Q: I HAVE just read of the proposal to operate a River Bus between the mouth of the Tyne to Blaydon and Newburn. I wondered if there had been any developments to the plan to construct a canal from Carlisle to the mouth of the Tyne to link up with continental waterways? - John Hall, Chester-le-Street.

A: THE plan to build a canal across the North of England from Tynemouth to Carlisle was launched in September, 1996 but was greeted with a great deal of scepticism. The idea was to open a canal, similar to that of Suez or Panama, that would open up a new sea route for freight ships between the Irish and North Sea. The £6bn plan was formulated by Derek Russell, a engineering lecturer from Manchester. Russell's plan was backed by the Western Water Highway Consortium, which included the AMEC engineering group. If the plans had been given the go-ahead, it would have been Britain's biggest engineering project since the Channel Tunnel.

Russell, who originally hailed from Tyneside, believed that the project could create thousands of jobs and would revitalise the economy of, not just the North East, but the North as a whole. Presentations were made to local councils but, by October, 1997, it was clear that local politicians were not convinced by the plan and the Government's Environment Agency also expressed concern over potential damage to environmentally and historically sensitive areas. The canal would have involved a severe reconstruction of the River Tyne, including the construction of several lakes and the removal or modification of the Tyne's famous bridges. It would have been built through countryside occupied by Hadrian's Wall - a World Heritage site.

Q: HOW did the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester get its name? - Doug McKenna, Stockton-on-Tees.

A: THE Peterloo Massacre, on August 16, 1819, was so named because it took place in St Peter's Fields, Manchester and was compared to the Battle of Waterloo that had only taken place four years before. In 1891 there was a severe depression in industrial areas, coupled with high food prices. As a protest, a series of rallies had been held in Manchester, culminating in a great meeting at St Peter's Fields on August 16.

The meeting, headed by the radical leader, Henry Hunt, was a demonstration in support of parliamentary reform. Like similar meetings, it caused concerns among the more privileged classes, but what made this meeting particularly unusual was the size of the crowd. Around 60,000 people, including a large number of women and children, attended.

Local magistrates ordered inexperienced Yeoman guards to disperse the demonstrators and arrest the speakers. The Yeoman slashed at the crowd with sabres and a riot ensued, causing the magistrates to order the further intervention of the Fifteenth Hussars and Cheshire volunteers. This resulted in five hundred injuries and eleven deaths.

* If you have a Burning Question, or can improve on any of the answers above, please write to Burning Questions, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF

Published: Monday, June 11, 2001