The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-04-23

Midas. Can you inform me, my friend, why
the Capital of the Bank of Virginia was origi-
na!ly fixed at one million and a half of dollars
Crito. regret my incapacity, fir, to give you
any information on fuch flbieGt. The Iegilia-
ture could not have had, however, any certain
data before them, from which they might have
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. 81 prefume that inseni-
Gus conjectures muft have fupplied the place of
accurate information.
NJ Yes, they were conje6ures but YOU
pay them too high compliment, when YOU
cal them ingenious. Why, my dear FIR, the
capital of the Bank of Virginia ought to have
been much greater than this paltry fun of
100000 dollars. Do you not perceive that
our trade is langui!hine, our arts are parayfed,
from the want of an adequate fubGfence; and
that fubfitencc is money. Why! Richmond
alone could employ its prefent capital.
C. Arayou ferrous, fir? Could the legislature
have been indeed 70 grofsly deceived?
ID! Yes, fir, ] repeat, Richmond could alone
employ this uncomfortable capital
Surely you have not forgotten the diftin-
guifhed advantages which nature has heaped
upon our city? Situated at the falls of deep,
broad and exteniive river, which Joins together
the mountains and the ocean its balm becor1
ing the refervoir of the boats and produce of the
upper country; and Rockets a harbour for
veiiels of larger burthen you fee it collecting
together the diveriihed profits of great inland
and foreign trade. You fee it fnrrounded by a
fertile country, fuppiied from inexhautible
mines of coal and iron, and fnpported by in
duft-ious inhabitants. Its 6tuation would be
beautiful even in romance; its climate is
mild its air luxurious. In fact you can no
where difcover fituation in all the geographi-
cal charts which fcience has yet given TO the
world, that poifef1es fuch abundant refources
of commerce and wealth. And yet, in fpite of
thefe natural advantages, you would arreft the
progrefs OF its improvement you would keep
down the enterprifng fpirit of the merchants,
who are already here, and of thofe who deire
to fettle among us you would make the bank
ing capital ofthe city very fmall, Whit IFS ma
tural advantages are 70 aitonifhingly great
C.. Indeed, my dear friend / have never
doubted your tafe for the pieturefque, & your
power of fetting off every thing 10 the very beft
advantage. But fill you NUT paint every thing
| AS it is: and you cannot expect to diflipatc all
the obfruGtions Of nature, by the whole force
of your very active imagination. Do you not
fee one defect in the fituation of Richmond,
which no power fhort of the lamp of Aladdin
can remove ?
With you think thatits fcite at the fyls of the
river is certainly better than any other on its
banks, becaufe whilft it enables us to carry nm 4
foreign trade through the mouth Of the river, il
prevents the efablifhment of any great rivaI
emporium above us. Yet Fill it never can
combine with thefc, the advantages of feaport
town. II is too far removed from the ocean 70
become the centre of communication between
the different rivers or the different towns on the
fea-board, as Norfolk is at the fame time the
river below it is 70 fhallow as to mpofe upon
our foreign trade, the continual labour and ex.
pence Of employing fmaer craft. IN this ref
pect, you would not furely think of compar.
ing Richmond with London on the Thames
much lefs will you prefume to anert its fupe.
riorty over New-Orleans on the MifTifippi
which draws together all the advantages ofan
inland and fea-port town, and which ifa pro.
phetic fancy does not deceive me, is defined at
iome future day, to be the Alexandra of this
wetern world.
NJ. Whole fancy is on the wing now But
will you then deny, that our City poflelTcs fome
natural advantages
c. Far from it. I have already admitted
that It has more than any other town on this ri.
yer and had not your excefive zeal prompted
you TO aGert its uurivalled pre-eminenoe over
every other fpot 4" in our geographical charts
would have Mt once conceded that there are
fe7v hyperion to It on any river.
But what iupport will your favouri,e proiea
derive from this admi1on? The auction be.
tween US was not whether Richmond was en-