448 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



which led him to reflect still further, resulting in an improved plan of gates, 

 which he desired to have tested by the State, and thought the attention of 

 those interested in the success of our canals might be sufficiently awakened 

 through the voice of the Institute to cause it the more rapidly to be brought 

 into notice. His mind, also, was so occupied with canal matters, that it 

 led him to examine into their history. It appeared, from all the informa- 

 tion that could be gathered, that all countries have, at an early period in 

 their progress, considered the matter of so much importance, that it was 

 one of their chief objects to render internal communication by water as 

 general as possible. 



Long before the Christian era canals existed in Egypt, originally for pur- 

 poses of irrigation, and subsequently for the passage of boats. The im- 

 portance of canals was early appreciated by the Chinese, with whom a 

 corqplete system of them has long been in operation. Unacquainted with 

 locks, they, and European nations as well, used inclined planes to raise or 

 lower their boats from one level to the other, by means of the capstan. 



In the twelfth century canals w^ere introduced into the Netherlands. 

 Their adaptation to the flat country of Holland caused them to be rapidly 

 extended through that country until they connected nearly all their villages, 

 and were used as the principal means of communication. 



Canals were not, however, introduced into European countries generally 

 until the invention of locks occurred, which was in the fourteenth century. 

 From that period to the present all countries have paid particular attention 

 to creating a system of inland, or inter-water communication, which 

 embraces various modes, either by canal, lake or river, or all combined, as 

 we have it in this State. The system of inland navigation is, perhaps, as 

 well developed in this as in any State or countrj^ of the world, yet it is not 

 what it should be, by any means. 



Previous to the introduction of railways into England there had been 

 made over two thousand miles of canal, besides slack-water navigation. 

 Canals were first introduced into this country by Massachusetts, in 1792. 

 In 1795 the James river and .Kanawha canal was projected by General 

 Washington. The object of this canal was to connect Eichmond with the 

 great northwest, which the statesmen of that day clearly saw would be the 

 great agricultural region of this continent. 



A canal was commenced on a small scale and extended for a few miles 

 only. It has undergone several enlargements, and now reaches Covington, 

 some 200 miles from Richmond. Whether the dream of the projectors of 

 this canal will ever be realized, it is now impossible to tell, but if, in the 

 mutations of time, Virginia shall be regenerated, it is not improbable. 

 Nearly every State of the Union has built canals to connect the rivers or 

 lakes within their borders, in order to expedite transit, or render parts 

 heretofore shut out, more accessible to and from the seaboard. 



It was left for the State of New York, however, to perfect the most 

 important chain of inland navigation ever known. Not that the Erie was 

 the longest or largest canal that had been built, but the conception and 

 completion of it in so brief a period, and the evidence of its success being 

 witnessed by its projectors, makes it the grandest work of modern times. 



Witnessing the progress this State was making, Pennsjdvania undertook 



