Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1809-01-06

lieCted.
! The following report (Which lay on tn,
table, was taken up and read
The committee to whom was referred 81
much OF the governors communication ant
the documents accompanying the same a;
relates to the upper navigation of James ri.
yer, have according to order, had under
consideration the sn ject to them referred
and have agreed to the following report and
resolutions
1t appears to your committee, that by
virtue OF the act of the general assembly
passed in the year 1884, entitled "An act
for clearing and improving James river"
the James river company in consideration
OF connecting the upper navigation of James
river with tide water and improving, ex.
tending and keeping the same in repair.
were granted certain tolls upon vessels and
commodities passing the river, and tina, the
said tolls were granted on the express con-
dition, among others, of making the river
well capable of being navigated in dry sea-
sons by vessels drawing enc foot water at
least from the highest place practicable to
the great falls-that the said company with :.
out having made the river so nav gable have
received the tolls established ny the said act
since the first day of October IN the year
1895.
1t also appears to your committee, that
ny an act passed in the year 1785, entitled
" an act to amend an act en- tiled an act for
clearing and improving The navigation of
James river" it was declared thar Crows
ferry at the mouth of Loony's creek in the
county of Bote,ourt should be for ever IA
ken and deemed the highest place practi
cable within the meaning Of the first recitcd
act.
it also appears to your committee, that
by an act of the general assembly passed
30th January 1906, entitled an act concern
ing the James river company. it was enac-
ted that from and after the first day of ia
nuary 1907, the said James rver company
should not demand nor receive any of the
tolls allowed by the anove recited act unless
they should make the river we'll capable of
being navigated as aforementioned. And
in order to ascertain the fact whether the
river should be made sn navigab!e, it was
further enacted, that Charles Yancey, Hud.
son NJ. Garland, Charles Beale, Joseph
Grigshy and Jabez Left wich, or majority
Of then. should without delay, when reqair
ed By the said company, during the next
dry season, view the said river between the
points aforementioned, and whenever the
said commissioners, or majority of them.
should report that the navigation above the
great falls was improved IN the mannerI
directed by the first recited act, that from
thcnceforth the sad company should be en-
titled to the full tolls.
It further appears TO your omm'ttee,
that no view was had of the river previous
to the said first day cfJanuary, 1907, but by
nm act passed on the 31st OF December 1906,
further time OF one year was given the
said commissioners to perform the slid du..
~ and the said company to complete the
navigation, which time was by another act
passed on the 9TH January 1903. prolonged
for one year from the passage thereof; by
the latter act Daniel Couch and Charles
Davis were added TO the former commiss-
oners and majority of the whole number
authorised to carry the purposes of the act
passed on the 30th January 1906 into effect
1t further appears TO your committee, ,
that on the 18th of October last FIVE of the
said commissioners, VIZ Charles Beale,
Joseph Grigsby, Jabez Leftwich, Daniel
Couch and Charles Davis met, and the ri :,
yer being in proper situation, did proceed
in boat drawing one loot water, and did
actually view the river from Crows ferry
TO the basin in the city of Richmond.
IL also appears to your committee from
the report of the said commissioners, that
lllS IlFSI WAS ilOt at time well Capable OF
being nayigated by vessels drawing one foot
water, but that in Hamilton's falls, Shep
pard's island, Mtchell's island, at Warmers
falls, at Campbell's shoals, and Immediate
ly selow, atthe Quarry falls, Tobacco hills,
Grassy islands, Cashaw falls, Nicholas Da-
vis's fish dam and Hardwick's island, above
Lynchburg, there wasnot a sufficient depth
OF water, as the boat hung in some places
and rub ed in others, and below Lynchburg
the boat hung once and rubbed several
times.
1t also appears to your committee from
the afidavits of Joseph Paxton, John Book
er aud Bird Goodwin, that they attended
he said commissioners, that they have been
long acquainted with James river, that at
the time they attended the commissioners
the river was unusually lov--that they
have never known it but once or twice low /.
er than it then was, and had it been six or
eight inches higher they would still have
considered il as low in dry season.
1t also appears to your committee from
the affidavits of William Harrison, John
Creesy, Allen Lavender, Samuel Thurman,
William Cox and Samuel Burks, that they
have been long acquainted With the naviga-
ton of James river, that in October las the
river was unusually low, that they were
lseveraily engaged from sthe middle to the
LAST Of said month in voyages from Lynch.
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