Canals of South Holland.
The canals of this province also owe their origin to drainage. From Naarden, on the Zuyder-Zec, a lidge of dry ground and heath extends to Ithenen on the Rhine. The country to the westward is flat, and occu pied chiefly with a morass to the line of downs, which divides it from the North Sea. The drainage, until the present centuty, was divided into a variety of portions, under independent jurisdictions. Of these— '. Rhineland comprehended the Haarlem Alere, and lower basin of the ancient Rhine, from the sea to the Mye, draining to the River Yc.
2. Amstelland, to the east of Rhineland, comprehend ing the basin of the Amstel-river, and draining to the Ye at Amsterdam.
3. Goyland, east of Arnstelland, comprehending the Vecht, from New Sluis to 4. Delftland, south of Amstelland, extending from the mouth of the Meuse to Schiedam.
5. Schieland, the portion of the Aleuse above Delft land, and extending to Gouda along the Leek.
6. The Watership of Woorden, along the Rhine, be tween Rhemon and Utrecht. The southern insulated portions of the province were also undet separate juris dictions. The states of Utrecht regulated the upper poi tion of the fiats, between Goyland and the Leek.
Each district has, by means of locks, its waters pre served at the same level ; and is pervaded by canals and numerous lakes, all connected together, and affording the utmost facility to navigation. But as we cannot be ex pected to enter into minute details, we shall confine our observations to the general routes.
Canals of the Jurisdiction of Rhineland This jurisdiction seems to have been established pre vious to t253, when a charter was granted front William, king of the Romans, for the canal of Sparendam. The interior navigmon of Rhineland begins at Sparendam on the Ye, near Ilaarlern, tor vessels not drawing more than six fect. 'rce) are admitted by sea locks into the river Sparen an.1 town of Haarlem ; from thence they may pas: into the Haarlem Meer, and crossing it, proceed to Leyden and the old Rhine, by means of various naviga ble channels.
The old Rhine ran originally into the sea at Catwyk, near Leyden ; but the river had lost the power of pre serving its channels, and the sand blew across it in 84t A. D. and rose into downs. Since that period, the small
quantity of water which passes towards Leyden finds its way by the Haarlem Meer, or by Amsterdam, into the Ye. It was only after the union of the several water ships, under the late Batavian republic, that this great work was seriously taken up.
The Rhine communicates, for ship navigation, with the Isscl and Meuse by Gouda. A ship-lock at the Gouda Sluis passes the vessel across the dike of the Rhine, into a spacious canal connected with the Crome Goura river. This was made in 1281 as a slaker to the Rhine. It is nine miles in length, and has an excellent tide-lock at Gouda on the Yssel, 153 feet long., and 25 mide in the chamber. The vessels chiefly emplo)ed ale called Cologne ships, upon five or six feet water, and are often 1000 tons burden.
Besides the ship navigation, there are many track ca nals through Rhineland : 1. The Treck Vaart from Haarlem to Amsterdam, five miles upon one level. Passengers then walk across the sluice bridge, and again embark on the second part of the canal for 5i miles farther, to the Haarlem port of Amsterdam.
2. The canal from Haarlem to Leyden, 18 miles, made in 1657, between the Downs and Haarlem Mere.
3. From Leyden the Rhine is navigable ti:m arc's Woer den and Utrecht, and is regulated by Incks. It has many navigable branches: Of these, the Hoogweense Vaart, and two others, communicate with the great plashes, or cut away bogs; and from thence small barks pass by the river Rotte to Rotterdam.
From Leyden to Delft the canal is by many considered as being the Fossa Corbulonis, and probably a part of the ancient excavation has been adopted. It continues on the general level of Rhineland from Leyden, seven miles to Leidsendam. A large basin at this village serves as a lock chamber for connecting the navigation of two districts. The difference of levels sometimes amounts to 2i feet, but in general to 8 or 9 inches only.