The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1823-03-26

II
may be invested to complete it, whatever
NAV be the amount of such investment,
and cannot fail moreover to be vast and
always increasing source OF revenue
hereafter, either to the states through
,hich it will pass, or TO the u States,
whichever may undertake il. The pa
rsmount and primordial claim of this
| route TO public attention is evinced by
the location of the national road. and also
ct the seat of government, and no less
81 by the early date OF the charter of the
Potomac company, immediately alter
the peace establishing our independence.
This last circumstance shows it to havo
| been the very first object Of this nature;
| which engrossed the attention Of Virginia
and Maryland, when we had scarcely
drawn the first breath of emancipation.
The manuscript calculation, of our
w ashington, Who was the father of this
company, shew that in his mind the wea-
tern trade and the improvement of tho
Potomac, we're always intimately connect
ed He makes the difference between
the route from Detroit on Lake Erie
by way of Fort Pitt, now Pittsburg, and
Fort Cumberland, to Alexandria, and
that 10 New York, in distance 1876 miles,
or upwards of 500 miles TO tide water in
favor of the former f5) This grand
speculation OF This great nsh of drawing
the commerce of the lakes and the north
western territories to Alexandria. rec
quires onlv the union of the waters OF
the Ohio and Potomac, in order TO be re.
allied and with daily increasing expe.
rience and a full sense of the rapid adj
vance in the value of the grea, prize, 10
cannot fail ere long TO be begun and com.
plcted II is supposed that when the
nature OF a voyage from the states north
of Ohio to New Orleans or to New Yorks
is contrasted with voyage TO Washing
ton on Potomac, on the supposition of the
navigation being perfected across the
mountains that in many respects the ad.
vantages will be considerable in favor Of
w ashiDgton, that il will in most instances
be preferred this preference over New
Orleans, will arise from the down s'ream
navigation on the rivers emptying into
the Ohio; in the gentle current of the
Ohio, compared with the rapid stream Of
the Mississippi, taking into view the
time. labor and expense Of retuEning, as
e.. as going TO market on each routn
and the effect OF Ihe climate of New Or
leans in damaging -four and bacon, and
all vegetable and animal productions, and
lis dangerous influence on more northern
constitutions, as also the very great Cliff.
Guilty and length Of time il requires for
ships to get up from sea to that city,
Over New York, the advantages will
consist in the shorter distance and the
necessity navigating the lakes in vessels
OF different construction from those
used in rivers and canals reqoiring O
change OF hands, navlgators, and the re.
peated removal of cargo from the one
kind to the other, while the owner OF q
boat will be aple to so and ome all tho
way to Washington in most instances
with Sew of his own neighborhood
add to these reasons the circumstance Of
the New York canal being closed one
month longer by ice every year, than q
canal on Potomac. and the superiority Of
this route will be manifest. co
To De continued.