Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1854-10-25
tCcry.1-No IT..

,eror natural advantages which Norfolk combines hr
,roat commercial town. It designed by Providence
hat the emporium of trade th, continent shou Id DO
tusted either upon the shores of New York larbor or
he Chesapeake Bay. Nature, - you have seen, did
much the scale In favor of the Bay for she tire.
On Its side OF the balance many broad river valley, win
long threads of streams piles Of mountains fed
With valuable minerals and healing waters and at the end
d the lever reaching far the wcst she placed
empire.
That such Is the fact that Norfolk New York,
Of the two destined to be the great seaport town Of
this country has beeu patent the thinking minds
Virginia for the last hundred years at least.
have nov before me letter, written by your great
grandfather, from his parsonage under the Blue Ridge Of
Virgins to . friend in England, in 1855.
France and England then at about their
North American possessions, and the old gentleman
tured the prediction, and offered proof amounting TO
than probability, that no Of tho two contending
narchs who the end ofhe dispute should rem.n
of the Ohio aud the Lakes ouid become lord Of North
Amsriea. The acquisition Of this territory would also,
he added his "o~n private opinion mako either Hud.
sons river at New York, Potomac in Virginia. the grand
emporium" Of this country and Of Europe
At that time the Missouri river myth. Cox, who
had ascended the Mississippi the Falls o: ST. Anthony
had reported in his Corosna the existence OF such river
This Co, had become tho proprietor of charter granted
by Charles l. to Sir Robert Heath, constituting him lord
proprietor Of all the lands and waters OF the Mississippi
party organized In Virginia explore the Missouri
aud friend and neghbor OF our ancestor was appointed
to conduct it
The far seeing old gentleman then goes on In this
markable letter TO advocate the advantages thorough
fare across this continent to the South the Pa
ci6c Ocean than called He points out two routes,
from the of the Chesapeake to those Of the
Ohio he other from the Hudson tho Lakes aud thence
the Ohio, and down into the Mississippi and the
Missouri And then by process Of reasoning that is per-
fectly philosODbcal and logical. he points
the existence the Columbia river clear
LIE Verrer did that Of the planet Neptune before the
telescope discovered In this reasoning, was held that
!he tributaries of the Mississippi the right bank extend
cd probably as far to the West those Hs side do
to the East;-hat the head oil the Missouri were
probably separated from the Pacific by chain Of noun
tans answering to that which separates the Ohio from the
waters Of the Aanc-tha the West OF this theoretical
chain OF mouutains-now known the Rocky mountains
another river would beound taking is rise aud pouring
its into that "bouadless sea- he styled the Pa
Atanc-tht the head streams oil this river-now known
the Coumbis-wouli DO found to inoscullte with
those Of the Missouri to leave but short portage be-
tween then and thus great to the ladies'
and across this continent might be established
The old philosopher then goes into most glowing des
crpou OF the desnies Of this country he shows her i
10 be the most dazzling, but stops with the picture
because be find coors glowing and bright enough
for the finishing touches. Whether Norfolk or New York
should bear oil the palm. aud become the great CONNER
cial emporium of the country depend upon which
OF the should be the first to establish commercial
thoroughfare with the Mississippi valley.
advise you read this letter. Ii is very interesting
1t is from the Rev James Maury to friend in England
aud yon will find it al page $780, Of the little work called
Memoirs uf Hugueuo Family, written by your cousin
Ann Maury llssbrouck has it in his library. Mr.. jeff
soa school to him, ana believe Mr. Madison all o.
though this not IL be that We have here
discovered the fountain where young Jefferson first imbi
bed the ideas which finally expanded INTO the expedition
OF Lewis Clarke.
The PREDICTION of our far seeing ancestor is now the
fl d,y "a Tarfn Nav Nnrkn anai he
Erie canal she the 6rst to establish a commercial
ghsay the Lake country This induced other State
put other horoushisres between the Mississippi valley
and the Lakes; and thus New York got hold Of the
merci,l scepre.
