The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-07-28
HICHMO Nd. VA,
rYp The people of Richmond have in their

r-s@ The people of Richmond have IN 'he"
..nds lever. the power of which they do not
spprecate. The position and advantages VI
their city are such as 10 enable them win
nroper spirit of enterprise and proper energies
- make the most rapid advances in population
and realth. The natural facilities OF the po-
.;,;on of their city are about to have tn" aid OF
;r,,,o,ements which will connect them with
the mos I productive and fourishng parts ofthe
Uniop. and will command for them a large
norton OF the trade Of those sections. These
announcements have, thus far, not gone beyond
those regions of this State which have always
traded with Richmond but yet from their in
auence on the commerce and productive ene.-
g;es of those very regions our trade with them
has in a few years double j, and we already
End our CITY improving with a rapidly we
could not have anticipated. We have thus the
most gratifying evidences Of the effects of rail-
roads upon a country-and these evidences are
daily increasing. The productions along their
routes, for miles each side, are wonderfully in
creased. Farmers who never before brought
produce to this market for sale, are constantly
appearing here with liberal contributions TO
swell our commerce. Men who never raised
a bushel of wheat for market have brought by
the railroads their thousands of bushels. The
prices of lands are enhanced, the sizes OF the
farms are diminishing, and population of course
Increasing. wherever these grand sumulators
of enterprise and production-the railroads.
find their way.
The enquiry very naturally suggests itself:
If these glorious results already occur, what
may we not expect when the Virginia i'm.
provements go beyond the region which has
always traded to her principal ciiies-when
they penetrate the rich districts OF the adjoin.
ing States in the South and West? No man
can form an idea Of the amount of trade they
will bring to Richmond. Like St. Paul, we
can but "see through glass darkly." We
know that the countries they will tap are rich,
and that they produce largely now; but we
know that their present production cannot be
regarded as guide for estimates after the rail
roads reach them. AS has been the case in
Virginia, so will also the railroads swell be-
yond computation the fruits of the earth in
those counties they are soon to traverse. All
we can say is, that the great trade of the West
and Southwest is one the nature and extent of
which we cannot undertake to define that it
is one which, from its acknowledged magni-
tude all the great cities of the East are striving
for; and that we believe it is commensurate
with the wants of all of them, and will keep fully
employed all the lines of transportation which
may be built between the waters of the West
and the tide water Of the Atlantic.
Richmond is to have her share Of this great
commerce. She stands nearest of all the tide
water cities of the East to the Middle, Wes-
tern and Southwestern States, and the routes
between them and her are the most eligible,
avoiding, as they do, the severe rigors of win
ter in the more northern laiitudes, and the
higher temperature and its effects on health OF
those farther South. But to have the full
benefit of these advantages, our people must
be active and enterprisirg. They should Pc
netrate the West and the Souhwest-make
themselves known there-open correspondence
with the people in those sections-become ia.
miliar with their staples-enter into the trade
in them-and neglect no part Of the general
merchants have to cut out for themselves and
10 perform, and the sooner they begin to sur.
vey the rich field before them, the earlier they
find out how the land lies" the more certain
will be their success, the greater their reward.
But not the least Of the advantages of Rich.
mond is her adaptation to the purposes Of ma
nufacturing. No where in the Union is the tenn
perature better no where does man enjoy bet
ter health. Here we have water power, and
here we have exhaustless supplies of fuel inn
mediately at hand for steam power, at the
cheapest rates. We are near the cotton re
gion-we will soon be in railroad communi.
cation with the hemp growing region of Ken.
tucky-and Virginia, after all. is found the best
of the States for wool growing. H ere, too, in
almost every direction, have we abundant mi
neral resources for those metals which are
needed in manufacturng-having water trans
portation from the mines to the very doors Of
our foundres. What more can we ask or de
sire (? Ought Richmond not to be one of the
greatest manufacturing cities in the Union?-
Look at her with these advantages, and then
remember that she has water communication
by sail vessels and steam with the entire At,
lantic coast, and by railroads with the interior
and West. All in all, we know no 9TH er place
which can boast of like facilities. Manufac
lures are grand feature of our prosperity in
the future but to make them available to tn e
greatest exient-to give to our commerce their
powerful aid, we must bestir ourselves-we
must make our advantages known-we must
ens0a'age the emigration to our city of artists
na mechanics, and every advantage should
sno,ded them for the pursui, of their trades.
we nave not taken into this mere outline of
advantages advantage! the value of the tobacco trade to
h,shm0nd' and the grea, increase ", are Dr .,
oaDly 10 have in tina, trade from onr w..,as.
Isl'foad connections. Nor have We .u. ss',, =
the superior reputation of the p a''uusa 70
brands OF Flour in the foreign ms,.a, ,'n .m
are important. Our trade and m.nas These
power IN both branches are gres,,s ac'urng
and are still increasing. Increased
is there not enough in these rea.o,;.
spife as not only with h;sh "s 10 H.