The final junction of Friesland and Groningen by water is also of recent date; communication was had formerly only by sea. The inland communication between these provinces was still very primitive until the beginning of the XIXth century. It was only after 1851 that improvement was spoken of, and in 1864, the Gaarkeuken lock was rebuilt, at the boundary between the two provinces, with a width, of 6 metres and a neat length of 26 metres. The Stadskanaal, started in 1766 or 1767 was only finished in 1858. It was also only in the XIXth century that the improvement of the junction between Overijssel and Friesland, accomplished by the removal of the high peat bogs, was begun, and the junction of the northern with the southern provinces of the Netherlands was brought about in 1820 by the opening of the “Willemsvaart” (which connects the Yssel with the Zwartewater). A water supply canal had really been built from Zwolle toward Yssel as far back as the XIVth century, and improvement of this canal, so as to make it navigable had really been begun in 1480, but the reciprocal jealousy of the cities of Yssel stopped these works. (~Dr. H. Blink~, vol. II, p. 282.) Up to the first half of the XIXth century, water communications between the northern provinces were had under these conditions, by way of the Zuyder Zee, communications for which vessels of the hoy group were, at first used exclusively. The “Potten” and the “Pujen”, like the “Sompen” and “Peggen”, were unable to stand the high seas (~Witsen~, p. 170.) and only the “Prams”, which appeared later, were able by reason of their size and strength to take the open sea, and soon to spread over all our country. It is interesting to inquire however, how the name “Praams” came to be admitted into a country where there existed so many other and more appropriate names. There is no doubt that the influence of the province of Groningen brought about this adoption. In fact, the city of Groningen decided, by the “Convenant van 1817” (treaty of 1817, a time when the big Pramen of Overijssel were not yet built) that people coming to the market must pay, like every one else, the ordinary tolls at bridges, locks and gates of existing canals. There was to be paid for the canals to be built _thirty_ cents at each lock for a “schip” (boat) and _ten_ cents for a “pram”. The same distinction between boat and “pram” was already found in the old tariffs. For example: the “Stadsordonnantie” of January 28, 1773, lays down that a boat shall pay 15 sous at the locks of the city and a “pram” only 4 sous. It appears from all this that a distinction was made at Groningen between the “boat” and the “pram” and from the great difference in price it is clear that a “pram” was a small boat.