Nicolas Bachelier

Nicolas Bachelier
Born	1485
Died	1557 Toulouse, France
Nationality	French
Occupation	French surveyor, architect, and mason.

Nicolas Bachelier (1485–1557) was a French surveyor, architect, and mason.

In 1539, Bachelier and his colleague Arnaud Casanove, who described themselves as expert levelers, proposed a survey for a canal from Toulouse to Carcassonne to Francis I. Francis I had previously discussed the possibility of such a canal with Leonardo da Vinci. They also proposed that barges could either float down the Garonne River to Bordeaux or could traverse a canal parallel to the river. Francis I approved their plans which included a lock-free canal of variable depth. These plans proved to be inaccurate and could not be executed. In 1598, Henri IV re-examined the plans, but nothing was done until Pierre Paul Riquet began the successful endeavor of the Canal du Midi in 1662.

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