Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-12-03

shadow of doubt and the profits certainly 10 accrue
| from which warrant the largest expenditure in
| their construction. We have now something
more than vague conjecture and speculative rea-
soning to point out the results of such enterprl-
ses The test of experience has been fully APP
piled elsewhere, and the wisdom of judicious
| system of improvements been established beyond
all dispute.
| The three great lines of improvement, looking
| to communication with the West, are the James
river and Kanawha canal, the Virginia and Ten
| nessee and the Central railroads. In my last
| annual message urged upon the Legislature the
policy of completing the James river and Kama
wha canal to The Ohio river have seen MOTH
ING since to change that opinion, but great deal
to strengthen and confirm it. The point at which
this work is proposed to touch the Ohio, is the
best one to be found from its sources to its mouth
for a water communication with the Atlantic sea-
board. This improvement will afford Southern
water line of transportation for the heavy products
of the West, which must be, for a long period of
the year. without competitor owing to the ice in
| the waters North of it. Such articles of COM
merce as would pass upon canal in preference
to railroad would prefer this, for the reason that
it would lead to the nearest Atlantic harbor, and
| consequently the cost upon it would be least for
internal or domestic transportation. A canal boat
at Columbus, Ohio, laden with pork, hemp, tobac-
CO or iron, would greatly prefer going to Norfolk
| upon this canal, to passing through the lakes and
the Erie canal to New York, if the market was as
good at the one place as the other, for the simple
reason that the distance would be greatly shorter
and the navigation much safer from interruption by
ice and from the dangers of the lake. The mar
| ket would be as good at Norfolk as New York,
because the trade would be intended for foreign
nations, and of course the foreign price would
regulate that at the port at which it would be pur
| chased for transportation. A common standard
would regulate the price at both ports, and would
ofcourse render it uniform. 1t is plan therefore,
| that such trade as would prefer water carriage,
and as now reaches New York from the heart of
Ohio, would find its way to the ocean through Vir-
GINA, by means of her canal. But the trade of
Ohio, and the West, is not by any means the only
inducement offered for the completion of this
work. l will hazard the opinion, that the timber
of our forests bordering upon the line of the ca
nal, and accessible to it by way OF the upper
| Kanawha or New river and its tributaries, will
in few years produce to Virginia larger sum of
money than the whole amount required for COM
pletng the canal. I doubt if in America there
are to be found such forests for ship-buildng as
those growing in the section of country referred
to. The completion of this work would also
open a thoroughfare for the transportation of coal
from the prolific mines of Kanawha, Coal and
Guyandotte rivers to Norfolk, which would make
that city the depot whence the whole steam-ma-
rine of the Atlantic would be supplied with fuel.
The discovery of camel coal in that quarter of
the State, in large quantities and of the most
peror quality, establishes beyond doubt the fact
that, with cheap mode of transportation, the best
fuel in the world for steam would be supplied at
Norfolk cheaper than at any accessible point on the
Atlantic border. The coal amp timber trade from
the Western part of our own State would alone
make the stock in this canal productive.
fho no will ho
pleted to Buchanan, a distance of 1874 miles; which
will leave ia miles to be constructed in order to
carry it to the Great falls of the Kanawha Am
of opinion that the general interests of the state
would be promoted by continuing it at once to
Covington and so improving the avigation ofthe
! Kanawha as to allow steam boats to ascend that
river to the Great falls. The construction, then,
as a temporary measure, of plank road between
! these two points, distance of some one hundred
miles, would give to thisjwork almost monopoly
of the transportation between New York and Gin
cinnati for the five months during which the North
ern canals are closed by ice, as well as a conside
rable share of throughout the year; because i
would then present the cheapest line of Transport
taton between the Atlantic seaboard and Cincin-
NATL that through the Erie canal only being ex-
cepted. The portage between Covington and the
Kanawha falls is already toleraby we'll graded,
and will require, comparatively, little further ex-
present grading is known to be far superior to that
of the national road, over which such large guam
titles of produce are supplied to the Baltimore and
| Ohio railroad. The completion of the water line
| to Covington, the construction of such road, and
the reduction of tolls upon the canal, would in my
opinion, Immediately put the revenues and credit
| of the company into such condition as would
secure the speedy completion of the entire water
| line.
uyI.. l. IL Al
| continuing the canal, and who consider railroad
extension of this line of Improvement more expe-
dent and practicable. Without intending to dis
parage this latter species of public work, or to OPP
pose the completion of the Central railroad as
distinct enterprise, think it my duty to cite the
| experience of other states, that have embarked
largely in canals, in opposition to these views
| This duty is the more imperative, as erroneous
opinions prevail extensively upon the subject in
Virginia, and sentiment of antagonism and hos
ty seems to exist towards the canal among the
friends of other Improvements. Thorough infor-
nation upon the subject would remove this preju-
dice and unite the friends of these works in sup
port of the canal an improvement destined to
furnish never-failing commerce and prosperity to
| them all.
If the experience of similar works in other states
| should be found to require an abandonment of the
| canal, it should be abandoned without hesitation
but if it should appear, from full and thorough in
formation to their operations, that the policy is
| wise, if vigorously pursNed-and only unwise
when pursued with hesitation, langour and distrust
instead of abandoning, we should push forward
the work, aud that with the spirit energy which
Is necessary to the success as well of this of
every other great undertaking.
| New YORK enjoys, most of all other states the
advantages of this species of improvement, and
reaps more fully than any other the benefits of