Encyclopædia americana. A popular dictionary of arts, sciences, literature, history, politics and biography, a new ed.; including a copious collection of original articles in American biography; on the basis of the 7th ed. of the German Conversations-lexicon. Ed. by Francis Lieber, assisted by E. Wigglesworth ...

452 CANALS OF FRANCE.
a communication between the Mediterra- The breadth is from 25 feet 7 inches to
nean at the city of Cette, and the Atlantic 32 feet, at the surface of the water, and
ocean at the mouth of the Garonne, pass- the depth from 44 feet, when full, to 2
ing through the province of Languedoc, feet, when lowest. The boats are from
and is supplied by the rivers Garonne and 96 to 102 feet long, and 13 feet 10 inches
Gironde, and their tributaries. It was broad. The expense of its construction
undertaken in 1664, 22 years after that is stated at 8,000,000 francs, or about
of Briare was completed, and finished in $1,500,000.-The canal of Loing is a
1680; being 148 English miles in length, continuation of the navigation of that of
from the coast of the Mediterranean to Orleans, and the northern part of that of
Toulouse, where it meets the Garonne; Briare, commencing from the northern
64 feet wide at the surface of the water, extremity of that of Briare, and extending
mid 34 or 35 feet at the bottom; rising, at to the river Seine, terminating in the
the summit, 200 metres, or about 640 feet, neighborhood of Fontainebleau. It was
above tide-water, and having 114 locks, completed in 1723, is 33 miles long, 44
varying in lift from 4 to 12 feet, and nav- feet broad at the surface, 34 at the botigated by boats 85 feet long, and from tom, and from 4 to 5 feet deep. The
17 to 19 broad, drawing 5 feet 4 inches towing path, on each side, is 6 feet 5
of water, and of 100 tons burthen. The inches broad, outside of which, on each
reservoir of St. Ferrol is situated at the side, is an embankment, like the levees on
summit-level, where a body of water more the Mississippi, or the dykes of Holland,
than five French leagues in length is ac- 3 feet high, 19 feet broad at the base, and
cumulated, for the supply of the canal, 12 feet 9 inches at the top, to prevent the
from the streams falling from the neigh- waters from overflowing during floods.
boring mountains. This reservoir and The whole descent is 136 feet 8 inches,
the basins at Castelnaudary cover 595 divided among 21 locks, which vary in
acres. The canal passes under a moun- lift from 4 to 7 feet, and in breadth from
tain at Beziers, by a tunnel of 720 feet 151 to 16. The cost is stated at 2,500,000
in length, lined throughout with free- fiancs, or about $466,000.. It was constone-a kind of construction novel at the structed about the same time with the
time when the canal was made, though canal of Orleans.-The canal of the cennow comnmon. The canal is crossed by tre, called, also, that of Charolois, and
92 road-bridges, and has 55 aqueduct likewise a branch of the "Grand Navigabridges. It was completed under Louis tion," completed in 1791, leaves the Loire
XIV, under the direction of FranQois at Digoin, follows the banks of the Arran,
Andreossi, as engineer. It is estimated then theleft bank of the Bourbonne, and
to have cost 33,000,000 francs, or about passes by Parce, Genelard, Aire and
$6,160,000; in comparing which with Blauzey, to the lakes of Monschamin and
the cost of similar works in Great Britain Long-pendu, which form the summitand the U. States,:allowance must, as level, the rise being 240 feet, by 30 locks,
above suggested, be made for the differ- in 6300 metres. The summit-level is a
ence in the value of money, the same distance of 3940 metres, whence the canominal cost, in France, being a much nal descends, by the river Dheune, to St.
greater actual cost, in this comparison. — Julian, where it crosses that river, and
The canal of Orleans was the next in passes along the right bank by St. Benain,
order of time, having been begun in 1675, St. Leger and St. Gilles, to Chagny,
and completed in 1692, 12 years after leaves the valley of the Dheune, and
that of Languedoc. It branches from the crosses towards the river Halia, which it
Loire, near to Orleans, 36 miles below follows to its junction with the Soane at
the place where the canal of Briare meets Chalons, the descent from the summit
that river, and joins the canal of Briare at being 400 feet by 50 locks, in a distance
Montargis, being 45 miles long. One of 47,000 metres; the whole length of the
object of its construction was to save the canal being about 71 miles, the breadth.
difficult navigation on the Loire, between at the surface of the water, 48 feet, at the
Orleans and the junction of the canal of bottom 30 feet, the depth of the water
Briare with that river, and to open a 54 feet, the length of each lock 100 feet,
shorter route of communication between and its breadth 16. The cost of this canal
the Lower Loire and Paris.:It has 28 is stated at 11,000,000 francs, or about
locks, varying from 1364 to 1774 feet in $2,060,000.-The canal of St. Quintin
length, and of lifts from 5 feet 4 inches to unites the Scheldt with the canal of
12 feet 7 inches. From the Loire to the Flanders. It was projected, in 1727, by
summit, the ascent is 98 feet 2 inches. the military engineer Devieq, but not