The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1813-01-09

taSeousiy than any ether; unless, in
deed, that through the Powtonac couneC-
ted with NloEonEahela, Cheat, or Xahar-
hany, should come into competition with il
Tor the eastern part OF the Country just
mentioned
That II would, for the importation of ar
ticlcs from Europe, and from the East,
(with a few exccptions) and for the ex-
portatioa OF those which are consumed IN
the United States, be preferred to the voy-
age through the Mississippi, unless :he in
production of steam boats should essentially
vary the present state Of things, may safely
be assumed, from the fact thata land car
riage between Pittsburg and Philadelphia
or Baltimore, and Il Carriage up or down
the Ohio, are now used Tor the purposes
described in preference to the route by
New-Oreans.
= The present price for the transportation
ct goods from Philadelphia or Baltimore, to
Pittsburg, is understood to be from seven
To ten dollars her hundred weight.
he price of transportation from Rich
mond, up James river to the mouth OF
Dunlop's creek, thence across the Allie
ghany to Grcenbrier, and down to the
IN outh of the Great Kanawla, will GER
tainly depend on the goodness of the road
and the degree Of perfection to which the
navigation may be carried. Your commits
sioners believe that a sound national ccono-
my would dictate such improvements as
would reduce the price of freight; altho'
the labor employed in making them might
be procured by an augmentation OF toll,
md some expenditure of public money.
Should the navigation of James river be
rendered as safe & as easy as may be rea =
sonabiy expected. and the Greenbrier and
New rivers be improved in sach manner as
the object will justify, your commissioners
believe they hazard nothing in saying that
the expense of transporting one hundred
weight from Richmond TO the mouth OF the
Great kanawha will not exceed half the
price OF transporting the same weight from
BALTIMORE or Philadelphia to the same
place.
The immense works meditated in New
York will certainly, if executed, give to
that State great advantages in n c0mpeti-
tion for the trade OF the lakes. But if other
convenient and more direct channels be o.
pened, it is not probable that the commerce
of the Ohi3 will take the circuitols route bv
the lakes.
The expense Transportation from New
York through the canal contc n plated can
only be conjcctured. The character Of the
rivers which would be used is not we'll un-
derstood but they must possess many adj
vantages, to give them n preference over
the direct way through Virginia to the o.
hio.
Your commissioners, however, take the
liberty TO repeat. that the success of any at
tempt to OBTAIN that share Of the commerce
of the west to which this State. from her
geographical situation, and her rivers
would seem to be entitled, must depend
entirely on the safety ard cheapness other
navigation. A mode of transportation by
water, in itself insecure or so laborous as
to be little less expensive than carriage by
land. viii never Change the channels liz
which this trade already flows
The advantages to accrue to the United
States, from opening this new channel of
intercourse between the eastern and the
western States, are those which necessarily
result to the whole body from whatever be-
nehts its members, and those which must
result to the United States, particularly,
from every measure which ends to ce-
ment more closely the union of the cas-
tern with the western States.
In those operations, too, whiSsI the ext
gencies of government may often require,
this central channel of communication bv
water may be Of great value. For the want
OF it, in the course of the last AUTUMN. go
vernment was reduced to the necessity of
transporting arms in Wagons from Rich
mond to the falls of the Great Kama wha.-
a similar necessity may often recur.
All which is respectfully submitted to tie
General Assembly, by
JOHN MARSHALL.
JAMES BRECKENRIDGE.
WILLIAM LEWIS.
JAMES MCDOWELL.