RHINE. The Rhine is certainly the most commercial river of continental Europe. From Basel to Mainz the Rhine is navigable for barges of 100 tons ; from Mainz to Cologne, for vessels of 200 tons ; and lower down, for vessels of 300 tons. The river is connected by canals with the Saone and RhOne, the Schelde, the Meuse, and the Danube. A very important trade in colonial produce, manu factured goods, timber, coal, iron, corn, wine, and other agricultural products, is carried on by the Rhine, and its chief navigable feeders, the Moselle, the Main, and the Neckar. This trade has been greatly increased by the policy of Prussia, which has rendered most of the large towns on her part of the river free ports ; and the resolution of the government of the Netherlands, in February, 1850, to abolish the Rhine duties altogether, is likely to add a great stimulus to this traffic. The river is now navigated by the steam-vessels of three companies—those of the Cologne Company, plying between Arnheim in Holland and Strasbourg ; the Dusseldorf Company, be tween Rotterdam and Mannheim; and the Dutch Company's boats from Rotterdam to Mainz. From Basel a railroad runs along the
right bank of the river to Wiesbaden, and another runs along the left to Strasbourg, whence a line, now nearly completed, passes to Paris. A short line joins Bonn with Cologne, and from Deutz, a suburb of the latter, a line runs through Diisseldorf into the great railway system of North Ger. many.
This important river gives name to two of the busiest districts of the continent; viz., Haut Rhin and Ras Rhin, in France, and Rhein Provinz, in Prussia ; these are de scribed, in respect to their industrial features, under ALSACE, and RHENISH PRUSSIA.