Now to understand what the advantages of New York
are ami how gained, let dispense with the Globe anu
aud the map. Tue best for this purpose the
R,i Road mp OF the United Safes by Poor the editor
the Rail Road Journal take him very clever
man; Tor both his Journal and Map excellent.
AS the E'ie Canal went into operation, its com
nercal influence. felt for good ghout all the up
per States Of the Mississippi valley They began forth
dig caIa's, push slack water navigation up the
Lakes which operated as feeders the New York i'm
provemcnt and served 10 mpe that city upward and on
rd in her dazzling career The State Ohio constructed
oess than i've such feeders leading from the Ohio river
up Lakes. Indiana followed suit; and Illinois,
though scarcely Out OF he1 s~addng clothes attempted
horoughcu ship canal between the Mississippi and the
Lakes. IL much for her, and broke her down for
II while, for she had to abandon the design.
Pennsylrrnia followed the example Of New York, and
the Ohio. Maryland TOO, was early in the field with
the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal for railroads in those
days in vogue. As soon, however, il
cersined that railroads might PAY that gallant te state
quick TO perceive aud prompt to act. Among the
FIST in the field her planned the Baltimore and Ohio
R,ilroad, and procured charter for it early SCI
In the mean while, Virginia and North Carolina-for
North Carolina is rs dependent Virginia Is upon Nor
folk for outlet TO tho sea-preierred in mercantile
phrase to ''look on"
About this time General Jackson wisely put stop to
the construction OF urnpkes and canals by the general
government.
South Carolina and Georgia. could build no canals bu,
the problem OF railroads solved, they both
took the railway maDia the gentlemen OF the stand
still policy termed t,and began with the indomabe
enterprise push from Charleston and Savannah iron
ways for into the Mississippi valley. o.
course did OF the railways enter that val
ley than multitude OF others sprang up there to feed and
CO operate with il.
Now take Poor's Railroad map, and glance your eye,
over IT, Ohio aud Indiana exhibit perfect work Of
railways aud canals. See how they sl up to the
Northward and Eastward 10 meet the New York Pennsy
vana aud Maryland Improvement Even in Kentucky the
railroads turned up to the North and East where they
can lind improvements in other states leading the
Though the daughter OF Virginia. Kentucky, has not a
single railway leading to Virginia, or even pointing
wards il.
Now cast your eyes upon yirgni, aud her neighbor
"Trip Van Wrinkle" as the I" Old North State" used some
times to be called. Ses how blank they look mot a sin
gle railway canal 10 operation completed from their
frontier borders to any seaport town. guilt, blight bay
in either OF them
Continue the examination little further BY casting
your eye upon South Carolina aud Georgia There again
you find the map network Of railways reaching with
their main also back to the Mississippi valley aud
stretching off far into Tennessee their way Ken
lucky aud Ohio, thus cutting OF all trade from
Virginia. You observe how in Tennessee the railroads
also skim Virginia, and down to the S f. to meet
the South Carolina and Georgia improvements Charles
ton is at this time actually importing for Nashville aud
all the country thence to Abingdon in Virginia.
Thus Virgnii that ought TO have been the first tap
the Mississippi Valley with her internal inprov emens
the last. All the States west shun her with their
improvements They 60 ronnd her, and by the discon-
necon she presents herself isolated and and.kc in the
grand system ofDtefnal Improvements bind East and
West together What has she lost by III The COIN
nercisl dependency and tho business Of an empire
loss which fear be made good by any sum
Of money though il be enormous the British
debt.
do no, wi.h TO make any impression upon your mind,
nv that is either unfair uniav orabe the State
where We born; do mean TO convey TO you the
dea that Virginia is without any internal improvements
lar from it, THE people have constructed rather have
IN hand fine works, and the State has helped them
BIT the State ~ yet has planned and eIecu'ed nothing
Ike great State work; nothing uorhy Of her, equal
10 her positon. She has had settled policy With re-
gard TO sJstem Of internal improvements; has she
adopted any measures which at all likely secure
a-(A Ia II 90