Near the village of Pannerden, which is within the territories of Holland, the Rhine divides into two arms, of which the southern is called the Waal, and the northern preserves the name of Rhine. Nearly two-thirds of the volume of water run into the Waal, which is more than 210 yards wide, while the Rhine is only 114 yards wide. The Waal runs westward, and the Rhine north-north-west. The Rhine divides again about 12 miles lower down, above Arnheim, into the Yssel, which runs to the north, and the Rhine, which turns off to the west. The Yssel was originally a canal, cut by Drumm, to unite the Rhine with the river which is now called Oude (Old) Yesel. It falls into the Zuider-Zee. The Rhine running westward divides for the third time about 30 miles lower down, at Wyck. The southern arm is called the Leek, and the northern goes by the name of Kromme-Rhyn (Crooked Rhine) : the Leck is the larger river. The Crooked Rhine runs north-west to Utrecht., where it divides for the fourth and last time. The arm which runs northward is called the Vecht, and falls into the Zuider-Zee ; the other, whose name is changed into that of Oude-Ryn (Old Rhine), continues westward through the marshes of Holland, where the waters are used for feeding numerous small canals. It passes through Leyden, and formerly did not reach the sea, being prevented by some sandy dunes which line the shores of this part of Holland ; but in 1807 a canal was made through them, and the river now discharges a small quantity of water into the sea at Katwyck, north-west of Leyden. (Howorn.) Tho Leek, or middle branch of the Rhine, was originally also a canal, made by the Roman general Corbulo ; and it existed as such to A.D. 839, when the bed was greatly enlarged by an inundation, and thus it became the principal river, and the true Rhine was reduced to insignificance. It runs from Wyck by Duurstede westward for about 50 miles, and enters an arm of the Meuse that runs along the north shore of the island of Ysselmondo. [Jlaesz.] The Waal runs about 80 miles from Pannerden to Gorkum, where it flows into the Maas. A branch of the Meuse, called the West Kil, leaves the main stream • few miles below its junction with the Waal. After flowing through the Bies-Bosch it runs west, and takes the name of HollandeeDiep, which divides into two, the arms that inclose the island of Over-Flackee. [Mstrar..] The whole country between the arms of the Rhine is intersected by numerous canals, most of which serve for the purpose of internal navigation, though only for small boats. The whole course of the Rhine amounts to about 870 miles, of which about 570 miles, from Basel to its mouths, are navigable.
The delta of the Rhine is bounded on the east by the Vessel, on the south by the Waal and the Mass, and on the other sides by the North Sea and the ZuiderZeo ; it comprehends the whole of the three Dutch provinces of North and South' Holland and Utrecht, and nearly two thirds of Guelderland. The whole extent of the low country near the mouths of the Rhine is nearly 5000 square miles. All this country would occasionally bo covered with the inundations of the river, or by the sea, if it were not protected by embankments. The river embank ments begin at Wesel, in the Prussian province of Diisseldorf, and extend on both aides of the different arms of the Rhine to the sea. These embankments are generally from 25 to 30 feet above the lowest level of the river. In the basin of the Rhine the winter usually lasts from six weeks to two months, during which time the river is covered with ice, and the snow accumulates in the adjacent countries. If the snow has fallen in greater quantities than usual, and is suddenly dissolved by warm nitre, the river in a short time swells to an extra ordinary height, and lays the contiguous lowlands under water. No part of these lowlands is more subject to such inundations than the Betuwe, or that tract which extends between the Rhine and Leck on the north and the Waal on the 'south. When such inundations take
place they are always attended with great love of property, and some times of life. The basin of the Rhine is estimated at about 80,000 square miles, of which about 13,000 miles are assigned to the upper, 40,000 miles to the middle, and 27,000 miles to the lower basin of the Rhine.
Ancient writers differ rospectiug the number of mouths by which the Rhino falls into the ocean. Crew says that there are several, but Virgil (' viii. 727), Asinius (Strab., iv. p. 193), and Tacitus (' Ann.,' ii. 6) speak only of two ; of which, according to Tacitus, the western is called Vahalis till its union with the Moan, when it takes the name of the latter river, while the eastern, which forms the boundary between Gaul and Germany, preserves the name of Rhine. Pliny (' Hist. Nat.,' Iv. 29), Ptolemseus (ii. 9), and other writers say that the Rhine falls into the sea by three mouths, of which the eastern, according to Pliny, was called Flevum, and the western, formed by the union with Moss, Helium; while the middle one, which was only a stream of moderate size, retained the name of Rhine. The channel called Flevum is supposed to have been formed by the canal which Druaus dug to connect the Rhine with the Leda (Yawl), and by means of which he and Germanieua sailed to the ocean. (Suet., 'Cland.,' e. i.; Tau, 'Ann.,' ii. 8.) The Leda, increased by the waters of the Rhine, flowed northward into a great lake called Flevo,on issuing frees which it became • river meein, and fell Into the ocean after females an island of the mine name. liL 2.) In course of time the me made great inroads upon the land round the mouth of this river, till e length It eubmerged that part of the eountry, and became united with the lake neve, thus forming the modern Znirier-Zee.
Though the basin of the Rhine extends from 46* 30' to 52' N. lat., many the whets of It has the sena climate. The distance between the upper and lower basin, amounting to about fire degrees, le com pensated by the greeter elevation of the upper twin. Thus the plains of R•iteerland, which are about 1400 feet high. resemble in climate the tow countries which U. between 61* and 52' N. let. The countries In the middle basin, being less elevated In proportion, enjoy a some. what talkie climate than the plains of Switzerland and the lowlands near the mouth of the Rhine.
The Mine Is connected by canals with the Sabo* and the &held., the )1 OW., and the Danube. A very important trade in eelanlal produce, manufactured good., timber, coal, Iron, corn, wino, and agneultuml products, is carried on by the lthine and its chief navigeble feeniere, the Moselle, the Mayn, the Ruhr, and the Neckar. The annual Maio on the Rhine and its tributaries amounts to 5,250,000 tons, of which 3,500,000 tons belong to the Rhine exclusively, and about 1,000,000 tons to the Ruhr. The free navigation of the river was gnarenteed by the stipulation, of the treaty of Vienna, but every ono of the seven eatee—Switserhind, France, Baden, Bavaria, Prussia, lieem-Dernsstait, and Holland—through which it passes, or which, it touches. from the point where it becomes navigable to the North SCA, demand toll on goods and vessels passing their respective territories. The duties it is true have been considerably reduced from time to time, especially by Hollind, but still they are very onerous. To give mem Idea of the vexation, and stoppages caused by the system of Rhine tolls, it is only necessary to state that in 1854 a Teasel of about 130 tons paid on the Rhine, between Emmerich and lilayence, in recognition dries and duties, no leas than 821. 4s. sterling, or above 12a. 7d. a ton. The commerce and navigation of the Moselle, the Maya, the Ruhr, and the Neckar, are restricted in a similar way. The Rhine V navigated by eteam-boate belonging to several companies, and by many metto-tugs and colliers, which ply with coals between the Ruhr and the principal towns on the Rhine.