﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  431 
  

  

  success, 
  as, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  winding 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  the 
  floods 
  

   confined 
  at 
  one 
  point 
  escaped 
  at 
  another, 
  and 
  took 
  their 
  defenses 
  

   in 
  reverse. 
  This 
  deplorable 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  Rhine 
  valley 
  con- 
  

   tinued 
  until 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  century, 
  when 
  the 
  

   population, 
  already 
  greatly 
  reduced 
  by 
  poverty 
  and 
  disease, 
  was 
  

   daily 
  decreasing 
  owing 
  to 
  emigration 
  to 
  America. 
  

  

  Colonel 
  Tulla, 
  of 
  the 
  engineers, 
  an 
  eminent 
  authority 
  on 
  

   hydraulics 
  at 
  that 
  time, 
  by 
  repeated 
  and 
  unremitting 
  exertions, 
  

   induced 
  the 
  government, 
  in 
  1817, 
  to 
  undertake 
  a 
  thorough 
  survey 
  

   of 
  the 
  entire 
  Rhine 
  valley. 
  Upon 
  that 
  survey 
  was 
  based 
  the 
  

   project 
  for 
  the 
  radical 
  regulation 
  of 
  the 
  Rhine 
  bed, 
  which 
  was 
  

   approved 
  and 
  ratified 
  by 
  treaty 
  between 
  the 
  border 
  states 
  of 
  

   France, 
  Bavaria 
  and 
  the 
  Grand 
  Duchies 
  of 
  Baden 
  and 
  Hesse, 
  

   and 
  according 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  regulation 
  of 
  the 
  Rhine 
  was 
  carried 
  

   out 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  1819-1863. 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  consisted 
  in 
  regulating 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  

   making 
  it 
  more 
  direct. 
  This 
  necessitated 
  the 
  excavation 
  of 
  

   twenty-three 
  considerable 
  cuts, 
  which 
  reduced 
  the 
  distance 
  by 
  

   river 
  between 
  Mannheim 
  and 
  Basle 
  from 
  252 
  to 
  169 
  kilometres, 
  

   and 
  increased 
  the 
  fall 
  30 
  per 
  cent. 
  Further, 
  the 
  stream 
  was 
  

   confined 
  to 
  a 
  uniform 
  channel 
  of 
  suitable 
  section, 
  both 
  banks 
  

   were 
  substantially 
  protected, 
  the 
  old 
  river 
  bed 
  and 
  all 
  branches 
  

   were 
  filled 
  in, 
  and 
  the 
  land 
  thus 
  reclaimed 
  was 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  

   brought 
  under 
  cultivation. 
  

  

  The 
  above 
  mentioned 
  regulation 
  of 
  the 
  Rhine 
  may 
  be 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  extensive 
  and 
  interesting 
  undertakings 
  

   of 
  the 
  kind 
  ever 
  attempted 
  in 
  Europe. 
  It 
  is 
  proved 
  that 
  the 
  

   following 
  advantages 
  have 
  been 
  secured: 
  

  

  a) 
  The 
  river 
  has 
  undeviatingly 
  followed 
  the 
  new 
  course 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  for 
  it 
  ; 
  has 
  deepened 
  its 
  bed 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  two 
  metres 
  in 
  

   some 
  places, 
  and 
  lowered 
  the 
  mean 
  water-level 
  proportionately. 
  

   Flood-water 
  also 
  has 
  been 
  passed 
  more 
  quickly. 
  

  

  b) 
  The 
  general 
  water-level 
  being 
  thus 
  reduced 
  in 
  hight, 
  ex- 
  

   tensive 
  tracts 
  of 
  sw 
  T 
  ampy 
  ground 
  have 
  been 
  laid 
  dry 
  and 
  eon- 
  

   verted 
  into 
  fertile 
  arable 
  land. 
  Further, 
  more 
  than 
  20,000 
  hec- 
  

   tares 
  of 
  old 
  river 
  bed, 
  water-holes 
  and 
  sandbanks 
  have 
  been 
  

   reclaimed, 
  and 
  brought 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  measure 
  under 
  cultivation; 
  

   and 
  lastly, 
  the 
  low-lying 
  tracts 
  are 
  now 
  no 
  longer 
  exposed 
  to 
  

   inundations. 
  

  

  c) 
  The 
  sanitary 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  Rhine 
  valley 
  has 
  visibly 
  im- 
  

   proved, 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  prosperity 
  of 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  materially 
  

   increased. 
  

  

  d) 
  According 
  to 
  the 
  concurrent 
  reports 
  of 
  experts, 
  govern- 
  

   ment 
  officials 
  and 
  local 
  authorities, 
  the 
  benefits 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  

   regulation 
  of 
  the 
  Rhine 
  are 
  so 
  considerable 
  that 
  the 
  capital 
  laid 
  

  

  