the canal. They have not, however, always proved sufficient
for their purposes, and parliament is occasionally called upon to make
special grants. In the commissioners is also vested the Crinan Canal, which
extends from Ardrishaig on Loch Gilp to Crinan on Loch Crinan. This canal
was made by a company incorporated by act of parliament in 1793, and was
opened for traffic in 1801. At various times it received grants of public
money, and ultimately in respect of these it passed into the hands of the
government. In 1848 it was vested by parliament in the commissioners of the
Caledonian Canal (who had in fact administered it for many years
previously); the act contained a proviso that the company might take back
the undertaking on repayment of the debt within 2