Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1853-07-19
RICHMOND ENQUIRER.
nHSnaY MoRNING, july 10, ls53.
,r,,r yoRS RIVER RAIL ROAD.

r,cSn;I ,,oRNING, JULY 10. 1883.
raE YORK RIVER Rail. ROAD.
II an old silly prejudice that ces' 10 De great NUS
.,sni upon the shore. Rome, mistress OF the world
was seated away from The on the unnav'gab!e
T,ber Babylon, imperial seat of the Persian kings
STOOD far up ON the Euphrates, beyond the reach OF %
Memphis the erea, city of the Egyptians inhabited oy '
architects of the Pyramids rested high upon the ME-
il was only navigsbe By tho most wre'ched Gran -
thape which disputed empire with Rome IN "''' "'''
wars was considerably removed IRON Tue sea-
So, Peku, the largest modern cry u '"e So:
world stands far distant from the ocean, h'a' '"'
Wall Calcutta metropolis of the East lhoiah i'aue' "
mora than hundred miles from SAT- wafer upon ~
ed shallow and rapid stream London 'he "0'r
liz Of universal commerce. high upon the lhameS uh
unavoidable by the largest vessels OF the sea- unless ~
"a f ,hoi, burdeos Liverpool itself is dsanttrom the sea
MON tho mersev which itself flows into the narrow channel
NJ water sepaalng Great Britain from Ireland aRe uncu
and dangerous of approach from the ocean; whs' Aihou
Haven the finest harto Of Great Britain where The eomoneo
uayies of the world may ride IN safety - ''uue
only with fishing huts Like Liverpool, 40 IS "'s
o,u ,na,ed mon an uncomfortable stream remote from
deep water; and Edinburgh makes no pretenslons 70
the d,pp,es of a sea port. but carries on her com
mcrce through distinct miles away upon deep "aes
Paa second only London among modern cities In popu
arion wealth. speudor and magnitude. is inland Amster
dam sea OF commerce and capital sits upon point vi Tue
Zo yerein an awkward horn of the North sea, atording
noviuation as shallow az circu,ou Bremen that most &c
tive and brisk trader OF the Hansca,c towns, inland anu
communicates with deep water by portage 81 Fe'elsoug
is for all commercial purposes, far inland
pon the Eastern Hemisphere therefore, the rule Is Inc
reverse of the American prejudice that great cities must
stand chock upon the shore That Is precisely "ho'
they never stand on continent The American no"on
d.
our original colonial seaors Touch on salt WATER ye even
his notion cop,sdccd by the fact that OF these three
cities tho largest and greatest precisely the one that does
moi touch the broud ocean, but couced upon lar re-
treating estuary secreled behind roaring Hell Gate, JACK
Tars terror Baltimore is two hundred miles from the
ocean, though seated upon deep salt water New Orleans Is
almost as far from an out OF way Gulf upon tor,uous
sapL river shifting channe aud movable sand bars
The rule in America for the locality of cities s therefore,
the reverse Of the vulgar notion that they must be upon the
ocean obtain magnitude.
il needless 10 detail why large cities are not
built on the localities why tho seats OF immense
wealth. paI enterprise not placed within access
of hostile fleets and within range OF hostile guns
As In Europe America the hest harbor are the very
walters grace by the presence oil large cities Newport
10 but summer resort for the lde wealthy, invalid and
ennues. Hampton Roads boasts not New York, nor
Liverpool nor Baltmore but "The Hygeia Hotel"
Rail roads have come in 10 dispense still more aosu
luteIy with the necessity proximity great
mercal marts Where they there spring up our
great trading cities Look Cincinnati oulstrppng
New Oreans Rochester and Buffalo oustripplns Albany
Pi,tsburg exciting ami jealousy of Phiadcl
phia; Baltimore running away with Vginas resources
and purloning Noriok's magnificent future; Chicago
sprnpn2 the wd and woods Of new Boeotla az sud
denly as tho city which grew OF the dragons teeth so*n by
Cadmus.
Thus all the facts of all history relating TO the growth OF
great Cities illustrating this truths that where
an snterprsng people resolve 10 build city and address
themselves industrousy the work springs en-
porium of commerce. Of spendor and refinement, the
ornament and pride OF the land however distant il may be
from the
These reflections made with special reference 10 the
project for the York River Rail Road mmnrta"" ha'
paper They been made for The purpose o upturDng
those subso notions prevailing among our intelligent
merchants, OF the impossibisy vi Richmond becoming
large commercial city ALL for Of proximity 10 salt
water; or all except by of the torluous channel
of the James River.
Richmond sits the Eastern terminus OF ut the most
cupacious in The Union penetrating hundred
miles into the interior westward al the Convergng point o.
rail roads, coming In from the North, West and South
upon hills removed from the pessilential masma OF more
localities; in the most delightful climate OF the tenn
perae zones with falling supplies of mountain
open tie Falls OF ames River sufficient for moving through
all seasons the year all machinery that could be 10
Gated upon them; n bend the from which,
u had flowed in direct COURSE would have reached
sufhcsnty deep float the largest vessels in
shirty five miles There limit the magnitude which
sho may attain which w be- found in the enterprise
and eYerlions OF her city:
Over the short distance, which the James River
prevented from flowing BY the high bluffs which constitute
the beautiful site OF admired city, it proposed pro-
long the James River by rail road The enerpse
gard too important to be seriously cnmbaed by ntei
gent rejecting We regard it indispensable de-
sideratum TO The commerce Of Richmond, work
be accomplished win ils way in the public
mind, and suo when accomplished, silence 10y s maei.
cal results the seds and patches OF old time
now in some degree oppose it,
Doe of these notions u.s. that va cln have no outward
srade. except by Of the james river channel that
affords ater navigation nu1n which entire
y disappear before the accommodating triumphs OF rail road
enterprise Another notion H. that as great cities must
touch salt water the construction OF rail road York
river would be Tie signal for general stampede Of people,
shps churches country seals hills falls fcsh-waIer
pure air and all the requisites of prosperous Furnishing
growing city. from Richmond 10 Ethan 1t is far more
probable that the notion will land some day In Williams.
burg Than that Richmond will ever migrate to Ethan
-sss--
THE PRESIDENTS JOURNEY
We surrender large potion of editorial space in
this days paper 10 further account, mainly Transmitted by
correspondence, but part compiled IRON tho New York
journals, of the incidents Of the Presidents Juuruey
the addresses delivered his several receptions his route
is impossible To pursue the descriptions OF these NANTES.