Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1819-12-18
REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER

10 Tue hohorabie Speakers and Members {
the Senate aud House of Delegates of The
General Assembly OF Virginia.
GBNTLEMEN-Tbed duties assigned 10
vonr commissioner, BY resolution of the
Sencral Assembly ufiiis Commonwealth.
agreed to on the 50ib Of January, 1918.
bat more specifically set out in an aci of
me General Assembly, bearing date the
2is' day OF February, 1918, were, "Ir
TENS of sar' resolution, and IN couiunc-
ton with such commissioner or commits
Sioners, as have or shall he appointed b,
salir states, or any of them, TO view the
Ohio river. from Phtsburg to Shippiny
port, and repOr, TO The next General AS
sembly. his opinion Of tile pract,cability
OF improving the said river: the probable
expensy thereof; ami ihe .irosp, ~ ., :, :
vantage 10 this state, and 10 the states
aforesaid respectlvel, ; with such mior
NATION as he may deem important TO the
interest Of This stale with general
direction to perform all such other and
iarth"r duties as are contemplated by The
resolutions of The Legislature of Ohle, of
the 9th Jan. 1917
ln obedience 10 these instructions, your
commissioners SET out from Bath county,
ON The goth day OF July last, 10 meet the
commissioners from the other sraIes al
WI tIC IISl udN ~ AhUUSI.
then next following, in pursuauc OF an
arrangement previously made An out
ilne OF their proceedings when met with
their opinions as to the extent of the du
iios required, and OF The powers granted,
or incidentally necessary to lneIr bench
cIai discharge, and the manner ~ which
they have been discharged, as far as
practicable, and as The common interests
ana Instructions of the states represented
required and would admit. will. n is
hoped, satisfactorily appear from Joint
repnr', aud The accompanying documents,
herewith respectfully submitted TO all
which, reference Is here had. In addition
tn which, and III obedience TO Ills particn
lar Instructions, (as undrrstood.) the I'M.
designed sOlicIts the indulgence of a few
rrma, ks as to The indlvidual interests oi
this state, and of those CONTEMPLATED ma
The above instructions; IN which he beg.
L. ave to descend more into particulars.
aud be little more explicit, than was
practicable, or perhaps proper, i'm ioint
report, Qhe result of mutual concessions,
Intended TO be submitted 10 the Legisla
lures OF tour states, whose Interests. al
though generally Identified on l,ading
Questions, might yet bave such slIgni
shades OF difference as TO preclude una
uiiuHy Ot opinion.
The great desideraium, the boon in
contest, Is no less STAKE than the trade
OF The western world Pntsburg, Mes
say nuthlng of Wheeling, Cincinnati
Louisville, Natchez aud Lyncbburg lnr.
| what is the same thing, the states 10
| winch they severally belong, Ar, Tor
ought TO beg the competitors. The uues
ton belwIxt Piiisburg aud New Orleans,
IS, which shall have the most " iih Rich
mOnd and New York, shall either have
any oil this trade ; betwixt the two last,
lHdividuai exer,ion must d cue. Nattnc.
although very liberal and beneficent 10
man, does not appear TO have coniem
| piaicd for him STATE of eutire resi- and
| IHaCtun, or total immunity from the
malediciIon originally denounced against
| HIM, in the sweat Of lhS iace shall thou
| cal bread until thou reiurH To the dust t"
but has required of him The full exercise
OF his powers in the achievement Of
whatever comes within the reach OF in
dnsfry and enterprise; and the essential
difference betwixt communities or indi-
vlduals, In relation to the Comforts or
embellishments of life, is generally ,rac-
ed to the higher exercise of iIosf. facul
ties, bestowed pretty much i'm common
upon mankind. This distinguishes the
! polished gentleman from the red man of
/ the woods; the man whose person and
property are protected by government
! oil laws, from the insulated Savage who
acknowledges no law but that IF force.
| Alter careful and patient enqu.yy into
the distractions 10 the navigation OF i!e
Ohio river, for better than seven hundred
| miles, and at stage Of water conIessedly
The lowest in the memory Of man, il has
been satisfactorily proved, that four pa-
ces only have been found land two OF
these adjoining each other in The same
shoal, the whole distance, probably not
exceeding three pOles,) where the actual
sOundlngs have not exceeded two feet
| four inches stream too, al common
wafer mark, the most gentle and placid !.
very appropriately termed La Belle RI
mere, Me beautiful rirer afiording at all
! times, as is confidently believed. under
proper and practicable management. a
| suihciency of water TO float vessel of
very reputable burden. OF tie prac,ica
blIity, then, Of procuring al all times. a
sale and convenient navigation. from
! iIltsburg TO the falls, OF six feet water.
there can be but one opinion, as express
ed ~ The Joint report.
As iO the probab lie expense Of remov-
| ing those distractions, the enquiry is
involved IN considerable doubt, from the
great extent OF the river examined The
variety Of distractions 10 be overcome :
the conflicting opinions Of The weH in
formed as TO The plans and machinery
best calculated TO effect that object :
but above all, from the entire want
OF certainty that must ever attend the
best settled theories unsupported by
experiment. there being yei no standard
IN those waters, or IN tie United States,
within the knowledge Of lie undersigned,
by an appeal 10 which the expensp al