The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-08-07
PERr, La Sale County, Illinois, }


PERC, La Sale County, Illinois,
July 9th, 1S48 (
Illinois and Michigan Conal-Caue Johnson,s MALI
Chicago undertaking New York-P,ice Of Fosd-
Middle Men, &c.
Here we are Mt Peru terminus Of the great
Illinois and Michigan Canal II is sxali place. and
little business at present IL stands the North side
of the Illinois river, below the great basin in which tho
canal terminates. We left Chicago in the packet yss-
terday, end arrived here In thirty hours. 1t is de-
ghtful way Of travelling superior by far to railway
steamboat though rather slower The country passed
through, with some exceptions Of swampy prairie
Chicago, has fine and rich appearance and seems to
exceed as farming country, that which you pass
along in going by the canal from Troy Buffalo This
opinion confirmed by several fellow travellers who
had just travelled from New York along the cans
were able to make the comparison.
The eye can hardly rest upon a finer country than
this. The canal itself Is noble work though there
has been some Encouragement about it. 1t might
easily have been fed from the great lake Chicago but
instead of that, awkward system of pumping has
been resorted to- in of which many Of the
levels have 20 little water in them that boat draw ng
over two feet cannot get along As yet the country
bordering the lake is unsettled and unc
1t is altogether prairie (vulgarly pronounced pararyJ
interspersed with scattering trees giving look Of
English park scenery which is very pleasing. These
Of SPECTATORS will rush to the Market for they must
nfalliby be permanent and increasing value. Many
world and among people Of indomitabe activity md
enterprise. The canal win have the effect no doubt,
OF draining those praires 1t passes through which
The cause Of the water stagnating the prairies is
explained on looking at the canal in such places 1t
rich deep black soil about THO k lying upou
solid rock which prevents the supernata ut from
finking deeper and being absorbed as it is in other
soils Through this rock the canal Is dug and heaps
upon heaps OF the stone which has been dug lie
upon each side of it, Here excellent materials for
puiidipg substantial houses and fences. We saw now
and then house built with this stone 1t is also a
lime stone but here it lies with the rich prairie use
less at present as the lump of gold which Robinson
Crusoe spurned with his foot because it was not iron
The canal from Chicago here to Peru dis.
lance of 1856 miles The mail from St Louis comes by
steamboat to Peru and then Is carried by the packets
on the canal to Chicago; thence how it gets to New
York cannot tell but this say in witness of the
New York of the day before left New York, de-
iIyered in Chicago day after arrived at Chicago.
! could get on the 25th at Chicago, and could have
brought with me later A snail might beat Cave
Chicago is wonderful city, it is the rich metropolis
OF great Western world 1t is well laid out for bust
ness its streets thronged with stream of people,
like London or New York. found to my sstonish-
ment that sugars and molasses with other groceries,
were retailing here cheaper than at New York
has opencd and ali the country round Buffalo and the
towns on the lakes with sugar and mossses which she
imports from New Orleans Twenty days the average
OF q ship from New Orleans to New York, and twelve
days is the average passage from New Orleans to Chi
36R and fSfsab rtyn Nfx Xafbaityi9
do. There Is also surprising difference In the
price Of provisions here. When LEFT New York was
paying in my family q peck for potatoes bought in
the market; when got to Chicago could buy them
in any grocery for 2s bushsl and any could
be had of the farmers for Is Q bushel! What Is the
reason that the families Of New York city pay much
more for provisions than the inhabitants Of other
cities IL is not because the land does not yield its
increase, or have farmers around the city, but
because the city corporation has sold the people and the
markets to hucksters and middle and the farmers
and the people prevented from coming in contact
The very same iniquitods system Of midde-men which
has ruined Ireland, is daily plundering robbing and
cheating the inhabitants Of New York in their supply
of provisions We have real markets to buy Of
country people they are all grocers' shops and the
stalls occupied by the hucksters who buy Of the mid
die men
The Herald has before pointed out and deprecated
this great evil and 1t is the only journal which by
doing has showed that it regards the interests of the
people. and performs the duty Of honest hdepend
ent journal. OMEGA.