Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1853-12-23
LETTER FROM A DISTINGUISHED FRENCH
TRAVELLER

III
through in all my life before My attention was directed t.
The internal improvements Of The State by some gentlemen
who convcsing with at The Springs ana pu'
chased horse and determined Ia 90 over the he a'he'
out BY the James River and Ohio Canal kanawa Is m"a'
doubtless and after careful survey ol the eEou'
have been enabled give by seeing lhcn pronounce II 10
ay and entirely out Of The reach of probability ever
make connection along The present ihe or VIZ
sons that water cannot be had on The top o Inc p @
No method has vel been discovered Tor making ''' u
1ow up HILL you know, of lie own accord
You will rrcolect Monsieur Gourour, oil Avignoh' pro
claimed 10 the public, in ny. hat nc a .1ac,,I
means by which he could destroy The whole character
wafer and render Independent, OF The Avs OF gravity ST
that remain stationary to any place II was pu. 10
hout flowing towards lower point lhis nc uhoei'o"h
" dsmnnsIrsir by means of suction it thought q
The time provided could be furnished hm 10 uG9n
otc his discovery. Just that time he was taken III wiz
fvrr in The brain and died Probably he was oerhhsee
wbcn making the announcement al s', pnt enough M
disclosed enable every one 10 unders'du . W. rou
h,pped the character Of water nor altered in laws W
", hn that he relied upon the vacuum OF air ana us pres
snr. to counleract the natural qualities OF water. ~ 10
mai here there is plea up Of reserSins e ""'c "
49,. ,nns for the uses vi the Canal i'll summer u MS !;
- no undertaken in very singular way ny ouans III -
basins upon the mountains and drawing our the Wae a.
needed in dry seasons, or 10 supply me he parts Vi '
Inc nv pumpng up the necessary supply from HE streams
below. ,o or ,h, ,r,;oo
hwe.n the two points (liat is from Covnglon 10 TN
Ohio The calculations disclose the fact thai IN Gnhe over
and descending the mountains about Two housahu e't
(say twenty -four hundred ec is to br overcome u" o
link YOU have thought OF such an hhItrtakh9
hrouch country wild and barren as any Tor Inc same
extent in the world Over much OF the ground could MOI
% either on foot horseback was obliged 10 remain "f
whole DAYS out the tus with my food by my SIDE 10 see
the points which large locks and heavy dams ana en-
bankncnts be constructed Tor commerce b"t Tue
most stupendons folly ia the mountains where mere
IN h, dam 40 feet high across stream, that when was
at il in July did supply waller enough 10 stop my morse 10
drink when he was passing, and learned rom he h""
ans that there supply for their cattle al all times
send you Mr.. ellis report, who was nm Engineer mere
also several Of the reports OF Mr. GRnn VINO IS now
M Engineer You will hand them 10 The Minister of Pnb.
liz Wnr my
himself with these novelties of the Fg'nans ana "hen
back TO Paris shall BIZ enabled 10 discover mean
Of uniting The Mediterranean Trsh, with the Nufl Sea,
by means of the Danube and the Rhine The one Is as IA
tona the other All that is 10 be done in either Instance
is 10 level mountains and 10 get the water tln as hc
well a. here. But will not jest win you any more
very mad with myself for Undertaking 80 great abo;
10 explore folly ard to ascertain mpossbl!lty. but
was very much interested in many things going and
returning. Along the New River there s scenery wilder
and Dol Ter than any have yet seem The otl1 seems I"
bcru great for nature 10 secure an outlet Tor me
water and The gorge is for nearly twenty miles perpendicular
hundreds Of feet ii the HAWKS Nest as il il called !;
is certainly than thousand lee and ~ nnie"n
and rough the widest parts "f Mount Hanc Th4 vo
lumr OF wafer s sometimes learn, very great. nhh'
would you think if 10 tell you saw inlrks oil the
floods sixty fee, the sides of these clilisi
Near Charleston, on the Great kanawha RIVER are oalt
WorSs and You will DO surprised when tell you that the
obtained by boring INTO the earth Tor hundreds OF
feet places and it forces itself up in snces oil The
size OF The tube; and singular The which il in the wa
separated by means OF covering which 10 ar ugh'
and conducted by tubes the boilers set on fire. and thus
The salt is made by the agent which existed win 10 e
bowels the earth The sight is wonderful wnnderh IN
deed; but such the icrs have taken an exact
of the machinery md shall enabled 10 explain 10 20"
rerIrcIly The cmp.ralrrc Of the fully confirms NJ
Aarys opinion Of the heat Of The earth in It's Interior All
kinds of coal iron ore limestone and sail sulphur in great
variety OF FORMS and niirc exists throughout great portion
Of The country along The Kanawha Scf ana It's
ries
On returning to the valley at Buchanan directed my
by The regular road along The valley between r
Blue Ridge and The AIlrghany Al distance "i some my
English miles from The james River, l. small village can
the Lick here there has been some e1ft To "o''n sa ""
| unsucc s.iully .
