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CHAP. I.

U TILITY of inland navigation—Ancient canals—Canals of Egypt—Account of thegreat canal cut through the isthmus of Suez, from Diodorus, Herodotus, and Strabo—Description of the nilometer, or instrument for measuring the inundation of the Nile

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CHAP. II.

Canals of China, prodigious trade carried on by them from the remotest part of the em-pire—Account of the royal canal, its length and trade—No private property or planta-tion, even of the emperor, allowed to obstruct the cutting of a canal—The emperor, orgovernor of a province in which a new canal is made, digs the first spade of earth—Nslocks on the Chinese canals—The strange method employed by the Chinese to raise or.fall vessels out of one canal into another, where they are not level—Prodigious number*of vessels employed on these canals for the emperor only—Carefulness of the Chinese tohusband every spring of water—Account of canals in Hindostan - » Page S

CHAP. III.

Canals of Russia—The first begun by colonel Breckell, a German, who failed in the at-tempt, and fled the country—Captain Perry employed by the czar Peter the Great—Three different surveys of,captain Perry—Account of the celebrated canal and locks ofVishnei-Voloshok—Navigation up tire Twertza to Vishnei-Voloshok—Navigation fromthe Caspian sea to the Baltic—Prodigious number of vessels employed in this inland na-vigation—Course of the inland navigation from Kiatka, the frontier town of Russianext to China, to Moscow and Petersburgh—Great extent of this navigation—Tradecarried on by it between China and Russia - - Page 20

CHAP. IV.

Canals of Sweden and Denmark—Canal of Trolhaetta in Sweden—Numerous obstruc-tions and impediments to its completion—Prodigious sums of money and immense la-bour that it has cost—Polhem employed on it by Charles XII.—His plan, after anincredible expencc, and the labour of several years, proves abortive—Junction of thelake Aielmar with the Maeler by a canal—Junction of the Maeler with the Wenner—-Canal of Carlfgraff—Difficulty of passing the cataracts of Trolhaetta—Sluices con-structed