Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-11-26

on. we have no doubt that Tennessee will meet il
witA such kind Of road as will give the required iacIii
ties to the trade from that scction oil the State.
The contemplated Improvement, so lar as Virginia
concerned, has our best wishes. But we must say
Tint we think the move premature al this time. lin
lanes River and kanawha improvement is TO be lin
great central line in Virginia, and we think Inc &c
Sources of the State should be turned 10 the completion
os that great central object before the exhausted re
sources of the company and the State are called ava.
10 construct branches. The people Of the Western
counties have invested their capital in that line, and
would be treating them in bad faith not 10 apply the re
sources Of the State 10 lis completion, before underta
king others that must have the effect to rclard, II nc
/, SOP il, short of It's destination -FineasAe Dem.
INTERNAL MISUNDERSTANDING Of this schemes {
Internal Improvement which have absorbed the re
sources of The States and run them in debt beyon
their ability TO pay, for a quarter of century al leas'
have proved abortive by subsequent discoveries oil NOR
eligible and expeditions routes for The transportation 0
produce. For example, the Richmond Compiler in
forms US, that the transportation Of produce from Ten
nessee and the Valley of Virginia, TO Baltimore is len ms
ing the route planned out for 1t by the Win.
themselves, and Of which the lateral railroad ynv via
chester WAY forms q part, and is seeking idfr,e hv tho
Richmond, whence it is ~freighted to Baltic the return
eamboals employed for that purpose, are said 10 be
freieh,s from Baltimore to the Wv cheanness and
taking the same direclion-the fnnsnnd 70 hs so mich
safety Of the transportation beinTy;a Winches.r. TIM,
greater than by the upper roe 10 say the latter 'must
the Compiler does not hesspgyfok U,yaM
be broken up wholly
nNy of the Commonwealth Of ia.
10 the Genera. y q the subscribers, citizens of Virgl.
MA, ummemorialists desire to direct the attention
ina. yHHeeral Assembly TO a subject which they feel
., :, ~ u lie of the greatest importance 10 them. lnty
TO De forget, that, on more than one occasion, and IN
do'Ious shapes, the construction OF a Road, having Tor
Is object the connection Of the South western counties
of the State with James river, and some OF the primer
nal markets of Virginia, has been brought before your
body. But they are also painfully sensible, tha' no.
tb;nu has vet been effected. Deeply impressed with
,he inheritance of such q work 10 the interests, not
only of the Southwest, but of a large portion of the
Eastern part of the State, they again respectfully, and
most urgently, bring that subject before you, and ask
the construction of a good McAdamized road from the
Tennessee line, near Abingdon, to the most ellgi.
hla no;nt on James River, and that the work be execut-
ed wholly by the State, and be commenced forthwith.
Your memorialists deem il unnecessary at this day,
to urge at length the various arguments and motives,
in behalf of this important measure, which arse on
every hand, and crowd themselves upon me nind:-
Yet thew cannot forbear to suggest TO the General As
sembly, some of the more important facts and conside-
rations which tend to The adoption ofthe project:
II is the South. west that asks this boon-a section Of
country more rich than any other part oil the State in
its resources Of every kind-but, abundant as these re-
sources are, tney are reHueItu VI uul lille comparative
value by the restitution Of commercial facilities. Re.
mote IRON the markets of the country, and denied by
Nature those easy and cheap channels of intercourse
which elsew here exist, the products OF 4 soil teeming
with fertility, if cultivated beyond the limit Of our own
wants. must rot upon our farms, and our uneqnalled
mineral wealth be confined in its circulation, and in its
use, TO the extent ofa difficult and expensive land trans
portation.
The soil of the South. western counties is VIGOROUSLY
rich: and possessing a climate favorable TO the growth
of almost every article which can be cultivated in the
State. The only limit to its production is The want OF
markets; and Notwithstanding the distance Of those
points which we seek the aid of the General Assembly
10 reach, many OF. those products might be ~proftably
cultivated, even in that remote quarter.
There If, perhaps, no part Of the U. S. which COM
prises, within small compass, so much mineral wealth,
as n few South. western counties.
The counties Of Wythe, Smyth, Washington aad on
extensive adjoining district in the State of Tennessee,
abound in iron ore, Of the richest quality, and afford
ing iron equal to any whatever. Numerous manuiac-
tories Of this metal exist, which produce a quantity
sufficient for the supply of the country around, and
furnish to the distant Southwestern States a small
amount by the precarious means of the winter freshets.
The salt OF Washington and Smyth counties is equal
TO any in the world. The water from which il is made
is saturated with that mineral and recent search has
ascerlained the fact, that il flows from a thick deposite
of rock salt. Upwards of l00, 600 bushels are annually
made, a portion oil which - sent oil on the WINTER
foods to East Tennessee.
The lead mines, in the county Of Wythe, are capa.
bic OF supplying the demand for that metal 10 almost
any extent ; and though the manufacture OF IL now
lansuishes on account of the low price in market, and
the high price OF transportation, upwards oil 4Vo tons
are annually made.
But the most valuable of the minerals OF that region
is the gypsum, which is found in Washington and
Smyth counties. Extending overa tract of country not
less than twelve miles in length, and existing in beds
Of immense thick ness, it may be said 10 be i%nexhaust-
Al. IT,, ,,.paro1 ~ Tho n m va1nohlp fr0m itG nrPlt
puriiy-its quality being far superior to that brought
from abroad.
All these substances exist in such abundance, that
any quantity can be ~prodaced which The market might
require.
Your memorinlists need not enlarge upon The benc-
fl that must result from ~aiiording to all these interests
some facility for the conve vance Of such abundant agri-
cultural and mineral products 10 market. To deyeioPe
TO their full extent such resonrces-t0 impart activity
and energy to an extensive and rich section OF the
State-to give wealth and commercial prosperity to a
hitherto neglected part of our common country,-are
surely objects, the attainment Of which may be justly
deemed the duty Of our Government.
But the benefits which must result from the contem.
plated improvement would not be confined TO the South
west. We seek, through this measure, to enlarge .
commerce, now small, with the Eastern part OF sirg'
mia. The principal towns upon James River, together
with the country around them, cannot fail to reap n
harvest from it, rich in proportion to the degree OF Ia
cility afforded. The proposed work cannot Tail, IN our
view, 10 have a further tendency in the highest degree,
desirable. The merchandise for the c~onsumption Of
the South. west, including a large part of East Tennes-
see, is purchased generally in the cities North of V'r'
ginin. The construction of the proposed Road, toge'
Their with the James River Canal, would make that the
line not only Of transport, but of travel, for those mer'
chants; and We look with confidence 10 the result, that
| before long, that purchasing trade would stop in tie
principal towns Of our own State, the merchants Of
which will not permit a commerce so valuable 10 pass
by them TO more distant points beyond our border.
To the James River Improvement, which is regarded
ar the great work of the State, its effect must be partl
cularly advantageous. Terminating at a point high
up on that river, The stimulus thus afforded to South
western commerce, would pour into that canal a greatly
increased quantity of tonnage. Indeed, your memoir
alists look upon the projected road as the most valuable
auxiliary that can be devised to that work, and to be SC
essential 10 a full development of lis great utility, that
it should rather be regarded as a necessary part OF tina
magnificent undertaking.
Nor is this subject to be regarded with a view TO the
commerce of South western Virginia only. The broad
and rich valley of tile Hols,on extends into East Ten,
nessee, where its character for fertility and productive,
ness 10 maintained. and the same facilities which will