It is clear from the passage that ----.

The greatest feat of civil engineering since Roman
times was the French achievement between 1666 and
1681 of the Languedoc canal to link the Mediterranean
Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. It was conceived of by King
Francis I and discussed by him with Leonardo da Vinci.
It was first surveyed in 1539. As a result of the civil and
religious disorders in France, however, nothing
happened until 1661 when Pierre Riquet worked out a
scheme for supplying enough water to the summit of the
canal. Jean Colbert secured the interest of the young
King Louis XIV, and in 1666 the work started. The
whole canal was 150 miles long with 102 locks, a
tunnel, and 3 aqueducts. It evoked world admiration,
and was the prototype of all future European grand
canal designs even though its usefulness to France was
quickly nullified by the rapidly increasing size of oceangoing
ships.