The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-06-03
Your most obedieut servant,
ALBERT GALLATIN.
TIE hon. GEORGE CLINTON,
President oftAe Senate.
REPORT.

REPORT.
The secretary Of The treasury, in obedience
10 the resolution 0fthe senate Of the I'd
March, 1907, re$1lecYniiy submits The fol-
loFofn!e rotor on, roGds and carals.
The general utility Of artificial roads and
canals, is at this time so universally admit
ted, AS hardly to require anv additional
proofs. Ills sufficiently evident that, when
ever the annual expense of transportation on
. CERTAIN route in It's natural state exceeds
inc interests on the capital employed in iiu-
proving the communication, and the annual
cXpei sc OF transportation Exclusively of the
tolls,) by the improved route the difference
IS an annual additional income TO the nation
Nor docs in that case the general result va
~, although the tolls may not have been fix
ed at rate sufficient to pay to the under
takers the interest on the capital laid out
! hey indeed, when that happens, lose but
the community is nevertheless benefited by
the undertaking The general gain is no.
confined to the difference between the ex-
penhes OF the transportation ofthcse articles
which had been formerly convened by that
route but many which were brought to market
by other channels, will then find new and
more advantageous direction and those
which On account OF their distance or weight
could not be transported liz any manner what
ever, VIII acquire value, and become n
clear addition to the national wealth
Those and many other advantages have be-
bone so obvious, that in countries possessed
OF large capital, where propest;- K; s;;iTi;i
emily secure to induce individuals to Law ont
that capital on permanent undertakings,
N"H where compact population creates al.
extensive commercial Intercourse. within n
short distance, those improvements mas, of-
ten, iii ordinary cases, be left To individual
eXertion, without any direct aid from go
ycrnment.
There iare however some circumstances
which whilst they render the facility of com
munications throughout the United States an
OBJECT OF primary Importance, naturally
check the application of private CAPITAL and
enterprise, to improvements on q large scale.
lie price Of labor is to be Considered
as formidable obstacle, because whatever
1T may be. it equally Affects the expencc Of
transportation, which is saved BY the i'm
proVcment, and that OF eiiectng the improve
lnent Itself The want OF practical know
ledge is no longer felt land the occasional IN
fuencc OF mistaken local interests, i'm sumo
times thwartiug or giving an Improper di-
recsion to public improvements, arises from
the pature of man, and is common to all
countries The great demand for capital in
the y. States, and the extent OF terrjtoyy
compared with the population, are, il is be-
Ijeved, the true causes which prevent ncy;
and render those already ac-
comphshcd, less profitable than had been
expected.
]. Notwithstanding the great increase oil
capital doing the last hl.cca years, tile OBJ
iccts Tor which il is required coatinue to be
more numerous, and its application is gene
rally more profitable than il is in Europe
\ small portion therefore Is applied to Oh
lects which oSer only the prospect of remote
and moderate prost. And il also happens