18'2 1 .1 Letter of an English Gent hman from South America. 



been already in part accomplished by 

 one of the laic fcovcrnors of San Juan, 

 ■vrlio, for the pnipose of rendeiing" tlio 

 laud (it foi- cullivulion, cut a canal 

 about two miles long, to connect the 

 liver with a natural hollow or chau- 

 Jiel; and from this a shorter canal, to 

 connect this first channel with a second 

 one of ninch s;reater extent, from 

 Avhich, with little trouble, the water 

 might be tlnown ail over the land. 

 Although he made his coniniunication 

 Miththe river at a very ill-judged silu- 

 ation, and formed the level of his piin- 

 cipal canal somewhat higher than the 

 natural surface of the river, yet he 

 actually succeeded in causing the water 

 to How, along his lirst and principal 

 «anal, into the first natural hollow ; 

 and, if I misiake not, even as tar as Hk; 

 second hollow ; and thus, over all the 

 land, by means of an embankment 

 thrown nearly across the river, and in 

 t!;is manner raising its level consi- 

 derably ; but this embankment, having 

 been composed of vcr)'iusuffieieutma- 

 terials, was soon afterwards carried 

 away by a torrent of the river : when, 

 owing lo the clamours of the people, 

 and some political changes, he was 

 eventually obliged to relinquish tlie 

 undertaking when thus nearly accum- 

 plishcd; and, subsequently, no one has 

 been funnd possessed of suflicieut en- 

 terprise to resume the project. 



'J"he plan which appeared to us the 

 most advisable for the aceoniplishment 

 of the same object with better success, 

 was the following: to make an entire 

 new canal, of about three quarters of a 

 mile in extent, to connect the first and 



127 



the nimierous sifnalions which present 

 themselves in an extent of uncultivated 

 land of three or four leagues, which 

 intervened between this place and the 

 nearest situation above where any 

 canal is taken ofi' from the river for 

 the purpose of irrigation ; and, judging 

 of the diflerence of level bit ween these 

 two situations, as ascertained by the 

 eye, and the few and imperfect baro- 

 metrical observations I was enabled to 

 raakC; the possibility of accomplishing 

 our purpose at some one of these 

 situations, nmst henceforth be placed 

 beyond all dimbt. 



The result of all these enquiries 

 was sulEcient to satisfy every one of 

 us of the practicability, as well as 

 advantages, of the undertaking; and 

 all appeared willing to engage in the 

 project, ])rovided means conld be 

 devised for canying it on to advan- 

 tage, and with a prospect of ultimate 

 success. Being myself the only one 

 who had rhj direct correspondence 

 with Great Eritain, I was induced to 

 promise my assistance, in endeavour- 

 ing to form for them a mutually ad- 

 vantageous connexion M'itii some re- 

 spectable individual in London, de- 

 sirous cf uniting with them in a 

 sclieme of forming a British colony in 

 this country. 



To the Editor of the Monthly 3Iagazine, 



SIK, 



CONVINCED that, from some of 

 your intelligent correspondents, 

 I can obtain satisfactory information 

 concerning the accuracy or inaccuracy 

 of my i)articular opinions on the suh- 



sccond uaturalchanncis: tomakeuseof jeet oi yrammaiical Comparison; I pre- 

 sume to submit them to public ordeal 

 in the pages of your extcnsivelj^-nir- 

 culated Magazine, if you regard tliciu 

 as worth so distinguished a favour. 



Comparison is the regarding the dif- 

 ference or the similarity of objects. 

 I'herefore, it may regard, — 1. Either 

 the quality alfeeting a certain object, 

 as compared with the same quality 

 affecting some other object ; — or, 2. 

 The quality itself, as comparable witli 

 some conception of its particular pro- 

 perties. 



Adjectives denote those conceptions 

 which regard the characteristic quali- 

 ties of objects. The mind, in con- 

 templating (jualities, mostly regards 

 especially contradistinction ; but tho 

 possibility of variation in the nature 

 and the plenitude of tho charactcrislie 

 quality of objects belonging to the 



&u:i.u 



the large canal in its presentstale, only 

 closing its extremity next the river, 

 and continuing it uj) along the banks 

 of the river about 5 to ^ of a mile, 

 where a small island, and a natural 

 bend of tiie river, favours the direction 

 of the current; fortifying the island 

 with stakes, an{l continuing uj) from it 

 in an oblique direction, either alto- 

 gether across 'he river or nearly so, a 

 .sullieient embankment to throw the 

 whole or the greater part of the river 

 into the canal. In the event, however, 

 of any dilliculty arising here, from the 

 want of suflicient height in the level of 

 the river, or our not taking into the 

 canal the whole of the river, always 

 reserving to oursi.-lvcs tli<'. power of 

 <;ontimiii)g our canal still higher nj) 

 the riv<'r, anil forming our connimni- 

 cation with the latter at some one of 



