Canals.—­The first Act for the construction of the “cut” or canal in connection with Birmingham was passed in 1761, that to Bilston being commenced in 1767.  The delivery here of the first boat-load of coals (Nov. 6, 1769) was hailed, and rightly so, as one of the greatest blessings that could be conferred on the town, the immediate effect being a reduction in the price to 6d per cwt, which in the following May came down to 4d.  The cutting of the first sod towards making the Grand Junction Canal took place July 26, 1766, and it was completed in 1790.  In 1768 Briudley, the celebrated engineer, planned out the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal, proposing to make it 22 miles long; but he did not live to see it finished.  The work was taken up by Smeaton and Telford; the latter of whom calling it “a crooked ditch” struck out a straight cut, reducing the length to 14 miles, increasing the width to 40 feet, the bridges having each a span of 52 feet.  The “Summit” bridge was finished in 1879.  The Fazeley Canal was completed in 1783, and so successfully was it worked that in nine years the shares were at a premium of L1170.  In 1785 the Birmingham, the Fazeley, and the Grand Junction Companies took up and completed an extension to Coventry.  The Birmingham and Worcester Canal was commenced in 1,791, the cost being a little over L600,000, and it was opened for through traffic July 21, 1815.  By an agreement of September 18, 1873, this canal was sold to the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal Co. (otherwise the Sharpness Dock Co.), and has thus lost its distinctive local name.  The Birmingham and Warwick commenced in 1793; was finished in 1800.  Communication with Liverpool by water was complete in 1826, the carriage of goods thereto which had previously cost L5 per ton, being reduced to 30s.  For a through cut to London, a company was started in May, 1836, with a nominal capital of L3,000,000, in L100 shares, and the first cargoes were despatched in August, 1840.  In April, 1840, an Act was passed to unite the Wyrley and Essington Canal Co. with the Birmingham Canal Co., leading to the extension, at a cost of over L120,000, of the canal system to the lower side of the town.  There are 2,800 miles of canals in England, and about 300 miles in Ireland.  The total length of what may properly be called Birmingham canals is about 130 miles, but if the branches in the “Black Country” be added thereto, it will reach to near 250 miles.  The first iron boat made its appearance on canal waters July 24, 1787; the first propelled by steam arrived here from London, September 29, 1826.  The adaptation of steam power to general canal traffic, however, was not carried to any great extent, on account of the injury caused to the banks by the “wash” from the paddles and screws, though, when railways were first talked about, the possibility of an inland steam navigation was much canvassed.  When the Bill for the London and Birmingham Railway was before Parliament, in 1833, some enterprising carriers started