Litchfield enquirer., 1831-07-07
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

Louisville is by far the mostimportant town 1 in the state. It stands at the head of the falls,' or rapids, in the Ohio, and is about 700 miles below Pittsburg. and 500, by the meanderings ofthe river. above the mouth of the Ohio. The present population is near 12,O0O. Its site is beautiful. As the Ohio here runs almost due west, the town of course faces the north. The beautiful alluyial bot tom upon which it stands, is almost perfectly level, and of great extent. There is room here for city as large as London. The country around possesses great fertility.- Every thing indicates that the place will he one of great importance, both as it regards size and the business which will be done.- There are two Presbyterian churches here, two Methodist, tone Reformed Methodist,) one Baptist and one Episcopal. Efforts are making to establish Unitarian church. The Catholics also have place of worship.
 The Falls, or more properly Rapids, at this place, are well known by the appellation of the Falls ofthe Ohio.' In the distance of a. bout two miles, there is a gradual fall in the river of from % to 24 feet. or upon an aver age, Il or 12 feet to mile. Now the ord- nary fall, or inclination, even in the Mississip- Pl, whose current is very rapid, is not ,proba- ply quite four iaches to a mile. It will at once be perceived that the current must be very rapid at these Rapids. Indeed they have long been a great impeachment to the navigation of the Ohio river, and source of much loss. It is only during few weeks in the year that they could be descended by steam-boats of considerable size; and to as- cend them was extremely difficult, even for boats of the most powerful engines.
 Several years ago the Louisville and Port land Canal as it is called, was commenced. After having incurred an expense of S7 80 ,O0O, and the failure of three successive companies, the work is so far completed as to pass sever al steam-boats. It will probably cost, by the time that all the work is done which ought to be done, S75O,OO0.
 The canal is on the Kentucky side of the river, commences at the lower part of Louis vile. and cutting off bend or segment of the river, terminates in it, between the villages of ShippeDsport and Portland. It wants a few pcrches of heinz too miles long. It is 200 feet wide at the surface, fifty at the bottom, and from forty five to sixty feet deep. There IS also beautiful stone bridge oyer it, about midway of its length. No cana! has been made in this country, where SO much difficult " has been overcome. From six to eight feet of solid limestone at the bottom, and to be blown with powder. thousands of barrels of which were expended in the effort. This canal wili at no distant day be profitable stock. 1t cannot be otherwise. The trade o( the river. with its many steam boats, and almost nunberless fiat. bottomed boats, must l in few years increase three fold, or rather ten-fold. l have seen no achievement of mans labor in the Valley of the Mississippi to be compared with this canal.-N. Y. Obs.
 Extract cf q letter to the Editors ofthe Nat. Ia-
 tehigencer. from Raleigh, N. C., June 2l. The pride and glory ofour city is no more 1he State House is q heap of ashes! That beautiful structure-its iine decorations-its Library-and, above all. that chef dGuure of Canova, the Statue of Washington. are de- stroyed by the devouring element which so recently devastated our sister town. Never has my eye beheld a more awful spectacle than the blaze, streaming from the hume rous
 windows ofthe vast edifce, and a broad col umn ot condensed flame, rising many yards above the cupola. The eye would have been fascinated with the beauty ofthe scene, which the pen SO feebly describes, had not the heart