CAN 
In Spain it has frequently been propofed to cut a canal 
through the ifthmus of Darien, from Panama to Nombre 
de Dios, to effe£t a communication between the Atlantic 
and South Seas, and thus open a ftraight padage to China 
and the Eaft-Indies : but ilie project appears to have been 
conlidered as chimerical, and treated with ridicule. It 
cannot, however, be fuppofed, that the Spaniards would 
negleft to furnifh their own country with canals, of which 
it is really in want, and yet be anxious to improve, by 
means of Inch works, a colony, and that a barren moun¬ 
tainous country, at 3000 miles difiance. Spain has never¬ 
theless attempted fomething in the way of canals, to im¬ 
prove the internal part of that country ; but very much is 
wanted to complete them, and to render them ufeful and 
profitable. In 1785 the famous canal of Arragon began to 
juftify the hopes which had been entertained-of it ; (ince 
the reign of Charles V. fome I'mall v.eflels from Tudela 
arrived at SaragolFa, where they were received with the 
mod lively demondrations of joy. Two canals, that of 
Tatille, and .the Imperial Canal, both of which begin at 
Navarre, and have the fame depth of water, run in vari¬ 
ous windings through Arragon, and by turns recede from 
or approach the river Ebro, till they at length fall into it. 
The rivers, which, from the north of Navarre and Arra¬ 
gon, formerly emptied their waters into the Ebro, contri¬ 
buted to the flouridling condition of they had before ufe- 
lefsly watered, when the Ebro was made to receive the 
merchandife they brought. This undertaking has been 
effected by labours, that deferve no lefs admiration than 
that excited by the wonders of the canal of Languedoc. 
Beddes the dykes, banks, and Unices, with the larger and 
fmaller bridges, which the two canals in their courfe ren¬ 
dered necedary, there has been confirufled in the valley 
of Riojalon, an aqueduct 710 fathoms in length, and feven- 
teen feet thick at the bafe, in which the canal runs. 
Another canal, which has made but flow progrefs, is 
cut out of the river Pifuerga, which runs from north to 
fouth ; the waters of which it was intended fiiould be made 
to fupply the canal of Caftile. This project was after¬ 
wards abandoned, to the great prejudice of Old Caftile, 
which only waits for fucli an opportunity for the fale and 
increafe of its productions. The canal was to begin at 
Segovia,, and follow the courfe of the Erafma, which falls 
into the Duero, to be continued as far north as Reynofa, 
receiving from the rivulets in its padage the tribute of 
their waters. Reynofa is but twenty leagues from St. An- 
der; a lea port where all the merchandiie exported from 
Old Caftile is ftiipped. 
Spain owes to the fovereigns of the houfe of Bourbon 
the few canals die polfelfes. The canal of Murcia was 
lienee eagerly fet on foot; but the completion of it has 
been found impracticable : the fubicribers,. indead of the 
profit which their avidity grafped at, mud; content them- 
feives with the intereft the king pays them. In 1784, the 
minifter adopted a project much more brilliant and ufeful 
thau that he .was thus obliged to abandon. A canal was 
planed, w hich, beginning at the foot of the mountains of 
Guadarruma, near the Efeitrial, (hould proceed to join the 
Tagus, afterwards the Guadiana, and terminate at the 
Guadalquiver above Anduxar; and which, conffequently, 
would give new life and activity to the'interior parts of 
Spain,, the leaf! populous and 1110ft barren parts of the 
kingdom. A Frenchman of abilities, named Le Maur, 
gave in the plan, and was preparing to carry it into exe¬ 
cution, but died (bon afterwards. The impulfe- however 
was given, the money fubferibed, and the eftimate made, 
and the undertaking has been continued by the fonsof Le 
Maur, who inherited from their father all his plans, and 
a portion of his talents. Another canal was afterwards 
begun under the admiuiftration of M. de Grimaldi, to join 
the river Manzanares at the Tagus: fcar.cely were three 
leagues of it Lin:(Tied, when want of capital and induftry 
lufpended the works : the only advantage derived from it 
is,, the produce of a few mills 3. and this is ablorbed in the 
A L. 67 5 
repairs of bridges and fluices, and the falaries of the per- 
fons employed. 
