The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-11-26
ABBEVlLLE s. G. THURSDAY MORNING. NOVEMBER 26 1857

proper course of the river through large
body Of low ground-to ascertain tho pro.
per height to make the various embank.
ments, and the proper fall to give the can.
mails and bitches. This would he work
ct great magnitude, and would require
more labor and capital than the owners oi
:he land possess.
The question then ariscs-can these lands
no reclaimed if reclaimed, will they ever
pay the expense incurred, and by whom
should the work he undertakcn2 These
are grave questions, and require the invcsti.
CATION of our most practical and scientific
men. What, ask, has not been accom-.
pl'siied in other States and nations by the
aid OF science and steam2 We are now
boring holes through mountains that i'm
pcde our progress, and drying up rivers to
get the golden sand That lie in their beds
With the examples set before us, and will,
the aid of science, why may we not under.
take work fraught with such ncalculalIe
benefit to the people Of our State. 1t will
have to be done sooner or later, or we will
have to witness the gradual decline of tho
true wealth Of our State. If We desire 10
see the wealth of our State developed, VIC
must reclaim these rich lands and give em
pIoyment TO the thousands and tens Of thou.
sands OF negroes that are annually leaving
our borders.
unhesitatingly answer 1hat these lands
can he reclaimed, and will repay in the flu.
ture wealth and prosperity of the State, ten
tunes tn" amount expended, and should be
unoertaken by the State, in cooperation
with the owners of the lands. This plan
Will startle some Of our economists who
now have one eye on the State Capitol and
the other ON the Blue Rilg, Tunnel. lam
well aware that the idea of the State en-
barking III any more works OF internal i'm
provements with ii debt of five millions
upon her shoulders, is not entertained in
various sections Of our State. And am
ready to join any one in opposing the State
IN engaging in any enterprise that is not
calculated to developc her resources, and
increase the prosperity of her people. But
with all this debt am willing to undertake
any Work of improvement ;hat will tend TO
develope the agricultural, manufacturing
and mechanical resources of our State. II
tile people of any section of this State have
valuable mineral resources, or fine watcr
powers, undeveloped for the want of access
and communication with our markets. or
rich lands to reclaim, and are not able to
perform the work within tl,e,nselves-Ihol
1t to he the duty Of the State, and it is
money well expended, for her to aid her
people Ill any great work calculated to de.
ve'ope the resources Of the country. The
State has now invested in railroads over
one million of dollars, exclusive of the Blue
Ridge appropriation. This money las now
accomplished the objects for which it was
invested in the middle and up country. 1,
has assisted in building railroads, whicl,
have done, and will do, more towards de-
veI"ping the resources Of the country where
they have been located, than all other Of.
f"rts heretofore made by the State. Let
the State continue to assist those roads now
under contract, and at the same time let the
funds invested in those roads that have
been completed, be gradually Withdrawn
and applied to the reclaiming the river and
inland swamps.
10 convince any unprejudiced mind that
tile work is cminentIy practicable, let me for
moment refer you to the operations of
that country whose fame for thrift and plen-
ty is "world wi,le." I allude to the little
kingdom of Holland. The general surface
Of the country is exceedingly flat, and in
travelling through it, says n recent traveller,
zone finds himself from ten to twenty feet
| below the surface of the surrounding water.
on fine rich plodder lands reclaimed by the
Governments The recovery Of these plod-
der lands is the most important branch of
engineering, insomuch that Government
Board hns been established for centu ries.
the duties of which are confined to tile hy-
draulie works of the Kingdom. OF these
plodder lands, the Government has reclaim
ed $4,000 acres, at a cost varying from
ten to thirty dollars per acre. 1t must be
borne in mind that these plodder lands
were once lakes of water and all below the
surface Of the sea.
To illustrate what can be done by ener.
gy, industry and perseverance, look at the
last great IIerculean task this people under
took when they embarked, ditcbed and
drained Harlem Lake. This lake was tlir-
ty.three miles in circumference. It's aver.
age depth was thirteen feet below the low.
est tide Of the sea, and contained an area
Of 900 acres. TWAS enclosed with an
embankment seventeen feet h,gh-the wa.
| tor piimDcd ont. Wl,iol, of itsejf t,oo.,,r,nJ