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

| Oh spain to the South, describe an arcn or
the intervening ocean, of which Virginia
is the centre, and should be the KEY stone
sustaining the Western States upon it's
broad and lofty summit, and bending the
Eastern and Sou herr in solid, lust and
lair proportions. First in asserting tie In
dependence Gs America, this Common
wealth will not be the last in giving to that
independence stability, by confirming the
union, upon which it rests.
Your Committee are far from intimatino
that the General Assembly of Virginia has
been totally unmindful ofthose natural ad
| vantages, or wholly regardless of their i'm
proyement.
The Commonwealth required time to re-
cover from the pecrniary losses she sus-
tanned during the war of the Revolution.
it found her citizens laboring under very
heavy private debts, and left her govern
meut cncumbered with debt of much
! greater magnitude.
YET, under circumstances so inauspic;o,ls the
s'atesnlent OF that day, and especially the Illus
sfioas InSn to whom, under heaven, this nation
was indeoted for the establishment of its FREQ.
,ion, did not disdain TO enquire into the hum.
p p. means OF giving to that freedom, value
nt9',' MS zealous exertons, sprung the Potomac
4 : L
oi ,heSe the Commonwealth is indebted for a
water communication of three hundred and thir-
" e'Sht lilies and upon ii, and the con,empla-
| Sed works on tine Shenandoah, she relies for the
iSrtner Improvement of navigation of three hum
dreu and ninety miles. She has shared with n
sister state, the benefits of the labor already per-
! formed on this river; in that, which remains tn
be accomplished on the South Branch of the Po-
iomac, the Cacapehon and the Shenandoah. she has
an exclusive interest
ne James River Company, have opened ia
| VACATION of three hundred miles.
| Inc AppamattoX and the Dismai Swami Can
ais'naturally followed into existence, those which
were lhGeDted Tor their origin, to the patriotism
Oh ien washington. The former opened a nayi-
CATION OF one hundred miles The latter was de-
S'Sneti merely to connect waters. already naviea-
PIE out, II It's present use, and remote conse-
lquences, is not inferior in imporan to any pub
| nc work within the Commonwealth
The eXpence OF the first of the preceding works.
does not exceed fifteen hundred dollars per mile
upon the navigation already opened that of the
second, IS about twelve hundred an average ex-
pence which Will be annually diminished in the
progress offuture Improvements on the branches
OF those rivers, as the Principal distractions to
Their navigation, we've removed before their wa
tiers could be bro't into partial use
The actual cost of those public workq. Hoes
\ not exceed one third OF the expence ,,ensIl, a.
fgsAr Il,
i whlcll,m the absence ofilaSlgation. are the onl,
i substitute for ehem. It is due 10 the Later 60.
ever, to remark, that the addition recently made -
sl.en OF parallel iron rails, immoyes Div SET IN N
eaflh, at proper mt eFvals, for the wheels of w.
So'S' i'iS more than equanzed the ADVANTAGE,
OF such roads, with tAe best ascending naviS.,-
ION wllcn tne riYsrs % Virginia afford ab we
uier Prncli'ai 'sils and that the additional cost
winch tllS Improvement occasions to the struc.
ture OF the IUnpike, though great in itself, is
Hcoislder3p.e, when compared with lis effect m
reducing the expence of land carriage
The Turnpike roads of the Commonwealth
i except few short passes of particular noun
tains, and road recently begun from Fredericks
burg, towards the Blue Ridge, are confined prn
ciPally TO tine county of Loudoun, the adjacent
! Counties OF Fairfax, Fauquier and Frederick, and
to the vicinity OF the seat of Government.
+, There Is but one, to winch the funds of the
Commonwealth have contributed any aid
All these public works are alike in one respect
they purpose to deeray the expence of their frst
coat, and OF their subsequent repairs, out ofth
tolls collected upon them; and these are euuita
: bly, levied upon those who use them, IN sums
ProPortloned to the benefit which they respective
ly derive from such use Vince 1t IS absoiutel,
Z certain that such works can subsist upon TN.
OASIS al Dne, the revenue of the Commonwealth
although it may exped te their progress, IS MOI
indispensably necessary to their creation
rFlNate wealth WHl, OF itself, take the dlFec
ton which personal m. crest prompts. But there
are many such works essential TO the prosDer,,,
: OF the Commonwealth; the persons inmediatei,
inteTcsted which, have not cap tails sufficient n
commence their foundation, and here are many
others of like utility, which, If completed would
/ require the lapse OF many years to make them
profitable 10 the individual subscribers TO then
STOCK. The population and CONNIE rce which IN
| iaiilbly follow their direction, spread out upon
Their borders and swell their tolls, cannot be ex.
pected to Precede their existence.
Although almost all The Turnpike roads with
IN The Commonwealth, have been made without
any other Legislative aid, than their respective
acts of incorporation yet, it is probable, that
neither Potomac nor James river could have beer
rendered navigable above tide water with such
assistance alone Maryland and Virginia, sub
scrlbed more than one h alf Of the capital stock
OF the former, and Virginia alone more than one
third OF the latter The tolls hitherto collected
on the one, would not have justified a subscriD.
ton 10 IT'S stock, with view to more profit and
although those of the latter have for some time
realized the most sanguine expectations Of It's
friends, and its stock IS eighty per cent, above
par, yet the revenue Of the Company, apart from
the appreciation of its stock, would not nett to
| its members SIX per cent, per annum upon the
sums which they have actually expended on that
river, from the commencement Of their labors 10
the present period Yet, your committee con.
/ hdentiy believe, that there IS not an individual
! within the Commonwealth, alive to a sense her
| true interests, who would have desired, for tie
sake of higher profit to-the treasury uDo,, stock