INLAND NAVIGATION.

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also to survey the country, to improve it with canals: but the war withSpain very soon after succeeding, the Spaniards having joined the Ame-ricans, and acknowledged their independence just before application wasintended to be made for the permission of the Englissi government, thescheme was rendered abortive.

The kingdom of Spain, according to Ustariz, contains about sevenmillions and a half of inhabitants, and would support twice that num-ber were it properly cultivated, its manufactures encouraged, and itsmines worked. It contained, in the times of the Goths and Moors, be-tween twenty and thirty millions of people. Inconsiderable too as thenumber of the inhabitants is, yet they are also very poor, though theylive in a land capable of supporting many millions more in plenty, andwhich, besides its natural advantages, has prodigious sums of moneypoured into it from America.

Savala, in his Treatise del Cemmerclo de las Indas, computes, that fromthe year 1492, when America was discovered, to 1731, above six thou-sand millions of pieces of eight in registered gold and silver have beenimported into Spain, exclusive of far greater sums unregistered. Butas these remarks may appear somewhat foreign to my subject, I ssiallproceed, according to my plan, to the canals of England..

C I I A P.