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HISTORY OF

great artificial rivers, and from a kind of sea created the most fertileplains in the world.

" It will scarcely be believed that men so ignorant in the principles ofphysics, and the art of levelling, could bring such works as these to per-fection j yet it is certain that these canals were dug by men, for they areusually straight, and their distribution is equal and orderly. There areflood-gates made for the rivers to let in their water, and others to let itout when they are too full; so that it cannot be doubted but that the Chi-nese are only indebted to their own industry for that great conveniency.

“ Among all those canals in the southern provinces, one above the restis called the Great Canal, because it traverses the whole country fromCanton, which lies on the southern side, to Pekin, situated in the mostnortherly part of the empire. We need only travel a short day’s journeyby land to cross the mountain, called Moilin, which on one side boundsthe province of Kiamsi. Two rivers rife in this mountain, one ofwhich runs southwards to the sea, and the other northwards as far asthe river of Nankim, whence by the yellow river and several canals wemay pr.oceed by water to the very mountains of Tartary.

“ But since, in this vast extent of ground of above four hundredleagues in length, the earth is not level, or hath not a descent propor-tionable to the emanation of the waters, it was necessary to construct agreat number of sluices. They are called by the name of sluices in therelations of.travellers, notwithstanding they are very different from ours ;they are rather water-falls, and as it were torrents that are precipitatedfrom one canal into another, and more or less rapid according to thedifference of their level. To cause barks or barges to ascend, theymake use of a great company of men, who are maintained for that pur-pose near the sluice: after they have drawn cables and ropes to theright and left, to lay hold of the bark in such a manner that it cannot

escape