American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1826-06-20

the late eecuoh TOT Dfectors OF the chesapeake and M
Canal-though it was not received until last weet
FOR THE wATcHMAN.
| AS there is considerable degree of exci,sna.
at present existing in relation to the Chesapeake .na
Delaware Canal. and as many Of The citizens Of pb hu
adelphia may, and probably do, conceive tba, ~.
people OF Wilmington and especially of the yilas.
of Bandywlne Mills are opposed to the lo,oer rons
merely because the canal will not be discharged ;n,.
the Christina Creek i'm order to show thai ,nob
is not the real ground Of the opposition to the ROM.
and that it has other and more substantial feanrsa
Of objection in the minds of the people of thoss
places, are my reasons Tor requesting the public,
| ton of this letter.
The h.st view OF PhiladeIphans, one would SIM
pose, in relation TO the canal, would have been tn H.
cate it in such situation as would render il mo,,
profitable to the stockholders, (who are princin.ls
Inhabitants of that city) and on route BY which M
produce from the waters of the Chesapeake Bay ana
from the wide extended branches OF the Susou.han.
ma, would reach that city with the least possible or
penditure IN the transportation, and in The most a..
bundant and safest manner. Reasons so obvious tba,
it would be scarcely supposed that they could h.
overlooked, even by men who had always confined
themselves to their own counting houses, or With,
the smoke of their own chimnies-but that Tins,
views seem almos, wholly to have been overlooked,
in the route chosen, and in the manner of its execu
ton, seems obvious TO the writer, and has always an
peared so from IFS commencemepl--ash he trusts
will be made to appear from what follows.
AS the canal commences on the Chesapeake in
the same taers that 1t would have done had it been
laid on the upper route, it cannot be supposed that
with respect to that part of the location, the peo.
pie OF Wilmington and Brandywine have ann pre.
ference As TO Its discharge into the Delaware ID
Of little consequence to the people OF Wilmington
and less TO The inhabitants of Brandywine as il is
well known that the resseis from The mouth Of The
canal on the Delaware, can reach those places
in tide or two-whereas, had the eastern end Of
the canal been united with the ChrstisBa resseb
and boats and RATS would have reached Whining.
ton in half tide, but it would have required tWo
tides TO go to the Brandywine ms-one to de-
scend the Chrsliana and one 10 ascend tie Brandy
wine. But IN all these respects there is so little re-
al difference In the location, that had it not been for
much more important objections there is no good
reason TO suppose that The people Of these towns
would have made any objection TO the lower route
In looking towards the manner in which il will
probably be desirable at future dag to carry the
trade of the Susquehanna, (apd vast trade it mus.
be Fifty years hence, when the liver is rendered
rightly nasigable,) it will be readily seen that The
mode Of transpor tation that will be preferred, will
be by keel boats drawing little water--,hat can be
boat containing the farmer that owns the adng Tor
his agent) proceed from some spot near or on his
own farm to the place Of sale and there dispose Of
his property without the Intervention OF an agent
who must be paid for his services, and thus add
to the expense Of the transportation: whereas
ought to have been object with PhIladelphans to
have had the produce delivered with the least posi-.
bic cost in their city. and that for this double reason
all that saved to The farmer would have been
benefit to that part of the State where he resided,
enabling him to increase his demands upon the ciy
Tor foreign products at the same time that II would
have enabled the citizen to maintain competition
with other towns on the coast, ty supplying the e%'
porting merchant with articles at The cheapest rate.
Such are The views that the writer expected would
operate on Phadelphians in the location oil the ca.
nal.
Let us now see how they have been realized.
by making choice OF the lower route in prefer
ence TO the upper ones they seem almost wholly 10
have excluded themselves from the benefits to be De.
rived from the simple boat navigation that have
mentioned from the impossby oil sach boats reach.
ing the restern end Of the canal in safety, over The
broad and al times turbulent waters olthe Chesapeahs
Bay, where they will be liable to sicamp with Their
whole ladng In like manner, when they reach inc
waters OF the Delaware, they will find the river
miles wide (abovt) and quite unsafe for the nayea
ton OF such boats--as there would be no certainly
OF their reaching safe haibnr, even il they should
set out In mild hour from The mouth OF the canal
as it is well known that slight wind from almost
any quarter soon throws up sea too heavy 10.
open boats in an expanse of water so broad ano
hence the necessity OF transshpment to larger YES
sells at the mouth of the canal; and hence also inc
increase Of the expense of transportation o. inc
produce and this applies more directly to Fbl,a'
delphia than TO Wilmington or Brandy"lne', as inc
opening Of The Christina is The nearest slte harooF
between the mouth OF ,ha canal and Philadelphia
On the other hand, if the location had been mace
on The upper route, boats arks and rats would nave
found large and safe harbor in the Christians
when they could have entered the Delaware where
II IS scarcely three miles wide--and from thence 70