ABSTRACT
It is well known that the English canals of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries served as the arteries of the industrial revolution, but even in pre-industrial times the rivers and canals of Europe and Asia played a significant part in trade and commerce. At the time when the Grand Canal of China was completed, water-transport in Europe was still in a primitive state. Few canals had been constructed, and rivers were chiefly used as a source of power for water-mills. While the Bereguardo canal was under construction, Bertola was consulted on the construction of five locks near Parma. The Martesana canal had successfully linked Milan with the river Adda, but upstream of Trezzo the river was impassable and it was clearly desirable to by-pass this section, to enable navigation to continue up to Lake Como. The river Lers was to be made navigable from Toulouse to a point east of Villefranche.
