The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1841-03-11
REMARKS of HER. GRAHAM,


BE cost Of re.opening the direct communica.
ton between the Albemarle Sound and the N.
lantic Ocean.
Mr.. GRAHAM said that, with the ,ndul-
gence of the Senate, he begged leave to
make very brief statement Of the facts
connected with this bill. Casting your eye
on he map Of North Carolina, you perceive
a peninsula commanding near its North
eastern extremity and extending southwark
y full degree and half on The map, and
/ by tue meauders Of the coast, at least $50
miles to Ocracockc Inlet. On the Eastern
side OF this peninsula is the Atlantic Ocean,
and on the Western, tract Of waters nayi
gable for sea vessels, and called, as YOU
proceed from north 10 south, by the names,
successlyely, oil Cu.rluck, Albemarle, Croa
ton and Pauihco Sounds. These waters
are all dsembogued al Octacocke, aud al.
ibocgh the tongue Of land separating them
troW The ocean ls at come points reduced 70
no more than halt a nile in Width, there Is
no access 10 them for vessels, except
through that lulel. 3 bout one hundred
miles uosth OF that was formerly CurriJuck
lule,, through which coasting vessels OF
/ light burden passed into Currjiuck Sound,
But thus gradually Gl!ed up, and became
closed abou, ten wears ago; and il will be
remembered by the Senate that, few weeks
since, | introduced bill TO abolish the port
f, Of delivery, and the Office Of Surveyor of
/ Customs at that place, (Which had been a
sinecu,o for many years. and that the I'LL
has passed this body. st period still
earlier, there was another entrance to these
inland waters, called Roanoke Inlet, about
sixty miles north OF 0cfacocke, al the east.
ieru extremity Of AlbemaTIe Sound, through
which il communicated directly with the
Atlantic, and did not then, as now, miuge
It's waters with those OF Pamlico Sound on
4 their way to The ocean. Here the vessels
Of Sir Walter Raleish's adventures enter.
ed, when they planted The FIST colony on
/ that part Of the American continent and
long afterwards It continued 10 ailord an
easy and direct passage iato the A!bemarlc
and lis tributaries.
| In process Of time, however, channel
has been opened southwasdy, through
Creation, from AlhemaIic 10 Pamlico sound,
there being considerable dec.igty in that
direction. The whole waters Of The sound
now Cow through the channel, aud Roam.
oke inlet IS closed by a sand beach, has a
nile IN breadth. Thus an unbrokeu peDin.
sula is formed for the whole distance al
ready indicated, and The entire trade from
+ The Abemarle ard lis tributaries is forced
to seek the markets Of The North, whittier
most Of ii is carried, by irst taking South
ern course, to Ocracocke, aud tho0ce a Ton.
trary direction on the ocean; so that two
vessels, the one IN the sound and the other
al sea, in the same latitude, may he separat.
cd bot by few leagues, and yet each would
perform voyage of from 40 10 100 miles
10 gain the position Of The other. Mean
while, wind which is favorable 10 the pres.
ecution Of The first half Of the voyage is ad
adverse to the remainder. Each vessel is
obliged to double Cape IlGtteras, the most
dangerous promonioty on the American
coast, 10 pass through difficult and often
changing channel al OrFacocke, and TO en-
counter the delay and expense oflightesage.
tus bill proposes TO ascertain whether II be
not practicable TO avoid these impedimcuis
in the navigation and commerce Of that re.
gion, by 70 opening Roanoke inlet, and at
tording direct passage into the Albemzrlo
from the sea. TO form an adequate con
ceptiou Of the extent of that commerce, and
the shipping which II employs, il is neces
sary TO glance al the adjacent territory
Albemare sound stretches Nestwardlv,
from the site of the proposed inlet, for sixty
miles, is generally ) or 90 miles wide, aud
I from 20 to % feet IN depth. Besides sever.
al uavlgabie rivers or esuaries flowing into
I it on the northern and southern sides, it re.
ceves at The western end the Chowan and
Roanoke, the latter of which waters great.
er extent of fertile, arabic soil than any rlY
er between the Mississippi and ST. law.
rence--a soil whose predictions would End
their natural and direct route TO the markets
Of the world through Roanoke inlet. True
( Il is, that communications by Railroad have
been established from the upper Roanoke
to Petersburg and Norfolk, in Virginia;
uu1 u ~ "a NCit hlONu ldCl tidt lTdllspOEiH'
lion for bulky articles is far cheaper by wa.
ter than on Railroads, and that many Of
the productions Of agriculture cannot be
sent to markets at all by tina latter mode,
which would 90 by the former. No sec.
ton of the Atlantic States, of the same dl.
menslon, furnishes annually greater sup,
plies of agricultural products for marke,
than the northern counties on Able
marie sound. Those on It's southern mar
gin and tributaries are, perhaps, equally
fruitful, and are likely to have great in.
crease IN their production, by the reclama'
ton of near 100000 acres Of swamp land,
now IN the course of drainage--a work
prosecuted by the State of North Carolina
which has appropriated S200,00 to objects
of this kind. In addition to which and
cotton, the common product Of the Southern
States, immense quantities of Indian corn
are sent from this section to New York,
Providence, and Boston, al the North, to