Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1856-10-10

Ghe virginia aud Esops-sr' szatifond
4 lengthy account ofthe recent excursion to
/ Bristol IN the Virginia and Tennessee Railway
appeared in the Express uf Monday. We had
the good fortune 10 participate in TINT excursion
and the circumstances attending the affair have
been fully detailed bat ttle has been said Of
the magnitude the work. and If lis probable
results in enarging The trade aud developing the
resources Of Virginia.
1t is reilly difficult to make up opinion as
To- this road. whether it, local or its c9nsequen-
tial advantages will prove the greater. Passing
through one Of The richest sections 81 the United
States. the facilities Il affords to the farmers along
~, line for sending their produce to market and
the increase thus made 10 the annual trad" Of
oar Eastern towns aud cities, would nlone jus
tfy the expense thnt has been Incurred in its
construction. But the region thro' which the roa |
lies is not only remarkable for the fertility of hs
soil ~ the value Of It's crops; il il wealthy beyond
comparison in it, mineral resources. II like the
Deryise in the Arabian tale, we could be endow-
I'd by that power Of vision ndeqn ale 10 tho dis
covrry Of the hidden riches of the earth over
which wa walked. there Is probably no portion of
our country which would exhibit 10 such mex
haustbc treasures. We speak not of the pre-
cious metals which all history has proven 10 be
a curse 10 the land in whose bowels they are hid
den; but of iron and coal and lead nnd those 9TH
mineral deposits that contribute To the com
fort Of all mankind, and hy means ID industry to
which they gave rise in their employment, have
mn Indirect as well as an intrinsic value.
All along the route of the South West Railroad
metallic veins underlie tho surface. The s,ratif-
cations Of rocl show us the most beautiful yare
ties of building material Marbles OF all kinds
have been struck upon Even prophyry has boen
rent by tho blasting of the engineers III making
the rond why. Several of the highest ombunk
ments ara wholly Of gypsum Indeed the who'll"
country is u store house Of priceless cnrths and
minerals
But the South Western Railway is of the very
first importance as II long link i'll the uulnterrup
ted chain which is 10 connect the grert West
with tide water Yirginia.--As line of travel it
will serve double purpose Of intercommuniea-
tion, il will present the most direct course by
which passengers from the West aud from the
extreme south may piss IN jourHeying tn the
middle Atlantic border. Once joined by the Elk
tension of the iron to Memphis with TIE Mis,s-
-pp continuous rush of travel will pour
through Virginia such ~ we have never before
seem while we may reasonably expect immense
quantities Of produce TO be brought over ittrom
different pnrts of Tennessee aud Alabama for
shipment AT City Point and Norfolk This gen
erntion will see these splendid results And we
here tell eur Petersburg merchants that the Nir-
glnin and Tennessee Railroad will pour large
trade east TINT j. well worthy Of their noblest en-
crgies. It is perfectly within their grasp. and #
they let the golden opportunity pass, they de
serve TO lose il. But now is the time IL mako the
effort, before il shnil be diverted to ether places,
whose merchants are putting forward agencies
aud ln-trumentalities To secure IT,
In another point Of view, the Virginia and
Tennessee Road is Of Inrsimnble valne, espocl-
ally in the present unhappy condition of national
Affairs We refer TO it. ntidrdlng the Southern
slHveheldel II mode of transporting lis slaves to
the West and South, without the hazard of hav
tlrIu efolpn from HIM nv tho MONS nd