America cannot be expected as yet to afford many 
examples of improvement by canals; but having an im- 
menfe fea-coaft, the whole length of which abounds w ith 
excellent bays and harbours, while the internal parts 
are interfered with the nobleft rivers; little art is want¬ 
ing to give that country all the advantages of inland 
navigation. The canals propofed at South Key, Suf- 
quehannah, and Delaware, and the improvements of the 
Pofomak river, will open a communication from the Ca- 
rolinas to the weftern countries, and will give a palfage 
from the louthern (Tates to the weftern parts of Virginia, 
Maryland, Pennsylvania, and even to the lakes. The 
canals alfo cutting to the Delaware and Chefapeak will 
open a communication from South Carolina to New Jer- 
fey, Delaware, the 1110ft populous parts of Pennfylvania, 
and the midland counties of New York. Thefe important 
works, with many others, have been furveyed ; anct, when 
carried into execution, will be the means of converting 
the United States of America into a clufter of large and 
fertile iflands, eafily communicating with each other for 
all the purpofes of trade and convenience. 
In enumerating the canals of England, Caerdyke, if it 
may be called a canal, ought perhaps firft to be mention¬ 
ed, as being the 1110ft ancient. It is cut from the river 
Nyne, a little below Peterborough, into the Witham, 
three miles below Lincoln, and hence there is great rea- 
fon to fuppofe that it was intended to join thofe two ri¬ 
vers. It is probably a work of the Romans, and was fortv 
miles in length, and mult have been very deep, though it 
is now almofi: filled up. Some authors fuppofe it to have- 
been cut by the Danes. 
The New River is the next canal in point of time, 
and is a fine artificial ftream, brought from Hertford (hire, 
for fupplying the Britilh metropolis with water. It was 
firft propofed by the citizens of London, and confirmed to 
them in the third year of James I. by an act of parlia¬ 
ment ; whereby the lord mayor and citizens were impovv- 
ered to bring water from the fprings of jChadwell and 
Amwell, in the county of Herts, in an open cut, or clofe 
trench of bricks, or (tones, not exceeding in breadth ten 
feet: but, being negledted by them, it was afterwards- 
undertaken on his own account by Sir Hugh Middleton, 
citizen and goldfmith of London, and was fmiflied in 
twelve years, on Michaelmas-day, 1613. Sir Hugh Mid¬ 
dleton was ruined by the execution of this projebt; and fo 
little was the benefit underftood, that for above thirtv 
years the feventy-two (hares it was divided into, (hared 
only five pounds a-piece. Each of thefe (hares was fold 
originally for a hundred pounds; yet, within the (pace of 
a few years they were fold at nine thoufand pounds a-(bare y. 
arid lately at ten thoufand : and are (Till increafing, bccaufe 
the profits increafe, on which their dividends are ground¬ 
ed. Half of the feventy-two (hares are called king’s (hares, 
and are in lefs eftimation than the others, becaufe (object 
to a grant of five hundred pounds a-year, made fo long aga’ 
as the reign of James I. when the water was firft brought 
to Loudon. By an exact menfuration of the New Rfiver,. 
taken by the company’s furveyor in 1723, it appears to be- 
thirty-eight miles, three quarters, fixteeiv poles, long. In 
it are forty-three fluices, and over it are 215 bridges,. 
And over and under the faid river, befides divers confi- 
derablejturrents of land-waters, a great number of brooks,, 
rills, and wat-er-courles, have their palfage. As this river 
is in fome places wafted over vales, fo in others it force's- 
its way through fubterraneous pallages, and arriviiw at 
the bafon, in the neighbourhood of Iftington, it is in— 
gulphed by fifty-eight main pipes of a bore of feven 
inches; whereby it is conveyed into the feveral ftreets,. 
lanes, &c. of London, to the great convenience and ufe* 
of the inhabitants, who, by fniall leaden pipes of an half- 
inch bore, have the water brought into their. Louies, to 
the amount of near forty-thoufand. 
The- 
