Denmark and Holstein.
The ancient canal Stecknitz has already been men tioned in the description of Prussia.
The canal of Keil unites the Baltic with the river Eyder, which falls into the North Sea below Toningen, and thereby forms a short transit across the isthmus of Jutland. This canal WaS begun in the year 1777, and finished in 1784. Its length is 221 nines; breadth 100 feet at top, and 54 at bottom; depth of water 10 feet, and it admits vessels of 120 tons. It commences three iniles north of Keil, at the mouth of the Lewcrisawe; it rises 27 feet, by three locks, to the summit level, when the Hemhuder, lake supplies lockage water ; it falls thence by two locks of eight feet each, and a regulating lock (at Renclesburg) of 5 to 7.1 feet, into the Eyder. Thc locks are 100 feet long, and 27 feet wide. The Eyder continues navigable from Rendesburg, 82 miles to Tonningen on the Ocean, but is much obstructed by shilling sands.
Russia.
This vast empire has, at all times, enjoyed, by means of its numerous great rivers, a navigation of great ex tent and importance. The artificial improvements had their origin from the Czar Peter, whose ardent and com prehensive mind not only conceived these projects, but in person examined, and, on the ground, determined their outlines. Even after his defeat at Narva, he im mediately. planned the junction of the Baltic with the Caspian and Black or Euxine Seas. During his travels, amongst many other laudable actions, lie engaged inge nious persons to plan and conduct his projected inland navigations. In 1698, colonel Brecknell, a German, was employed to form a communication between the Volga and the Don, the czar having at that time an idea of fixing his capital at the mouth of the latter ; but, either from the colonel's want of experience, or the incapacity of the workmen employed, the operations which he at tempted failed, and he clandestinely left the country. In the same year, the czar, being in England, engaged cap tain Pert), for that and similar purposes. When he reached the place where colonel Iimiknell had been at wurk, he fount] the only lock in which he had been cm ployed in ruins. The czar had ordered 30,000 men to be put under captain Perry's direction; but nut one-half ever arrived. The governor of the province, and boy
ards of the country., were very averse to improvements, and contended that it was presumptuous to attempt changing the course of rivers, which were assigned to them by heaven. Indeed, the project appears to have been premature. In 1702, Perry was ordered to suspend his operations in that quarter, and was sent to Varenetz, on the Don, to construct a dock for repairing large war vessels. Ilere he was employed until 1708, when the czar, proceeding rapidly with his new capital at Peters burgh, began to be sensible that it was necessary to open water communications, to carry supplies of food, Ste. from the southern and eastern provinces. Captain Perry was directed to survey the country, in order to as certain the best lines of communication between the Neva and the Volga. He made a regular survey of three lines, and of these two only have yet been effected, in an imperfect manner. That to the north has the dif ficulties of the lakes Onega and Ladoga, and that to the south being carried along shallow rivers, which are only rendered navigable by flashes. The central line, though most direct, is the highest, and at its summit there is a land carriage of 80 versts. But it is most probable that the inland navigation of this country will always be mostly upon natural rivers, and here, as in other northern countries, during the winter months, there is a conve nient and useful land carriage, in every direction, over the snow and ice.
The invention of steam boats will probably, in time, go far towards correcting the inconveniences of river navi gation, and will therefore be an important acquisition to Russia. The experiments already made upon the Neva and Volga, by Mr. Charles Baird, a Scotsman, confirm this opinion. The Volga is navigable from the Caspian for 2000 miles to Rchef, 130 miles north-west of :Mos cow ; to Orel, on the Oka branch, and to Moscow ; to Vishnie Voloohok, nearly midway between Moscow and Petersburgh ; to Sominska, near lake Onega ; and also to a great height in the Kaura, the Vatshka, the Una, and other intermediate branches. It thus forms a navi gation through an equilateral triangle, 1100 miles of a side.