The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-12-10

| RICHMOND, Va, Sept. 18th, 1852.
To the Council of the City of Richmond.
conference.-the following report drawn
up by Thomas T. Giles, Esq, member of the
| committee appointed TO obtain an appropriation
| for improving james River, having been by
him submitted to, and approved by, said com
mittee, the same is respectfully laid before
| your honorable body
CHAS. DIMMOCK, Chair. Com.
| REPORT.
| The committee appointed by the Council on
the l9th day of November. 1851, to endeavor to
obtain provision or appropriation for the i'm
pfo'ement OF James River below the head of
tide water, respectfully report:
| The resolutions Of The Council under which
this committee was appointed, required:
LIST. That the Deleg ates and Senator repre-
sentlng this city in the General Assembly of
the State, be requested to apply to the General
! Assembly, either to make adequate provision
for the Improvement of the nayig alton of ames
river below the head Of tide water, or to in
sIst on such provision being made by Con-
gress."
| I'd. That the Representative from this Dis
trict, and the Senators from this State, in the
Congress of the United States be requested to
use their best efforts to obtain from Congress
| an adequate appropriation for the improvement
of the navigation Of James river below the head
of tide water, unless the Legislature of the
State shall, by making promptly adequate pro-
vision tor its improve nent, render such appro-
| prati0n unnecessary"
| Aud 81. That it should be the duty of this
| committee 'to endeayor to obtain such provision
i or appropriation"
One of our worthy and faithful delegates in
| the General Assembly having, in compliance
with the foregoing resolutions, promptly
| broue hit the subject before that BODY your COM
| .al 4 Al
OBJECT first contemplated by the resolution ;
namely, to obtain from the General assembly
| of the State adequate provision for the inn
| provement of James river below the head of
tide water" and nominated a subcommittee of
| three Of their members, to be specially charged
with this matter.
| The House of Delegates having appointed a
| select committee of twenty-0ne Of the members
of that House, to inquire aud report, amongst
other things, what other works of public i'm
| provement, not retotore prof jected, were "ne-
| cessaTy to be undertaken and constructed by
| the State" the subcommittee presented to the
| select committee of the House the improve
ment Of James river below tide water, and ear
nestly urged its construction as a work emf
nently entitled TO be regarded with favor, and
| one which, above all others, il was necessary
| the State should undertake and accomplish
being one which would obviously contribute
| greatly to the ultimate success and pros
| perity of most of the other great works of
| public improvement, and in which most Of
| these works therefore had common interest;
| thus involving the interests Of a large maiori-
ty of the people ofVirginia. Your committee
are graf fed TO state that, after the proposition
had been fully explained, they were not dsap-
pointed in their expectation that it would be
| favorably received by the intelligent members
| of tho select committee of the House. By the
vote OF q very large ma jority of that committee,
it wns adopted and strongly and earnestly re-
commended as one Of the great works entitled
| to the pee uliar patronage of the State Govern
ment. Their very able report to the House of
| Delegates, amongst other remarks on this to-
pic equally strong, represents that the "impor
lance of the imp ovement of the lower James
| river TO the commerce Of our State is so oby-
| GUS to all. that it were useless to display it,
| and would be difficult TO exaggerate it," and
concludes with the declaration that the "com-
mttee unhesitatingly recommend the necessa-
| ry appropriation" for its accomplishment
The Delegates from the City caused the sub.
| ject at the same time, to be referred by the
| House of Delegates to the standing committee
| Of that House on Roads and Internal Naviga
| ton; before which one Of the members Of your
committee attended regularly, until by unan-
| imous vote, and with the hearty appreciation
of the Committee on Roads and Internal Navi-
CATION, bill was reported to the House of Del
| egAteS cOiEdlIIDS du iOI
| the improvement OF James river below the
| head OF tide water, amounting in all to the
sum of $ll5,000, of which, S63,OO0 was TO be
appropriated the first year, and $4,000 for
four wears thereafter, in accordance with the
estimates contained in the Report OF Captain
Stansbury; less then which amount however,
according 10 that report, would be requisite
for the purpose of clearing out the river alone,
the res due being required for erecting light
H., and huoys N m Tk the channel
Your committee were thus fut.ered with
the prospect of obtaining an ample provision
for the Improvement of the lower james river
10 be made by the General Assembly of our
own State; result which would have been
highly gratifying to them, as It would have
satisfied at once all the requirements of the
Council.
Owing, however, mainly at least, as your
| committee hone and believe, 10 the difficulties
| and doubts in which the new system OF taxa
| tion had involved the finances OF the State,
| the General Assembly determined TO make no
appropriations to any Of the great works OF
| public improvement at that lime, postponing
| their consideration to an extra session to be
| held on tbe-day Of November next; and il ac-
| cordiuely adjourned to that day without act
| ;ng on the recommendation Of The select com
| mittee of twenty-one, or on the bill reported
| from the standing committee of the House,
| for the Improvement Of the lower James river;
and that bill is therefore still pending before
| the House.
| Whilst the measure was thus being pressed
in The frs, instance, as required BY the resolu
| tiops of the Council, before the General As
seubIy ofthe State, and that too with some
prospect at least of success, it would have
been obviously impoliic and improper, as it
was Iainly Inconsistent with those reso'u-
| lions. TO make application, at the same time,
| TO the Congress of the United States for an ap-
propria,ion for The same object. The Repre-
sentative from this District and the Senators
| from this State were requested 10 apply TO
Congress for the appropriation, only when il
| eppeursd that the General Assembly Of The
| state had failed TO ma ke promptly adequate
provision for the Improvement. Accordingly,
your committee did not desire such spplics-
ios 10 be made TO the Congress Of the United
States, it being plainly contrary 10 the spirit
Of the resolutions, until the General Assembly
| having ef ouTned without making promptly
| H.. dsa;reI nroyisoD N anpeEFeI 10 he com