on Rivers and Canals . 
599 
piece; but as this production of a foreigner has been 
crowned in Italy, the country of all others in which, from 
all antiquity, the fcience of rivers and canals has been 
molt cultivated, we cannot well doubt of its merit, or that 
it is worthy of a tranllation into our own language. 
V. Other conjiderations on the nature of rivers and 
inundations . 
41. Rivers flowing along plains, as well as through, 
vallies, have naturally their beds in the loweft part of the 
ground comprized between the oppolite hills or moun- 
tains : nevertheless, the furface of the water of a river in 
the midft of a plain is often higher than the furface of 
the grounds adjacent to the banks of the river. This 
proceeds from the continual fubfiding of the mud, 8zc. 
brought down by the ftream during floods ; the waters 
in that cafe ufually overflowing the banks fpread them- 
felves over the plain, where they lofe a great part of the 
fwiftnefs of their current, which contributes greatly to the 
fubfiding of the mud they contain ; fo that the farther 
they flow upon the plain, the clearer they grow, and the 
lefs remains to fubfide. From hence the greateft preci- 
pitation of mud muft be in the parts of the plain nearefi: 
the fides of the river, which in length of time will raife 
4 I 2 thefe 
