b o o k j t belonged to the crown until 1 7 6 9 . ; at which period it had
vf ' , hppn fo much negledted as to be fcarcely o f any , u f e b u t a
company o f feven merchants o f Or.ebro undertook to cleanfe
and repair it at their own expence, upon condition o f receiving
the toll o f all. yeifels which ihould pafs through
it.
The canal is, excepting in a few parts, fufficiently broad
to receive two barks a-breaft: its loweit depth is 8 feet % It
is chiefly fupplied with water from the lake Hielmar, the
furface o f which is 8.0 feet perpendicular higher than its
level. It conflfts o f eight fluices. The veifels it admits are
the fame which navigate the lake s; they are decked and
Angle mailed; 76 feet long; about 43 tons burden; and
draw between fix anti feven feet o f water.
2. In order to join the Hielmar and Wenner, it was pro-
pofed to open the navigation,of the Swart-an, which falls into
the weftern .extremity o f the Hielmar at Örebro; to make a cut
from that river to the lake Morken; from thence by the
Le.t-an to the Skager; and from the Skager by the Gullf-
pang to the Wenner. Not having myfelf been in thofe parts,'
1 could only obtain the moil authentick intelligence from
perfons who have infpedled them : from their accounts I
have reafbn to conclude., that the ahove-mentioned rivers are
for the moll .part fo ihallow and ftony, that it would be extremely
difficult and expenfive to render them navigable;
and as the faint attempts hitherto made upon the Gullfpang
have all failed o f fuccefs, it has been propofed to cut a canal
diredlly from the lake Morken to Chriitianham, which is fi-
tuated upon the eaftern ihore of the Wenner. But as no part
T h e foo t ufed in this ch ap te r is th e E n g lifli. T h e proportion o f t h e ‘E-nglifli
£w ed iib , which differs b u t lit t le Trora th e . b eing to ¿h a t o f th e .Sw.edifh a8 ipoo.tojp.27.,
of
©f this projetSl had been as yet taken in hand, and the whole CHAP-
would be attended with great difficulties ; there is little prof- ■ . ‘ ■
pedlthat this branch o f the great undertaking, the junction
o f the Hielmar and Wenner, will ever be completed *.
3. The jundlion o f the Wenner with the German Ocean*
comes next into confideration : and this' might be accom-
pliffied by the river Gotha, which iffues from the fouthern
extremity o f the lake near Wenneriborg, and, after a courfe
o f feventy miles, falls into the fea near Gotheborg; provided
that river could be made navigable throughout its whole
courfe. But as, on account of ffioals and cataradls, its ilream
is greatly impeded, the communication has been attempted
by the Carlfgraf canal, the canal o f Trolhætta, and the fluices'
o f Akeritræm and Edit, which, therefore, I ffiall feparately
defcribe.
The channel o f the* river Gotha riot being open and free
upon its firfl iffiiing from the Wenner, a cut, from a bay o f
that lake to the river, was begun under Charles IX. but was
not entirely completed before the reign o f Charlës XII. Pol-
heim, whom 1 have already mentioned, eredted, by order o f
that monarch, a lluice; which, not being conilrudted upon
a firm foundation, was fcarcely finilhed before it was undermined,
andcarried away by the water. From that time the
Carlfgraf canal remained without a lluice, and confequently
without a veffel paffing it, until the reign o f Adolphus Frederick..
In 17 54 a new lluice was finlihed, which received the ap--
pellation o f Teffin, in honour o f the prime miniiler o f that
name. Itwasformedby afubterraneous paffage, 40 feetlong;
18 broad, and 12 high. But thefe dimenfions were too fmalf
* F rom th e a lm o it infup erablè difficulties ■ o f Sweden fou th o f the M i l e r , b y means o f
attending the ju n â io n o f the Hielm ar and th e W e t te r to the W en n e r ; ; and in 1 7 7 4 m
W en n e r , a p ia n was projected o f form in g map was p u b liilied fo r the pu rpofe o f p r o v an
inland n avig a tion from thé eaflern coaft in g .the fcheme to be practicable^
for