Chap. VI.
FRANCE.
249
is divided into two principal parts, the starting point being near Castelnaudary ; one descendstowards the Mediterranean , being in length 6,165,000 feet, the other, 1,879,000 feet, descendsto the Garonne near Toulouse . After an exact levelling taken between these extremepoints, it was found that the point of setting out was 640 feet above the level of the Me diterranean , and 198 feet above the waters of the Garonne . To pass vessels from Cette tothe highest point, there are seventy-four locks, with chambers of a little more than 8 feetrise, and twenty-six locks to descend to the same point on the Garonne , which is navi-gable from Toulouse to the sea. There are altogether one hundred locks; the eight nearBeziers form a cascade nearly 1000 feet in length, with a fall of 68 feet equally divided.
There is a circular lock common to three branches of the canal, each having its owngates communicating to a common chamber; there are forty-five aqueducts, and ninety-two road bridges; the canal passes above six of these aqueducts, the finest are those ofllepude, Cesse, and Trebes ; the thirty-nine others pass under the bed of the canal, for thedrainage of the land.
At the surface the canal is 64 feet in breadth, at the bottom, 34 feet, and 6 feet 4 inchesdeep. The vessels which navigate it are 80 feet long, about 18 feet broad, draw 5 feet4 inches of water and carry about 100 tons.
Canal of Narhonne is connected with the canal of Languedoc , and was commencedearly in 1664; this was extended by Paul Itiquet to Beziers . It sets out from the greatlevel near Argelins, leaving the river Cepe on the right, and all the locks upon it areplaced at regular distances from each other, which has occasioned a useless expenditure.
Canal of Burgundy , intended to unite the Saone with the Seine , was commenced in 1775,under the direction of Perronet, who has left numerous plans, reports, specifications, andestimates of this great work. The canal commences at Brianon, and the intention was toreach a summit level, which would have been 888 feet above its junction with the river Yonne , and 674 feet above the waters of the Saone . The whole length of the canal was tohave been nearly 148 miles; 13 leagues were completed under Napoleon , and the navi-gation was perfect from the Soane to Pont de Parry, five leagues west of Dijon ; on theside of the Yonne , the navigation extended to the town of Ancy-le-Franc.
Canal of Malshum, in Alsace , in length eleven leagues, was executed under the direc-tions of Vauban ; it has eleven locks.
Picardy has two principal canals, one called Crozat was completed in 1738.
But the chief canal was that undertaken in 1766, for the purpose of joining the Somme to the Scheldt, between S. Quintin and Cambray, the cost of which was estimated at twentymillions of livres ; after repeated alterations in the plans it was completed in 1810; thelength is about 32J miles, and the rise to the summit of the lock of Tronquoi is byfive locks, or 33 feet 6 inches; the summit is 13J miles in length, including two tunnels,that of Tronquoi 1200 yards, the other called Riqueval 3J miles, each of the tunnels 26feet 3 inches in width; from the end of the latter tunnel to Cambray is fifteen miles, andin that distance there are seventeen locks, each 97 feet in length, and 17 feet in breadth ;the whole fall is about 124 feet.
Canal of Loing was completed in 1724, and proceeds from Montargis to the Seine , adistance of 33 miles; this was also executed under Regimorte. It has 21 locks, with afall of 136 feet 8 inches: it is 44 feet wide at the surface, and 34 feet at the bed, and thedepth of water is 5 feet.
SKEW ARCH under the canal.