The canal of Burgundy unites the Soane with the Seine; it was begun in 1775, and is still in hand; it is a rival to the canal of the Centre. It was in 1605 ex aminer' by Humphrey. Bradley, an engineer ()I Bra bant ; by M. Riquet 1676, by M. Thomason in 1696; by M. Gabriel in 1724; awl, lastly, by 'Messrs. Perro net and Chczy in 1764. The plans ancl reports of the two last are very able, and given much in detail, espe cially. what regards specifications for the various neces Sall' works.
But even after this report was made, some years elaps ed before funds conic! be found. It was at length be gun in 1775. The line ascends by the rivers Seine, Yonne, and Armanson, to Brienon, to which place these rivers are navigable, and it is here that the canal com mences ; it proceeds along the right bank of the Ar manson, by St. Florentin Tonnere, Ancy Le Franc, and Baviets, to Moulbard ; then crossing the river, and as cending the left bank, it afterwards leaves this river for sotne time to follow the right bank of the Brenne to Pottilleray, where it again passes over to the Armanson, and follows that river to its source, near Pouilly, where the summit level will be 883 feet above the junction with the Yonne, and 674 feet above the Soane. From Pouilly the canal is to descend by the valley or the Ouche to Pont de Parry ai.d Dijon, and thence by the plain of Longe Cour to St, Jean de Lone, a town upon the river Soanc.
In 1814, this canal, which, previous to the Revolu tion, had been carried on by the states of Burgundy, was resumed under Bonaparte, and was navigable on the side of the Soane, from its commencement, to Pont de Parry, five leagues west of Dijon, in all 13 leagues. ()n the side of the Yonne the navigation was opened about as far as Ancy lc Franc. The whole length of the canal would be 148 English miles. Up to Parry 23 locks were made, but the disposition of the summit re mains undecided.
Franche Compte is traversed by the Doubs, which rises on the side of Igontbelliard, at a small distance from the Rhine, and falls into the Soane at Verdun; this might be joined to the III, which falls into the Rhine at Strasburgh, by a canal of about 18 miles only ; or a canal might be carried from the Doubs imme diately to the Rhine, a track of about 42 miles. The point of partition, of the first canal, would be about 12 or 15 leagues to the south of the place where the Roman General Vetus proposed to join the Soane and the Mo selle ; but the navigation of the Doubs requires to be improved.
In Alsace, the canal of Malsheim, five leagues in length, with 11 locks, was made by the order of Louis XIV. from a plan of Vauban. The canal of Landau
joins the Rhine with the Quick above Spires. The ca nal of Drussenheim, made in 1706, passed by a branch of the 111. from the Rhine. There have been various projeets for canals in Alsace.
l'hcre have also been many projects for canals in Lor raine and Champagne, but our limits will not permit us to describe them.
The boats of Liege are 1151 feet long, 15 broad, and four feet three inches deep. They could be drawn up the Meuse by two horses, and go from Liege to Paris. The Barois boats are 85 feet long, 11 feet 9 inches broad, and 31 feet deep. Three horses draw two of these boats from the Nleuse. The boats upon this part of the Meuse are 107 feet long, and 14 broad. They generally pass three and three.
Among the rivers which fall into the Alarnc, is the Canal d'Ourcq or Ourque, in the Valais, to the east of Paris, between Meaux and Soissons. This is only the river Ourque, rendered navigable in 1662 for 9,0 miles, to supply the city of Paris with water and turn corn mills. Part only of the canal is made.
The river Seine is navigable only to Nogent ; it was once navigable to Polissy, 25 miles above Troyes, and five above Bar stir Seine. In 1727 the Sieur Gaillet stated, that until 1720 it had been navigated without interruption, but that, since the king became proprietor, it had been much neglected; that undertakers, hav ing re-entered in 1727, they had in the same year re paired the canal Sauvage, and also most of the other ca nals. In their contests with the merchants they stated, that in 1725, the receipts amounted to 547,482 livres, and the expenses 1160,267, being an excess of 612,785 livres, and that during 46 years they had drawn no in terest for the capital expended. It appeared in the process verbal of 28th August, 1746, that the canal Bruley was partly fitted up; that the canal of Fouchy, of 14. mile, WaS sufficiently well supported between the gates, hut these being at the extremities, were de stroyed; that the canal Barbeny was ruined; that the canals of Biance and Payens, of 21 miles, were inacces sible, and that there remained few vestiges of bridges or gates; that the canal of Savien was nearly destroy ed, and planted with willows; that those of AIesmon and of Marigny were in the same state; that the canal Sauvage had one lock destroyed; that the canal du Pont was partly filled up and the lock destroyed; and that the canal Nogcnt was choaked up at the head, and the gates destroyed. From all these circumstances, the en gineer concluded, that the navigation from Troyes could not be supported, and that there was no business at Troyes to remunerate the expense.