Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-02-13

No. H.
Dctecttre System of Making Improvements IN
For THE ENQUIRER.

Virginia.
In my last numberI proposed 10 investigate the
system OF making Improvements in Virginia.
The plan Of having improvements made by con-
tract, consider radically detective in slave States
In free States il is no doubt The proper system, but
in slave States, slave labor should be used, and
the company making The improvement should
own the slaves Suppose planter in Virginia
should attempt 10 make tobacco by contract
should give a certain price per square yard
for preparing his plant land-should give a
certain price per acre for ploughing, hill
ling manuring-should give a certain price
per thousand for worming and suckering,
housing, curing, stripping, &c, &c, Nc, IS It
possible he could make tobacco without its cost
ing him quadruple lis value? The same obJec-
tons will apply 10 making Canals and Railroads
By contract But may be told that more skill is
required, more science necessary and more expe-
rience demanded 10 nuke Canal or Railroad
than 10 make crop OF tobacco. This CATER The
work is laid off by engineers) deny. have made
several sections ofcanal and many crops oftobac-
CO, and have found more difficulty in the latter,
than in The former; and have felt more at loss
how TO proceed with my tobacco crop, than ever
did in constructing the canal. II is necessary, how
ever, to succeed with either that the President or
master should be qualified for his business. It is
necessary, that the master wheel should have the
necessary strength, durability and construction TO
drive the smaller wheels, SO that the machine
may answer It's expectations.
But it will be proper, as | advise an entire
change in the system OF making internal I'M
provements, 10 give the minntio' OF my plan, and
in doing this | will suppose the James River
and Kanawha Company 10 be abont TO COM
mence operations with capital Of SG,000,O00
(about, or nearly the sum expended,) | would, al
The commencement of the work have bought 1000
negro men, which, at that time, would have cost
say an average OF $500, or for all $780, 00 the fur
thcr sum OF 100000 would have retained TO
purchase the necessary tools, fixtures &c, &c.
and commence the work; and The remaining
S5,0G0O00 invested in Virginia State stock or
other six per cent. stock, would have yielded the
annual sum Of $500, 900, which would have been
sufficient 10 pay The salaries ofihe officers and all
expenses, and bought negroes enough to supply
the place of those who would probably die during
the year. One thousand men could construct
about thirty miles of canal each year, and the ca
ma, would have been completed BY this time, fur
timer than 1t now is, andthe capital OF the compa-
ny untouched.
To insure faithful discharge of the dulles Of
all the officers would have adopted plan like
this. The negroes would have divided into COM
panies of about thirty men with the necessary
number Of boys carts, horses, &C., and an over
seer TO each company. To about six of these
companies an engineer should be appointed who
would select a rod-man from the more intelligent
Of the slaves. A principal engineer should pre-
side over the engineer corps, and commissary
10 furnish provisions, make purchases, and keep
the accounts of the company.
The engineers should be required every day TO
pass along their divisions-to lay off the work.
keep check rolls Of the number OF hands under
each overseer at work each day, and make accu-
rate monthly estimates of the work performed BY
each overseers company. The overseers should
be required to keep check roll Of his hands,
showing how many are at work each day, &c
The principal engineer should be required to pass
the work in operation at least once per week, di.