Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-10-23
TIE rSDEvELoPED RESOURCES OF NIE-

GINIA.
T. ,,,.mptns to write on this interesting SUI. .cct.
.., with n difficulty ut the outset. The vast
'.,,,o wealth of Virginia is not only undeveloped,
,,,, uucxp xporcd. Who has any idca of the magni-
i, md extent of her marine aud mineral resources:
WHO can measure the mighty capacities of herfcro
md varied soil! We only know enough to make us
anxious To know more, aud 10 spur us on 10 energetic
uctiun in that course of internal improvements 81
auspiciuusly begun. These reflections aro imincdl'
ately occasioned by very feasible, but to u', new
project. which friend mentioned to US the other day.
He proposed TO keep continually burning about the
eastern terminus of ono ufour rail roads lime kill
the lime be made from the shells 4" oysters To DC
ght to the kiln by vessels from various point"
on the Chesapeake and It's many Tributaries. Inc
shells he proposed TO burn with COAL I" be urnlsAed
by the ru road and TO send return trciShts o lime
and of OYSTERS put up tin casters, us is the practice
in Baltimore The extent TO which such trude ny
he carried, NAV be inferred from the fact that the
Baltimore oyster trade is already informed by
her own papers, greater than her gram trade Mo''
of her oysters she procures from The waters ol VIZ
.ua Tie cities farther Nor' are also IN great ncR
sure supplied from wat RS. The quantity ol o!s
tiers does not diminish :ur we observed laciF hup
dreds of boats gatherin; oysters to plant bel"ee"
Old Point uni Norfolk, and even i'll Elizabeth hi'e'
mat ,t Sorfulk For two centuries man has nee"
irvine, 10 exhaust these oyster beds but he Will nave
to drv up old Ocean first Coal fields and iron nihe
,nay be exhausted, but oyster beds never.
We have Aladdin's lamp, if we only knew how 10
ma. il. These oysters which enrich others, are 4"
little value to u.. Connect the East aud the ",s'"H
rail roads and who shall say which will be TIC Sr'"
.r source of wealth, the fish and oysters Oh 'e E"
ar the mighty mineral products Of the West u We
had r, roads connecting directly the tI!ewatcrs O!
,h Cbas,n.aks. from various points, with Cincinnati
7 ,>,.v;u, :, I,uis with the entire West, how many
n,.,.rs o.d fish would supply the demand What
d be ,, fe;rh,s Of our railroads for transporting
,bem1 On tho other hand, what immense quantities
Of coal, copper gypsum, iron, lime stock and Sr""
wouId be brought TO the East by those ronds
Looking TO the map the reader will perceive that
,,,n our rail roads are completed, the waters OF the
Cbesapeake are the natural and nearest outlet for III"
c,r.;yn trode OF Ohio Indiana Illinois. Missouri and
K.ntucky. Soon our cities might supply them with
foreign products. What source OF wealth ih!T
would be- The single article OF coal is worth at i!ic
mnes twelve millions of dollars annually I" Pcnnsy!'
vap;a. Virginia might sell rs much. And this would
no, be a ,i;hc of the unl"vcloprd wealth tha. lies
buried and useless in rivers, creeks and bays "n
in the bowels OF the enr;h.
In this connections we would earnestly refer I" the
Western Coal nmd Iron Convention, Il be- h".d ~
Charleston kanawha county, on the l3th November
We conceive the project 10 be great in"r'a"r"' 'c al
g d., S,n, Gur, rl iron II
extensive than tha, Of Pennsy ylvan;a-;hc cosl and
ren ores are Of the most superior qualhy ie''"h'o
pennsvvania employed in her frrnur"s ani i"rE'" " az
the TIME Of the last cciSus. l-,7, aud III c"t! III nag
II 49, We had in the rst 2,75 and in til" last Gil
We are behind Tennessee, Ohio Maryland, kentucky,
New York and Pennsylvania, in our iron ma'nac-
,ures-bchnd Ohio and Pennsylvania IN our c"ai.-
The increase the general revenue OF III" S'"te by
the development Of our mineral resources-;hc nddi
ton t, the receipts of public works-'he eNphn'
s;on Of our commerce. that will grow o.; OF Il judi
cious action in the nat;er-are each anC all beyond
computation. Richmond, entering the rice for c"n'
mercial preemnencc, is deeply interested ana rhoud
be represented fully. We invoke tho pe'plc of R;ch'
mond, and Of the State, TO give Their prompt and
zcnlous attention to this important subject.
The mountain air and scenery, and mucrni springs
of the Interior when rendered rsa.il, and chrupIy
accessible will save or make millions for tho State
for they will keep p,or!r and ter money nj
home, aud attract Otb"r p"op" and ncIr money 10
Virginia.
Virginia has great and glorious fuarc before her.
Let her but continue to speed the rnuse oi educa-
,ion of agriculture, of manufactures oi internal I'M
provemens: thus making the State attractive, keep
ing her sons ut home, and inducing capital to come
in from abroad, and We rec no lim.- 10 her growth
and prosperity.