COXE’s TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.

898

a rivulet which enters the lake to the ealt of Schlufielburgh ; but now reaches withoutinterruption, from the Volkof to the Neva. The length is fixty-feven miles and a half,and the breadth leventy feet; the mean depth of water in fuminer is feven, and infpring ten feet; it is fupplied by the Volkof and eight rivulets. The barks enterthrough the fluices of the Volkof, and go out through thole of Schluffelburgh. In1778, four thoufand nine hundred and twenty-feven vellels palled through the canal ofLadoga.

A fcheme has been lately projected, to form a water communication between theLadoga and Bielo Ozero to the Duna; in order to unite the White Sea and theBaltic, and improve the inland commerce between Archangel and Peterfburgh. Theonly part of this plan yet finilhed, is a Ihort cut of about feven miles from the Volkofto the Sjas.

The grand projeCt of uniting the Cafpian and the Baltic with the Black Sea , by thejunction of the Don and Volga, was planned by Peter the Great . Thefe two riversapproach each other within the diftance of forty miles in the province of Aftracan ;■nd two rivulets, the Ilofia, which falls into the Don, and the Camalhinlka, into theVolga, are only feparated by an interval of five miles. Could thefe two rivulets bemade navigable, and united by a canal, the Black Sea would be joined with the Caf-pian and the Baltic. With this view Peter fent Perry *, an Engliffi engineer, to- thefpot: the canal was begun under his infpeCtion, and a cut made the length of a mileand a half; but the fcheme was dropped, from an idea that it was not practicable.Being revived, however, by the late Emprefs, profeffor Lovitz was entrufted with theexecution. Having taken a level of the ground between the Ilofia and the Camaffiin-fkti, he traced out the canal, and was preparing to begin the work ; when, in 1774, hewas wantonly murdered by the impoftor Pugatchef. The direCt diftance between thetwo rivulets is only five miles; but the great difficulty would confift in deepening theirbeds, and procuring a fupply of water fufficient to render them navigable. The Don,however, being only forty miles from the Volga, and land-carriage being extremelycheap and eafy, the advantages refulting from the projected canal would be fcarcelyequivalent to the expence of forming it.

* See Perry’s State of Ruffia.

APPENDIX.