Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1830-11-09


this imprcv ement, it would seem TO your committee
that they have shown. that, with view to the
dividends to be derived from il alone, ii might pr,i-
IDENTITY be undertaken. But, by refernce to the Re-
port OF 1928 (page 253 will be that the whole
amount of produce and merchandise paying tolls on
the lower canal, in 1927, Exclusive Of coal) was
10000 tons, or over 1875 per cent than the tom
mage of Lynchburg estimated above. What pro-
portion of this from The counties below Maiden's
Adventure, your committee have means of est-
mating. They presume however, that allowance
of 1900 tons would be than sufficient to cover
It, leaving double the amount of the tonnage of Lynch
burg, large proportion of which from the country
above Lvnchbrrg) subject to tolls upon this improve.
men Your committee think it only necessary to
advert to these facts, 10 convince the most incredu-
lous of tho ability, OF the tonnage upon the river to
pay for It's improvements for even admitting an err
ror OF 100 per cen, IN the estimate of COST the tolls
would still Justify the expenditure. while if the es.
aaatc turns out to be substantially correct (which
your committee do not doubt) instead Of saviup of
p oo per ton In the cost OF transportation as above
estmated it might be reduced 81 so per ton or even
more and still leave income from tolls more than
sufficient to pay for the work; thus producing an an
nual saving to the country trading down james River
OF more than 100 900 IN the of TRANSPORTATION
alone
Upon the subject of the estimated cost of this I'M
provement. your committee Will remark, that so much
accuracy has been attained by skiitul eDoDeers
throughout the United States thnt your commits ca
are not aware that there in progress any work
OF Importance that exceeds its estimated COST aud
that amongst others, Lynchburg has recently in her
water works, undertaken aud Completed work of
novel and difficult character at cost within tbe orr
Gina estimate Your committee can sec no reason
why the Improvement OF the James River alone should
DID dchance to the calculatiuns of sciences talent and
experience.
Your committee have thus far confined themselve,
to statements founded upon existing and clearly as
certained facts; and having thus as they hunbly
ceive, proven that there can be doubt of the pro-
prieiy OF undertaking this work with refefS6ce to
the present trade OF the river alone, your con,nea
VIII now advert TO some other views which tho in
some degree less certain i'll their character seem To
your committee 30 reasonable, that they ought al least
to be considered adding MECH force md we;oht to
these already presented
One OF tho first ut those that present itself is tbs.
effect of speed, safety aud certainty of arrival nnp
tue traoe. his need only he mentioned to force
itself upon the mind OF every man. Upon an i,noro
we'd navigation, the time necessary for the voy,r,
from Lynchburg to Richmond could not exceed t,vo
or at most three days The merchant, the m Her or
the farmer would always be aLlc to place his produc.
or merchandise IN market SO es to avail himself of
sudden demands, avoid Anticipated in in nric.s
ow lar ths can be done, in the present state of the
navigation, can easily be answered by reerenc. t
.he quantity oil tobacco IN our warehouses and -four
IN our Mills that has been wing on han for weeka nd
months, because ofthe lmpossbiIity of SHINING ev
cept at cost amounting in many instances to more than
one fonrth the value of the article. Upon no articles
are the effects OF this state of things more felt than
on wheat and, flour. 1t has been before remarked
that wheat is always brought to marke, at that 60,
son OF the year when the river usually at its low
est state he consequence IS, that it is ALWAYS
worm IN Lynchburg % to 30 cen 8 less than the
Richmond price. At this moment it is worth 60 o
to 65 cents here and in Richmond 90 to 95 cents
This difference IS to be ascrbed in part to the cost
OF transportaiion but mainly it's uncertainty Tb.
richmond miller has the product of his wheat in mar
het the moment 1t is converted -four ready to
avail himself of the existing demand. The LYNCH
burg miller, after he has converted his into -four ha.
TO npd IL FOR weeks or perhaps, months, subjec, to
al me fluctuations OF market proverbiay unsteady
| and almost uniformly declining the season advan
ces, and the northern crop Is brought 10 market
Upon an improved navigation, the bushel of wheat
converted into flour at Lynchb1rg, would be deliver
Gu I'D RICHMOND IN three days. If necessary, meet
aeTnand, at cost not exceeding to 10 cents
The capacity Of the upper James river country
20 produce wheat, equal in quality any in Virginia
cannot be doubted and if we enable our mlers to
place their Hour mar ket as early as that of ieb
mond, it may be safely left to their industry, skill
and enterprise, to establish for it reputation equal
] TO any IN the world and to their hbe
and the competition that would be produced
oy the increased quantity grown to ensure to the
growers price only much less :han that pajd IN
Richmond as would cover the cost of TRANSFORMATION
The effect of this would be to divert portion of the
labor OF this section of country from the cultivation
OF tobacco to that OF grain 1t would be difficult to
estimate the advantages of this change The far
mer, who grows crop of 900 busheles of wheat
Tor market may easily calculate the difference in his
income between s625 to $780, the present price and
2ooo " SooO, the amount IL would then produce
But the effect that would be produced upon the pen
era prosperity and happiness of the country cannot
be calculated Some inadequate idea may be formed
OF 1t by those who have had opportunity ofcompar-
.,s Tue Wen cultivated and highly improved FARMS
the fat and thriving stocks, and plentiful living Of
the gram grower with the worn out plantations
and starved catsle OF the tobacco planter.
In addition to the increased trade and dominance
OF Lynchburg and the james river towns peperailv
produced by the increased profits of labor throughout
the country now trading to them, and the cense-
quent increase of production, your committee cannot
OUT anticipate very great increase from other and
more distant quartcrs,-when this Improvement il
completed. An examination of The map will show
shat the James River offers the most convenient
approach, by navigable water from the Atlantic sea
board to the whole Southwest part of Virginia
East tennessee, and the Northwest part of North
Carolina. The merchandise intended for the con-
SUMPTION oithose countries, has, until very recently
been conveyed by wagons from Pblsdelnbia and
Baltimore, passing within thirty miles of Lynchburg
Inc decided advantages of the James river route