Commerce on the River Shannon
"Ten counties possess the advantage of the proximity of the Shannon, which, at the lowest average, waters fifty miles of shore of each. What incalculable benefits then must accrue to this extensive district, by rendering the navigation thoroughly available for the purposes of intercourse! The soils of the counties bordering on the river, and consequently their productions, are different. Hitherto, notwithstanding the existence at their doors of a noble river, there have been no means of interchange. A famine may rage in Leitrim and plenty prevail in Tipperary, yet the river Shannon affords no aid for the conveyance of the surplus produce of the one to supply the wants of the other. Potatoes may be very cheap in the south, and yet hardly to be procured in the north; turf may be had in one county for little more than the trouble of cutting it, while in another, at no considerable distance, the people may be suffering intensely from the want of fuel.
Yet the Shannon—intended by nature as a great artery for the conveyance of commerce, that life's-blood of a people's prosperity—is not merely useless for the purposes of mutual assistance and communication among the inhabitants of its banks, but is actually a bar and impediment to their intercourse. Mr. Rhodes remarks, that the grand designs of nature have been in a great measure frustrated, and the river may not unaptly be compared to a sealed book. Were the navigation completed, how valuable in its effects would be the ready interchange of commodities amongst the various districts along its shores, extending and making equal the comforts of the people; aiding to remove the dangers of famine by opening to each locality the resources of all, and increasing the wealth and knowledge of the peasantry by the introduction of trade and all its attendant benefits!
The transport of agriculture produce throughout the country bordering on the Shannon, would, however, form a small portion of the commerce of the river. Considerable quantities of corn are now conveyed by the Shannon and Grand Canal to Dublin, for exportation to Liverpool; and this trade would be vastly increased by the improvement of the river. The mountains of Leitrim, round Lough Allen, abound in iron and coal. Here are situated the Arigna iron-works, producing about sixty tons of wrought iron per week: the quantity might be much increased by the opening of the navigation. The extensive coal-beds of this valuable district could also produce sufficient fuel for the entire country along the Shannon, were roads formed and the river laid open to the workings of industry and enterprise. There are excellent slate quarries at Killaloe and other places; and marble, lime, and stone of every description may be procured in several districts close to the river; besides many natural productions at present unknown or disregarded,—inaccessible they may be said to be from the wretched state of the navigation.
"The extent of the country which would be immediately affected by the completion of this great line of communication has been estimated at two million acres, in the heart of the island, rich in its various soils and numerous productions; yet where the peasantry are in the most miserable state of destitution, scarcely sustaining life by the wretched resources of poverty, numbers of them annually emigrating to England to obtain that employment denied them at home. Many districts of this country have been among the most disturbed and disorderly in Ireland. The providing of occupation, and of profitable markets for the produce of the soil, will vastly promote the peace and wealth of the country; and the increased comforts of the people will dispose them to habits of order and civilization. The introduction of British manufactures must greatly tend to elevate the condition of the people, and to enrich the English merchant—very important considerations in the discussion of our subject. The imports from Great Britain increase progressively each year, and must be much advanced by introducing so extensive a tract to all the wants of civilized society.
The advantages of a great home-market, whose demands are unaffected by political circumstances, cannot but be appreciated by the manufacturer. The benefits attending the completion of the Shannon navigation cannot be anticipated: many years must elapse before they are fully in operation; depending, as they must, so much upon the concurrent circumstances of the general state of the country, as respects the condition and habits of the people as well as the progress of other public improvements. The opening of the river will have but a partial influence, unless followed by the formation of roads to its banks, and the execution of other works necessary to facilitate the transport of the productions of the country, and to promote the intercourse between the Shannon and the districts more remote from its shores. As the intelligence, the habits, and comforts of the people, and their mode of agriculture improve, the trade of the Shannon will advance; and in the present and disgraceful condition of the inhabitants, we cannot form any reasonable estimate of the valuable consequences of the too long delayed completion of this great work.
"The general wants of the navigation of the Shannon are simple in their nature and easily effected: the deepening of the channel in some places—the placing of beacons and buoys, so essential in a river liable to great floods, and consequently of such variable width and depth—the erection of piers and landing places—the formation of a complete system of roads to its banks from the surrounding country and the neighbouring towns and villages. But above all, and without which all else is useless or impracticable, the entire navigation should be placed under the control of an efficient and active body, responsible for its maintenance in a perfect and available condition, who should be guided in their management, not by their desire of profit, but solely with the view of rendering the river as useful and accessible as possible to the public."
END OF CHAPTER XI.