Yun viii rccoect that Mr. Jefferson states. in his Notes
upon Virginia. that in Montgomery county canal OF h'ne
miles long aud thirty feet deep would unite Inc wa.ts
the West and the East together by throwing me haha"I
waters into the Roanoke believe il might he done as 'e
streams flow both ,yays but You may rely upon H. the ''c
ricans will biii but !cs more canals OF any Rin1
The French are called mcrcual but the ahH'eS arc
more 81 think ccncalyi hn the uniting o. me WI;cs
the Chesapeake Bay with those OF INC mxSSI'p, wv
father OF rivers VI her orators mas cai.ru u 'ee
to be Authorization with The old families ol virginia.
The facts addrccd by NJ CJ,cr to confirm his assertions
that all animals take their licensees from Tue H'ar', "',
moi The males ID very furcbly demonstrated III his o''
have made enquiries whether there were no wasnI
"ns a'sons Nlldsons M"nr'c snh learn wa a mns
., ""'' hi!drcn Madison, or Jackson 'elsfS S
Mno and and wye n and @ ss a1 S1 fS to
the country cannot explain why these facts occur bn
certainly should 20 far 10 weaken The hereditary PTlac
pie in oil govenmcnts-for surely beginning WIN eFea'
minds certain 10 reach Indifferent ones
There ia n curiosity The way side called Tic big
Spring., which discharges enough wcief 10 turn large
|
break out from the mountain IN ono large succ
clear nnd delightful In this country The waller
COURSES annoy me greatly they nave no regular way VI
flowing; they East West, North und South across ana
through the mountains ind go every way ms Is pecu
liary Virginia. She starts streams than any SIM
liar extent r country The weld und they md more Gil
fcrent nominations One instance Or two: nave seen
where springs rise within one hundred metres o each
Other will go The Chesapeake and the oher R"es
10 the Gull OF neAlCO 80 level arr the aoe JANUS h 7o
parts OF this valley ,.
Every mineral is found between The New River and this
place. lead gypsum salt iron, sulphn some SILVER some
asbestos some Goa and a little gold.
In the forests all kinds Of trees There Is SINCLAIR
Tree In almost every part OF Western virginia. Called h
sugar mlple of which is made very gcol SUI
gar There are large orchards OF this kind of tree, used 10
supplying the county with sugar. The favor is not as eo'd
US that from the m1ngcl worzel, or the sugar cane;
Game Of all kinds abounds in the forests Deer 0ea'' 'ul
keys squirrels foxes wolves wild cats ppossum3
and every kind Of wild birds; bn sngula Inc pce'a:s
ruiucJ Out by VI Cnver 10 the c0lorlnG ol 'h DiuS
demonstrated in HE birds Of the United St'rs az Out
if any, with bright pumage are Ia br scef lhs Is "uy
land flowing with milk and honey nave ntcLRias, "
ner supper, all the lime milk and honey ana HE! puet
have never single boiled pnlIet any where ID virginia
| all are fried. ;,
The burning spring have sccn and will only explain 10
Won why call, j. The gas which escapes rom VIII
burn, hut goes OUT; ii Ia curious spectacle h''
burning As rich rs the e'n"ry is Ga 's ta' ,v
miles around the Military Institute, there are large n's'ir'
in This part Of Virginia, which may be we'll called '"c very
garden spot Of the world .
have read as much ns could Of e reports and surveys
for The rail roads through This part Of The STATE ~
src bal find by the maps that will be one unDroAeh c
of rail road from Norfolk the Eastern Atlantic coas:, "
the Pacific Ocean some three 10 four thousand mics ."s
lish They will be completed beyond question OF uoGn ~
a spnca of time which may enable some PERSONS no" "
60 ovEr Tie line Norfolk to sam Francisco !" s
10 days possibly by express in i've day ,, ,o
The Southern STATES must, in the Process :" UNIV. =,
troll tie cumtcrce of The world There Is I'D III" ''aI' "
country in Virriaia which have gone, enough paw"
raj resources support the commerce OF Great n1
crr,sin that has not nor cann2t amer n1 ]
Just so certainly the necessities ni HE "o'ih ii
Tie de Ycopmcnt If these resources have ea'tins t
led
States north Of Virginia. and have Ia AID my tes'ho"S "
the sa.aciiy Of those wise men, who, centuries ~,
lccrCd The Chraapeukc and tributaries rs thc'' oes
upon Few wui when they had tie ciuce /" cFr'i PM
before IGm-lo you must rcco!ert, thai JaWtsio"" "u
Smiths history aud lie al the m"nih I" me 'a"ts '''
and that Powhalun and POcahontas enacted ie paris "
the Chesapeake and lis tributaries. r h
nv opportunities for forming correct opn'oh VI W.
course Of in France depend upon inc ne"Spapss
which give dim and confused idea OF inc 'enue"ey "
events at hur but nothing has yet been disclosed 10 a'
the opinion expressed TO you before lett m
that Loui. Napoleon Bourbon nf hoh'p' ~,
eysntuaIy be either King, Dictator Or Emperor. ~"
thing render The French nation lovers OF 'ls s''