Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1845-02-15
The Valley OF the Mississippi.

The following eloquent extract, descriptive
of the extent and resources of the great Amer
lean Valley, is a portion of an address recently
made by member of Congress
"rhe vast extent and boundless resources of
the great valley Of the Mississippi have been
but little known abroad, and scarcely estimated
or realized among ourselves. Extending from
the 26th to the 47th degree of north latitude,
and stretching from the Alleghcnics To the
Rocky mountains, it embraces an area OF more
than 100000 square miles OF land, nnsu, ,passed
an fertility, and unequalled in its productions
country intersected in every direction by mag
ni6cent and beautiful rivers a1nrdng more
than 1900 miles of navigoble waters. Here
we possess every thing which man can ask tor
his comfort and dependencc-mincs OF wealth !
untold--millions of riches in copper, and iron, |
and lead are in the bowels of the earth, aud on
the surface rich pastures gladden. the eye OF the |
herdsman, well adapted to the raising of cattle |
and sheep, and the growth of wool, and lands !
fertile in the productions of hemp and flour, of
cotton and sugar, corn and maize, and all the
This country is inhabited by more than six mil
lions of people, unsurpassed by the inhabitants
Of any pertian of the civilized world, for indus
try and enterprise, for talent for honor, for
age, and for all the qualities which elevate and
udorn human nature, and render man superior
being Our resources are thus unbounded, and
our people capable Of putting them to the great
est advantage. Yet we are not content-our
difficulties are the result of the very abundance
which is yielded to our labcrs; our productions
are vastly more than we Gun consume, and we
mnst fad markets for them abroad !; our indie.
tatgable merchants and traders to accomplish
this, let their difficulties be what they may
your enterprising State has already conn' ctcd
the waters ofthe Ohio With those of the lakes,
by the means Of navigabe canals and Indiana
and Illinois will effect the same objcct-and
your citizens by individual enterprise are do
ing the same by means of a railroad. Boun,i-
ful as nature has been to us, something still is
left us to contend with and surmount. Obstruc.
tions exist in our navigation which cannot be
overcome by individual or State enterprise, and
we must look to the national government for
the means. Such are the Falls of the Ohio,
and the RATS and snags, and sawyers of the Mis-.
sissippi and its tributaries these not only con-
stiIute ObstIuctions TO our commerce, but our
enterprisng river men are in danger of their
lives at every stroke of the piston or the oar.
Millions ofproperty have been lost and hundreds
OLIVES have been sacrificed, by the negec of
the general government to make adequate ap.
preparations for the removal of these obstruc.
tions and the construction OF harbors on the
western lakes. During the last session OF
Congress, whilst the western appropriat ons
were under discussion, it seemed that hardly
u man arrived which did not bring the news O
some sad melancholy disaster upon our lakes
or our rivers-the very breezes which came
over tie Acghanies seemed TO wnit upoI
their bosoms the death shricks of our hardy ant
enterprsing navigators, they sunk ant
were buried in the waters OF the lakes or Of tn
Mississpp-and the wall of the widowed wive
and orphan children seemed to accuse the RI
ers OF the nation of being the mnrdereis ofthe
husbands and fathers, by neglecting to make tn
necessary appropriations.