Mr. Adamson was a gentleman of great
energy and courage, and though cities might stand in the way, he would
bring the sea to Manchester when once he had made up his mind to do so.
It was almost safe to say that he would have cut the canal with his own
hands rather than fail in his determination. It is such men as he who
make England prosperous.

[Footnote 2: The illustrations are based upon photographs kindly
supplied by Mr. Banks, of Manchester.]

Permission having at last been gained from Parliament, a number of steam
dredgers arrived in the mouth of the Mersey, and work was begun. The
distance from the starting-point to Manchester is thirty-five and a half
miles, and over most of these the river itself was followed.

At Eastham, on the south side of the river, foundations were laid for
three locks side by side, and these form the entrance of the water-road
to Manchester. One or two points with regard to them must be mentioned.
In the first place they are not locks in the ordinary sense, as the
water that flows through them is tidal water; but they serve to keep
that tide in the canal at one uniform level. As they are within reach of
boisterous sea-water, there is an additional protecting gate in front of
each, while between them and the shore there are three large sluices to
regulate the passage of unusually heavy tides.

On passing through the Eastham lock, vessels bound for Manchester find
themselves in a channel about one hundred and seventy-two feet wide and
twenty-six feet deep, separated from the broader Mersey by a long
embankment thirty feet wide at the top, and following the curves of the
river for nine miles. But in that nine miles there are several sights to
see, for Eastham is not left very far behind when, on the right, the
river Weaver is reached. This is a broad river flowing into the Mersey,
and its ancient rights could not be taken away, though it was absolutely
necessary to control them. Consequently, all across its wide mouth a
number of sluice-gates, sliding up and down on rollers, had to be
erected. These are worked by hydraulic power, and are raised at suitable
times, according to the condition of the tide, when the water, flowing
from the Weaver across the canal, finds its way into the Mersey through
long openings in the top of the embankment of which we have spoken.

Streams less important than the Weaver are treated in a less dignified
way. Thus, a little farther on we come upon two small