66

HISTORY OF

has been effected by labours, that deserve no less admiration than thatexcited by the wonders of the canal of Languedoc. Besides the dykes,banks, and Unices, with the larger and smaller bridges, which the twocanals in their course rendered necessary, there has been constructedin the valley of Riojalon, an aqueduct seven hundred and ten fathomsin length, and seventeen feet thick at the base, in which the little riveror canal runs.

Another canal, which makes but very flow progress, is cut out of thelittle river Pifuerga, which runs from north to south; the waters of whichit was intended should be made to supply the canal of Castile, projectedand begun in the last reign. This project was afterwards almost aban-doned, to the great prejudice of Old Castile, which only waits for suchan opportunity for the sale and increase of its productions. The canalwas to begin at Segovia, and follow the course of the river Eresma,which falls into the Duero, to be continued as far north as Reynosa, re-ceiving from the little rivers in its passage the tribute of their waters.Reynosa is but twenty leagues from St. Ander; a sea port where allthe merchandise exported from Old Castile is stripped : a road (whichwill be destroyed before the canal is finished) has been made to facilitatea communication by land.

Spain owes to the sovereigns of the house of Bourbon the few roadsand canals Ihe possesses. We have already mentioned the canal of Ar-ragon, and also that of Castile : the canal "of Murcia next claims our at-tention, the completion of which has been found impracticable : the sub-scribers, instead of the profit which their avidity grasped at, must con-tent themselves with the interest that the king pays them.

In the year 1784, the minister adopted a project much more brilliantand useful than that which he was obliged to abandon. A canal wasplanned, which, beginning at the foot of the mountains of Guadarrama,near the Efcurial, should proceed to join the Tagus, afterwards the

Guadiana,