290 Mr Maclaren’s Account of the Ancient Comal 
proof that there are really no obstacles to be encountered, which 
modern skill would not easily surmount. It appears from the 
survey of Admiral Rosily, who examined this sea with much 
care, in the frigate Venus in 1787, that trading ships navigat- 
ing the Gulf, would not be exposed to any other difficulties than 
such as are common to all narrow seas. 44 On doit rester con- 
vaincu que tous les batimens de commerce n’y trouveront pas 
des difficultes d’une autre nature que celles qui sont communes 
a tous les mers etroites,” p. 107. 
Were European civilisation and a regular government per- 
ininently- established in Egypt, the undertaking would be found 
not only practicable but easy. So great in fact are the facilities 
which the ground presents, that though the canal, taking the 
magnitude of its section into account, would certainly be the 
largest that exists, the expence would be considerably less than 
that of some smaller works of the same kind, executed in western 
Europe. The full depth would be from 16 to 18 feet ; the 
length of the bed artificially formed, including the branch to 
Tyneh, would be about 117 miles ; yet the locks would not ex- 
ceed six or seven in number, and the work could be completed 
in four years, at the estimated expence of L. 691,000. This 
is only about L. 6000 per mile. The smallest canals executed 
in England, with a depth of 4 feet, and a sectional area fifteen 
times less, cost about the same sum per mile ; and the Union 
Canal at Edinburgh, whose depth is 5 feet, cost twice as much. 
The great canal of Languedoc, executed under Louis the XIV. 
which is 152 miles long, and 6 feet deep, was finished in 15 
years, at an expence of 13 millions of livres, (L. 650,008) *. 
At this day, it would probably cost a million and a half Ster- 
ling, though the cubic contents of its bed are not above a 
fourth of those of the Egyptian canal. It has, however, 100 
locks, and its summit level is 639 feet above the sea. The Ca- 
ledonian Canal, exclusive of the locks, is 21 J miles long, has 
about 15, but is intended to have 20, feet of depth, and has 22 
locks ; its summit level is 93 feet above the sea ; and it has cost 
very nearly a million Sterling. The cubic contents of its bed. 
Dictionnaire Universel de la France, Paris 1771, art. Languedoc , 
