The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-01-21
NEWS BY THE HALLS.
Our wssAi.sssa Csrrsspendsnee.


Quar- Washington Oerrospondsuec.
WASHING rom. Jan. Is, 1851.
EIv Hnif~<ys Pscr6c Rasi,oad--Lectuys ~ the
Hall Of the Hvsss Of Representatives
The House OF Representatives having voted the
use OF their hall To Mr. Asa Whitney, for the pur-
pose OF an exposition. ny that gentleman. of his
route and plan for railroad to the Pacific ocean
etom the Mississipp Valley. he avaiIed himself of
shat opportunity last night The hall was well filed,
mere being iair proportion OF members of the
I'VE houses among the audience. Behind him,
over the Speakers AR, Mr. Whitney had two
Earge maps suspende done of the world, showing
he position Of the several continents towards each
other, upon fiat surfsce; the other map OF the
-cos'inent of North America, showing the line OF
the proposed railroad To the Paciic-the centrally
of it's eastern terminus in 4tion 10 the Atlantic
coast and the crnIrali,y If the terminus al
Pugefs Sound, in Oe-god
Mr.. Whitney's plan 10 well known. lie prs-
poses, according 10 the bill before the Senate, TO
construct railroad from he southern end of Lake
michigan across th- Continent TO Inc Pacific ocean,
NE proposes 10 do this from n grant OF land sixty
miles wide--,hirty on each side OF the road-the
whole length Of the road: aud to pay, too, ten
Cent? acre for this tre CT OF land good bad and
indifferent The gran sale Will cover some
80 O0OOO0 aeres, for which the government is to get
q railroad 10 the Poetic, and $4,000, 900 besides.
The first 500 Tiles of The route west from Lake
Michigan Is through good land; and as the other
90 miles des-r,, aforesaid 500 miles will
nave to ray for the whole road This Mr.. Whitney
proposes 10 do ny alternate reservations of these good
Aa1ds, which will he continually enhanced in price
al the road progresses, and as the ether aternaf.
five miles by sixty lre seld and settled Mr.. Whit
nsy selects the polnr from Lake Michigan west be-
ctase the is NO Other place al which the point of
ut parture could he taken 10 the valley of the Nus
Eistlppi, which would cure sufficient tract o.
good land 20 pay for 'h- road. any material part
Gffhe road |, " IN important object TO have thu
goad run through racf Of fertile country, unoccu
PleJ, 50 that bv op-ong TO sale and settlement by
abe construction the lands would pay for the work
We sdmit hat The bill sufficiently guards the int
rests of the government, in the event of a failure or
suspenEicn Of m. sork
We maintain, however. our original objections
10 the scheme Of Mr. Whitney II lies too high
north, especially .ber. il crosses the Rocky Noun
xalns for half the YEAR th@ track would be covered
with snow, notwi' hs'andirg the argument OF Mr.
Whitney TO the contrary. Secondly, the eight
hundred miles of roaN through the good lands to
she Missouri river. need MOI be built al all. From
che head of steamboat navigation on the Missouri
the work might well be commenced-thus saw
ing eight hundred miles al the start Thirdly, as
about one thousand or twelve hundred miles of this
xoad, including the crossing efthe whole chain OF
she Rocky Noun aims. would probably be equal TO
one hundred and ffty thousand dollars per mile,
appreheDd that il would require lie time to build
the road from the sale OF the lands on the route, as
proposed.
Tremendous ne lie Mr. Bsnton's plan, we prefer it
80 MIR. Whitney's Mr. B-nton proposes central
railroad with lateral branches to Santa Fe and
Oregon-a common highway alongside of each
Toad-a strip OF and of one hundred miles wide for
the main line and ef 6y miles wide for the braach
lines TO aid in the w-rl in addition TO he proceeds
from the sales of al the public lands Both schemes
appear to us 10 he Utopiap; but ii to have a
.facihc railroad. give us something on grand
scale, and with means appropriated com me nsur Re
with Inc work Something ought 10 be done.
WASHINGTON, Jan. Is. 1851.
lie California Dry Doci- The Presidential More
msnts, &c, SC.
The California dry dock men are at loggerhea Is.
IT seems that the SECRETARY of the Navy had fixed
his maximum at 81. 400 900, and after some delay,
Messrs. Dakins az Co had scceded TO the terms.
Juct at this juncture, Henry nj Western, Esq,
arrives here in hot haste cags on the Secretary,
finds the Secretary had passed his word, and the
thing past praying for.
The Presidential question assumes many daily
ehApes and embraces ssch variety of candida tes,
that one can hardly discern the signs of the times
for any great Length OF ume Scott stands high,
and holds his levces 10 Inc East Room regularly,
every Friday nigh There is a rumor that Hous-
xon has consented to run as Wee President with
Gass THIS ~ not So Hous'on has repeatedly re-
fused 10 run ON any ticket as Vice President. The
rumor IL said 10 come rom very high authority. II
Gen. Cass Is not strong enough, without such q
Kites tail from Texas. he can scarcely expect one
who has heen twice President of republic 10 play
second FIDDLE
The three Union tickets have been lost in the
dlssoi,ipg views exhbinng al odd Fellows
Hall. FIRST came up Wens er aud Foote; second
Clay and Dickinson; aud thtTd, Fillmore and Cobb.
az was wing game, aud none we're so badly blind
ed az Eooie IL, however, begins 10 see IL and
when he once stts H. There Is no man in the coun-
xy who will sooner den0unce II. Douglass saw il,
and laughed nj u. n long umr ego.
10 Is rUmored that Jnhu G. Clark is 10 be trans
feued 10 the Patent Otfi ;e, vice Ewbans, 10 be
elected, and John Collier to be Solicitor of the
Treasury.
nj Got dc