The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-10-02
TIE DAILY DISPATCH.
Tnsrsssv cfer.lsr, 0essser ., 1859.

THE DAILY DISPATCH.
Thars1ay rfornisx, 0ctsser 2, 1850.
Ricasssd ana Ysrk River RaiIross.
The importAncs u Ills toute 70 the intefssss @
Richmond ard 81 epf whole system q public
vo,ks casnee ~ oSoe -sstimated Wsec ne de-
preclass Jax16s siyef; ne improvement ~ work
Of absolnt4 16cssaIsy, Cor the Meae laaaAn 80
cossswfse nod. but Il WI pot q Hest g ssn.
cient ouss or ths trade of this point when 81 eur
railroads. are completed, and the Jamss River "
nal sxfs6ded 70 the Ohio Tbs fnnsuss freiensins
shIps and steamers now used = esess me ocean
and 20 roand % the Pacific, can fnd only 10 the
York river : sufYiciess depth and capacity. Inc
people Of Richmond have but little conception OF
the natessic s,ream which, when the York River
Railroad d completed, they may reach In An hour
aud half: bright, beautiful river, or rather, an
arm of the Sea- At some points seven miles wioe,
deep enough to float the navies OF the world' oolo
.ra ..r.vht 10 tina, the wind that will bring ship
,nto the Capes will take her up the river, 70 the
term,nus Of the Richmond and York River Rail
road. and the wind that viii take her down The
river, will waft her into the Atlantic
Look for moment at the various lines Of trans
portatiou which will concentrate upon Richmond
The great Central and Covington Railroads; the
James River and Kapawha Canal the noble Vir
Ginia and Tennessee Railroad, which has already
reached ifs terminus the Danvile Railroad. which
pours into Richmond already such steady and
fructifyng stream of trade, and the petersburg
Railroad. Some of these roads are mtended 10
make connections with North Carolina, South Car
DINA and Georgia Railroads, and others to pene
trate the vast rich valleys of the Ohio and Missis'
isippi. The annual tonnage up and down the
streams TO he tapped by our Western improve
ments 10 about two millions and hall the number
Of passengers, half million. -
s. The centre of Ohio. has been often stated, ID
nearer the Capes of Virginia, 0ia Richmond, by
one hundred miles, than ria Baltimore; and near.
or the Capes by Richmond than are The Capss OF
Delaware by Philadelphia and yet Baltimore anu
Philadelphia are expending millions to reach the
Western States Tie centre Of Kentucky ia $50
miles nearer our Cspes by Richmond than by Bal
timore, aud 200 miles nearer than ia Now Orleans
from that point. We may reasonably expect at
least half the trade of these States, we'll the
trade of Tennessee, Western North Carolina and
North Alabama. That this trade will be very
large, ia shown by the following figures In 1850,
Virginia raised IA Sic $50 bushels of Wheat North
o.
cause she had no good market; Kentucky, 2e. $685.
1856 bushels. In the same year, Virginia raised S.
SIG 492 pounds of Tobacco; North Carolina 10 05s.
147 Tennessee, 90 l4i $50: Kentucky, SIS 766, $50 ;
Ohio, 1O,480, 967. In all, 154 &C., 245. Virginia
raised in the same year, IS 53S, 532 bushels of
Corn North Carolina, % 2eG, 999 Tennessee, 80.
1877 1863 In all, us 963 444 bushels. Much of this
may be expected to pass through Richmond. when
the railroads connecting us with those States are
completed, to which must be added the inexhausti-
BILE quantities of COAL iron, salt plaster and lead
along and through which our roads pass
city must have outlets for its trade equal to its
inlets and unless we are provided with such by
the time that the various lines from the interior
concentrating upon Richmond are completed, other
routes and markets will be sought, for our com
mercial Atlantic towns contending for mastery,
and economy and rapidity of transportation are
the weapons used. There ia another fact of i'm
portance bearing upon this subject. Only the
largest class of ships find profitable to carry freight
on long voyages, and this class cannot come up
the James river even IS far as City Point, for on
some of the bars 100 miles below Richmond, there
IL not a greater depth than about seventeen feet
Hence, whilst we hold the James river in high es.
TEEN for the coasting and West India trade we are
satisfied that will not of ITSELF with the aid
of the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroads. be suffi.
clont to pass off the tonnage coming in from the
mighty West, and that another adequate outlet
can only be found by the connection with the wa
terra Of York river.
1t Is to be hoped that the requisite means to com
plete the York River Railroad will soon be raised
Legislative aid it cannot expect for q year from
next winter there is earthly probability of
extra session Of the Legislature. An effort should
be made now by all interested In the completion
of this road to push it through at once and
ton of the State il much interested as the city
of Richmond. 1t not only gives her the rich trade
of the fertile region washed by the York and its
tributaries, and which now goes to Baltimore it
not only provides her with sufficient outlet Tor
the great trade of the West, but, in connection
with the air line railroad from Charlottesville, it
gives her commercial advantages from which she
cannot be dislodged by any future combinations
hostile to her interests and brings to her own doors
q h&rbor broad, deep and beautiful as any in the
world
Nor is there the slightest earthly danger that the
York River Road will build up an opposition city
on the banks of York river. We have here the
capitol, the banks, the custom house, and con.
centration of all the great lines of railroads,
whilst the York River terminus will be isolated,
and be to Richmond what City Point is to Peters
burg.
EUROPEAN GOLD AND SILVER CoIN-The gov.
erDments Of Europe it is probable, will be forced
to resort to the same debasement of their silver
coin has been practised in the Unite States in
order to prevent Its absorption by China and the
East Indies. This displacement of silver by gold
has been going on ever since the discovery of gold
In California and Australia, and still progresses
with extraordinary rapidly. The margin be-