It is in the north of Spain that the chief canal opera tions have taken place. The line projected in Old Castile, exclusive of the principal branch to the cities of Castile and Leon, from Segovia to Olea, (a small village near Reynosa,) is about 99 miles in length.
In the province of Cainpos, to the west of Pisuerga, another canal has been projected, to pass by Medina de Rioseco, and at Grisotu would unite with the canal of Castile. In 1754 it was commenced. As the canal of Campos would be very imperfect without the canal of Caqtle, the king, in 1750, ordered the former to be in terrupted, and the northern part of the latter cemmen ced, by taking the water from Pisuerga, and continued to the canal of Campos; and 18 miles have actually been made, and 14 locks.
The imperial caoal, projected by the Emperor Charles V. was not properly begun till 1770. It was to be carried along the vale of the Ebro, and ultimately to the Bay of Biscay. It should receive the waters of the Ebro at Tudela in 'Navarre, and from that place descend towards Saragossa and Quint°. An open cut has already been made across a mountain eight miles in length, and 203 feet high. (See Lalande.) The cut is 381 feet in breadth, and has 6 feet 5 inches of water. Charles V. had at tempted to penetrate the mountain by a tunnel ; but though the work fell down, and the enterprise was aban dontd, the project has retained the name of the Imperial Canal.
The designs we have here described are not unfre quently more extensive than practicable, and in some instances more practicable than useful. They have been more the projects of speculative statesmen than the sug gestions of geneial prosperity, and seem to have been rather contemplated as excitements to, than produced as the results of useful industry.
Germany.
This large portion of Europe has been so long divided into intricate local jurisdictions, that no extensive in land navigation could be accomplished ; yet, notwith standing many local vexatious obstacles, Germany, by means of its fine rivers, cnjoys a very considerable in land navigation, and even some artificial canals.
Charlemagne conceived the project of uniting the Rhine with the Danube by means of two small streams near Nuremberg ; one of which falls into the Main, the other into the Danube. He actually deepened one of them two miles ; but the project was abandoned.
The great channel of trade from the north to the south of Germany has always passed nearly in this line.
Charles V. proposed uniting the Danube with the Elbe hy means of the Moldwa ; but this scheme yet re mains in embryo.
Switzerland and the Rhine.
In Switzerland, a company of Dutchmen and others began the canal of Yverdun. 'flic objects were, to drain marshes at the head of the Lake Neufchatel, and form a navigation from thence to the Lake of Geneva, near Lausanne, thereby connecting the Riiine with tl.e Rhone. Twelve miles of this navigation weie completed ; but France, possessing Alsace, objected to its extension, so that it iS now only maintained to Entre Roche, about nine miles. It is about 251 feet in breadth, and has twelve locks. Boats pass from it through the lakes of Yverdun and Bienne to the Aar, which is navigable to the Rhine.
Descending the Rhine, we meet with the canals of Alsace, which have been already described under France. After them, excepting some short cuts, such as one of 3 miles from the Rhine to Franthal, near Manheim, made in 1775, and another from Durlac to Carlsruhe, wc find nothing worthy of notice till we reach the frontiers of Holland, In this place we do not propose to enter iF,to the de tails of the navigation of the great German rivers, which will be found under their proper names. The Rhine is navigable from Switzerland to the sea. The current is generally rapid, somctimes four to five miles an hour, even as low as Dusseldorf. The principal descending trade begins at Basle. The only remarkable obstruc tion below that place is at Bingon, wheie a reef of rocks runs across the channel, leaving a passage of nine or ten yards only for boats during low water. The floods of the Rhine are gentle, but of long continuance, being re gulated by the lakes of Switzerland.
Few loaded boats ascend to Basle, on account of the rapid currents and want of tovving paths ; but the large Dutch boats come tu Strasburgh. They are 120 fect long, 12 feet broad, and eight feet deep in the hold. They draw six feet water, and, when loaded, draw 150 tons. In tracking, eight horses, four conductors, and six boatmen, are employed. They descend mith oars, having nine boatmen and three pilots.