The Arkansas banner., 1850-10-15

From the rate of increase eNhihited In ,h.. , the hsmoeF oi boats new running oa all the ws,,,, ei me Mississ'rpi, must be al Ieass ,40Q but a lsis, according to tue autaottv ol Iatn.a nan ~ H ha work an the commerce ot the west S,om ,-b,st these iac's are taken, the steamboat l,nna., .r ,, Aisslssipp, valiey alone was s0 per ees,' srr,,.. than the total steamboat tonnage of ina Sshat. n, tish Empire. Hal the tonnage of thr ,s..t.'s '' .. ters Is Tow neatly two and half times a, s,s., .. Il vas ln S t3, aud probably greater than ,se ,.., steamboat tonnase et al other parts of the wolI h isie, the value of ihe eonraerre of m. ,,.s, was estimated by committee cl lhe Senate on ina RlsSt authentic data that could thea br ut, au,, $1ao, ,oun0a0 per aHHim la is4s, it vas s,,i0,.,,d ln Inc work aeddY qioted, at sud, 900 900. ami ', ite same rate ot increase has perva,i@l nm lo IA present time hal Nhich had taken piacv bsr..sn IS42 and lrls, the present value of ihe eamm,,,. which naals on use Mi>sis~ipni and Rs tibutAri,, cannot be less than $5Sa e90 900 annaAllv
 In presenting the foregoing scheme ,o tho Can. sideration of tina Senate, the committee ,ave no, been forgetfa of the vast amount and great ya,,e,v of interests which must be favoraby atsctsd bv i, should il he touad by experience la he adantai ,a the ends proposed. Tho extent and Empostauc. ,n a national view, of the valley of tho M,um,..inr, have often beea casually brought before tho Amer people; aud the attention of Congress to . vas, and rapidly increasing commerce has been lts queutly, but IS yet very impeFfectly arrested -
 
 leeted and made knowa to tho government and pro pie being almost exclusively confined to the ,rads of the seab ard, that portion of this traffic whrh through railroads and rivers, occupied hy steau, power finds it's way into tho interior Is little knowu and, by consequence, but loo often eonsidsted a. not entitled 10 that consideration wnie sxt.,,or commeree recelses. Tho popaiatoa Of the Ms- sissippi valley or tha, poEiian of territory dyainsi by Inc Mississippi aad iis trbHtsYs uf which las, tue Ohio river is the ehlst, may now be safely esl. mated al nine millions.
 Al the first session of tie 2dlh Congress- Mir Cal houD, as charman ol q committee ol llse Senate Ia which the subject of the improvement of inc navi gatlon of tha Mississippi river and it's tributaries had been referred, mado elaborate report 10 be lonnd iE thc Senate document of that session. No. Ile. AdYet'ing to the popalatioa uf tho Ms. sissippi valley, thai report makes the following statement:
 "Rul, as great IS tlis Increase and improvement have been, they are noihiug compared tc what may be expected in the next sixty years. hey advance with an accelerated rapidty. The whnle popna. tioa ia the entire regoa drained by inc Missssippi did not according to the fist census, tl7gg) ex. ceed 290,1oD According 10 that of lSO0 it had in. creased, in round nHgibers, to jO0,001. In lsIU il had increased in llke Bumbcrs to .370 DgG: 10 Isl, to ? $50 ,00o in ls30 10 4l90 900; ia lri0 10 $ 6.31o 900; and in lsi6, 10 $ 990 GOO, estimated according 10 the ratio of lacreass between the cen sus of ls3B and that of lSi0. Estimating it al ihs same rate, il would, ia 1858, eNse d twenty mil lions; ahd in ls6o, forty millions. It s, however, scarcely possible for the acrease to keep pace with tho present. ratio but after making ample allowance for it's relardaon with the ncTssse uf population, il may be regarded safe calculation ,is; ;he r0puiat,onscf tho vaiey will reach twenty five mil. lions ih iiis next twenty years. forty ia the neat toFty years, and sixty m thu s,aty years, nn- less some shock should occur which would con vulse or overthrow our political institutions"
 The r~siis ot this iBqaiiy demoDsira,e that Inc volume oi water which is annually discharged hy the liver, would ba sufficient. If ii pss-s.l oH Hal orlniy, 10 maintain constant depth of feet oH as Wheeling bar. The fact thus established ttal there Is abundance of wafer supplied hy nature ls secure permanent navig alion on thls ver If t bs m the power of man to coniEol, oT only partially ,o control and regulate its disehaEge. But adspth si feet Is al all necessary for he present wants Of hs navigation. Ii depth oi only feet can be per- nahently secured by this process, il v1li, in ths opinion of yonr cowBiitee, diIuse wider and Erea. Ter benefits over large portion of the west thso any other work of public improvement which has eyer beet suggested. The attention oi your com mltee was therefore earnestly directed tO that point depth al , feet is sufficient for the movement oi boats ot lO0. or even loo tons; ahd that depth. staniiy maintaised in lhe Ohio, would eaectasliy protect lhe coantfy against ex9Gbilal ifeighis and any serious obstactiou 10 travel"