Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-04-30
INTERESTING CORRESPONDENCE.

MY DEAR SIR: In the Baltimore Patriot of the 26th
instant Saturday there extract from speech you
recently delivered at Pittsburgh the occasion Of the
Connellsyie Railroad project In that interesting part
of your speech you state that Gen. Washington had placed
in the hands of Gen. Mason, of Georgetown, box which
contained papers relative to the Potomac Company and
indicating the several routes from the waters Of the
Chesapeake to the Ohio for public road or highway
have prepared from authentic documents narrative
history of the Potomac Company from its orgnaton to
1885, when Gen. Washington retired from its Presidency
and although have the facts you have stated generally
you would confer upon favor to give the details
as you have them in relation to the box and papers, and
with your permission would place your letter in the APP
pendx Of the volume 50 much ., y as you may DESIRE
The volume viii ready for the publisher in the
of few days, ad would be glad to hear from you at
80 ''''.' JOHN PICKELL.
Hon. AsDnEw STEWART, Uniontown, Penn.
USIoNTowY MARCH 81, 1853
Ny DEAR SIR: Your letter Of 28h instant is just
ceyed and hasten to comply with your request to fur
ash you with extract from reference the original
manuscript documents Of Cen Washington referred in
remarks recently made before the Councils Of Al
Iegheny city in reference to the Connellsvie road.
You will find the whole Of the documents with many 9th
ers connected with the early history Of Potomac Compa
my before published in the body appendix
report of 122 pages made, from the Committee on
!" Roads and Canals, in Congress, the 22d Of May,
1926 (27 years ago. numbered 228 and bound in Re-
ports of Committees" House Of Reps. u s. session.
l9th Congress- subject The Chesapeake and Ohio Ca
nal" From these documents you will discover the inter-
esting fact that as early 1854 twenty years before the
revouton Gen. Washington in person explored the pro-
posed route for connecting the East and West by the
waters OF the Potomac and Youghogheny rivers, and
made report TO the Colonial Legislature Of Virginia. de-
scribing oil the distractions to be from Cum
berand at the mouth Of Wills Creek to Georgetown
Washington city.
On the 10th Of July, 1770 he made another more ex-
tensve report to the Governor Of Maryland comprehend
ing the whole from the Atlantic to the Ohio river
at Pittsburgh by the Connesyle route, contrasting 1t
with the Susquehanna and other connexions showing its
superiority distance and facility Of construction and
its vast Importance MEANS" to his words,
OF becoming the channel Of conveyance Of the extensive
ana vdtua66 trade Of a rising empire
Ii such were the views of Washington in 1770 Of the
Importance f this route what should be said Of it now
Ought not hisfavorte work Of the Father Of his Country
be now consummatedi He finally succeeded in obtain
ing an act Of the Virginia Legislature to incorporate
pany to make this improvement In 1884 he went to
Annapolis In company with Gen. LAFAYETTE and obtained
concurren. &C, OF the Maryland Legislature, and in
long letter dated Mt. Vernon Sd December 1854" ad
dressed to James Madison and W. Jones. then member,
of the Virginia Legislature he reerates his views as tc
the great Importance Of opening this communication AZ
the best If not the only means Of keeping the Eastern anc
Western countries together and pressing upon them N,
necessity Of united application by Virginia and Mary
land to the Legislature Of Pennsylvana to IN
the construction Of the work far it passed
her territory between Cumberland and Pttsburrb he
also suggests the arguments to be urged and the benefits
to result to the people Of Pennsylvania and the whole
West from this work Here is also displayed a re.
markabe the wonderful sagacity Of th wonder.
full man. who at that time anticipated tie
jealousy and illibera policy which few yers ago de-
feated in the Pennsylvania Legislature an application by
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company foreave to
struct their work by the Connelsvlc roue more than
one hundred miles through her territory and thereby
forcing them to adopt route almost impncticabe over