Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1808-06-21

ana IL feet wide, may descend from the ST
verai widely extended upper branches OF
the river. Less dangerous falls are found
at the place where it breaks through the
BLU Ridge; above which the natural IA =
VACATION from Middletown upwards, whe..
Their up The Juniata, the west branch, or
the East branch, is much better than that of
the Potomac, and has been improved in Sc
verai places 1t the expense of the state of
PENNSYLVANIA. A canal one mile long, and
| four feei deep, with two brick locks. has
also been opened around the Con WACO fails,
! in the gap of the Blue Ridge fourteen thou.
sand dollars have been paid for that object
by the same state. Its entrance is difficult,
and it is used for water works being free
Tor navigation, though private properly.
From Columbia down TO the MARYLAND line,
Cons derable improvements in the bed of the
RIVER have also been made at the expense o.
the tive states, and the descending naviga.
tion has OH the whole been.improved: hut
Jew boats ever attempt TO ascend.-Nor is
1t believed that the natural advantages OF
the most considerable Atlantic river will
ever be fully enjoyed, until canal shall
nave been opened the whole way from Co.
iumb'a, either TO tide water, or to the De-
tawire and Chesapeake canal.
company Incorporated By the state of
Maryland, for opening a canal around the
tails, IN that part of the RIVER which ex-
tends from the Pennsylvania line, to tide
water, has completed that part of the work,
the utility of whIch is but very partially
lett, whilst the bed of the river remains the
lonly communication from its upper extre.
unity up to Columbia
The canal, so feet wide, s feet deep. and
admitting boats of 20 tons, is nne miles in
length, with fall of 50 feet. The descent
S tiected by eight stonv locks each O
which is 100 feet IN length, and 10 fee
wide. The water is supplied by the river
tse and IN order "a cros, the rivers Co
nawihgo and Octorara, these, by means If
dams, nave been raised zen and twelve fee
20 the level Of the canal
LIS detects consist in the want of sufiici
ent breadth of the locks, which do no, ad
mt the rats and VIDE fiat bottom boats
generally used IN bring ng down the coun.
Try produce. aud IN want OF water at the
'ower end OF the canal This last defec
nay be remed ed by extending the cam
w yards lower down along the edge of the
liver and 1t is probable, that as timbe
VIII become more scarce and valuable in
the upper branches Of the Susquehannah
boats OF d fferent construction will be u
sed Ia the mean while, the annual tolls
hfve no yet amounted to one ousand.
While The annual expenses, are stated at
Twelve hundred dollars, and the capital
expended al 100000 dollars.
The attempts made to open a conmuni-
cation from Middletown, in the Lime Stone
valley, to Philadelphia, partly bv canals,
and partly by means o. the Schuyikin, will
be noticed under the head of - Interior ca.
nails"
VI..OHIo.
The navigation of the Kanawha, and of
hesleasterD branches of the Tennessee,
Monongahela & Allegheny, in their course
through the mountains, may at a future
period be improved. But from the loot of
the mountains, all those rivers, and parti-
cularly the Ohio, flow with much gentler
current than the Arlaptic rivers: Cir
cumstance easily accounted for, when it is
recollected that Brownsville on the Monon-
gahela, at distance of two thousand miles
by water from the sea, is only us feet more
elevated than Cumberland on the Poto-
mac whilst this river with all it's mean
ders, reaches tide water, within less than
two hundred miles. All those rivers at
the annual melting of the SHOWS rise o the
height of more than forty feet, aft Id.ng
from the upper points to which they are
navigable, safe navigation to the sea for
any ship that can pass over the bar at the
mouth of the Mississippi AS early s the
year 1898, a schooner built on the Mo1oa-
gahela, between Brownsville and Pittsburg,
reached New Orleans by that extraordina-
ry inland navigation, and arrived safely at
Philadelphia. The first essay, stimulated
the spirit of enterprise so Conspicuous in
the American character ana numerous
vessels from one hundred to three hundred
and fifty tons buFthen are now annually
built at several ship yards on the OHIO, e.
ven as high up as Pittsburg, and bringing
down to New Orleans the produce of the
upper country consumed there, carry to
Europe, and to the Atlantic ports of the u i.
States, the sugar, the cotton, and the to-
bacco OF louisiana, and of che states of
Tennessee and Kentucky
That branch of national Industry gives
value to the immense forests of tile Ohio
and of its numerous branches, will soon
make considerable and perhaps uecessa-
ry accession to the shipping of the United
States, and has tendency to diminish the
price OF freights from New Orleans TO the
other American and to foreign ports. The
Importance of this last consideration will
be duly felt, if the magnitude of the ex-
ports, of which New Orleans is destined to
be the emporium, be contrasted with the
probable amount OF its importations For
such are labor, time and expense necessa-
~ to ascend The rapid stream of the Missis
giDuI and the nature Of fte h..rt - or,r.tT.