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dogne from Liliourne to Cubzac; the canal of Cubzac to Bourdeaux ; the Garonne to themouth of the Bayse. When this line is prolonged, it will take a course towards the west,following the canal of Landes, and the river Adour to Bayonne ; and towards the east it willcomprise first the course of the Garonne to Moissac , the canal of Moissac to Toulouse , byMontauban , the canals of Languedoc , des Etang, Matiguio, La Radelle, Beaucaire , fromTarasyon to Arles , from Arles to Boue, and from thence to Marseilles .
Among the ports of France , that of Dunkerque , before its demolition in the year 171-1,was the great school for engineers, and presented more examples for study than any otherin Europe ; here was found an assemblage of every kind of hydraulic architecture, ofwhich single or detached specimens existed elsewhere.
Julius Cajsar found it a mere village inhabited by fishermen, attracted thither by the ex-cellence of its natural harbour ; the neighbouring country, mostly under water, was supposedat one time to have been an arm of the sea, which extended to St. Omer , anchors and partsof vessels having been found there whilst constructing the fortifications. The land aroundhas been rendered serviceable to agriculture by the cutting of several canals, to drain off thewaters, and carry them into the sea. The opinion that the sea has retired is, perhaps* notcorrect, for the level of the water is above that of the neighbouring plains, which would besubject to inundation but for the formation of the dunes or banks of sand, which serve thepurpose of an embankment. The shore along the entire coast is composed of sand, whichthe slightest wind drives in the direction from north to south, depositing it in irregularridges, which sometimes rise to small hillocks; these the early inhabitants rendered morecompact by mixing with them layers of bushes, branches of trees, yellow broom, or anyother material which occasioned the sand to bind ; in process of time a barrier was formed,which resisted further encroachments from the sea. At several places the sluices, introducedfor lotting oil'the fresh water, were closed, when the sea again flowed in by constant manualattention. The name this port bears arose from the circumstance of St. Ely, Bishop ofMeyon, in the seventh century, founding a church on these downs, which was called Dune-kerque in the Teutonic language.
In the year 863, Charles le Cliauve bestowed the town and the country around upon hisson-in-law, Baldwin, who was created Count of Flanders.
Baldwin III. , his great-grandson , surrounded the town, which had obtained by thattime some importance, with a strong wall: as a port it was afterwards much frequented, inconsequence of its abundant supply of fresh water, which fed the canals, and formed itsmost important defence. In the twelfth century, it acquired the dignity of a maritimeport, and contained several vessels of war, some of which were adapted for long voyages.Various improvements successively followed, and Dunkerque in the course of a few cen-turies became a highly important station; in the year 1677, the great Vauban was desiredby Louis XIV. to construct a channel between two jetties, at the head of which were es-tablished the two forts, Verd and Bonne Esperance, also the famous Itisban on one side, andthe (.’bateau Gaillart. These great works were completed in 1683 ; and two years after-wards, the basin was lined with a stone wall, and the quays formed. At its entrance agrand sea lock, 42 feet in width, which allowed vessels of considerable burthen to floatwithin the harbour was constructed. The fort of Rcvers was built in 1689, and severalcontrivances were adopted, which, aided by the waters of the two canals, deepened the port,and kept it clean and scoured. M. Clement, who directed these latter operations, becameone of the most eminent civil engineers in Europe . In the year 1701, anew risban, calledthe Fort Blanc, was erected at a distance of 800 toises from the town.
Chateaux Vcrd and Bonne Espcrance were situated, the first on the cast, the second on thewest on entering the port, at a distance from the town of about 1000 toises. They wereformed of timber, raised on piles, rendered extremely solid, and each mounted with thirtypieces of cannon. Passing between the two jetties which formed the channel, which was 40toises in width, on the west, stood the celebrated fort called Risban, constructed of stone,and containing commodious barracks, a cistern, magazines, and other requisites for a garrison.It communicated with the town by means of a jetty. On the rampart were forty-six cannon,which could be placed on three sides; the form of the fort being that of a triangle. To theeast was a smaller, called the Petit Risban or Fort Blanc, also of masonry, which had twentypieces of cannon.
Towards the harbour, on the same side, stood the Chateau Gaillard , a timber construc-tion, and communicating with the eastern jetty by a small bridge. The form was rectan-gular, and contained twelve pieces of cannon ; one side defended the jetty, and the othercrossed the range of Fort Blanc; on the other side of the channel was the battery of Ilevers,built of masonry, which had sixteen pieces of cannon.
Tlie jetties, formed of timber and large stones laid on carefully at a vast cost, were theadmiration of all engineers. The basin contained forty line-of-battlc ships afloat at thetime of low water ; the entrance lock was 42 feet in width, and the whole was surroundedby arsenals and storehouses for the marine.
Tlie harbour was supplied with every means for cleansing and deepening; its chief sluice