The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-08-26

II
..t.r rhe contents include The Oaks |
- rs,rnolne.. very pretty story-The Gin
.,nn.,, rraepdy - Virginia Letters and
,.rv. auaatity OF interesting editorial, news.
local and commercial matter.
For sale al the counter--price 2 cents, or
cents when In wrappers ready for mailing to
friends In the country,
,>,ernal Inpreveme nts The Cevington and
Ohio Railroad.
A the session Of the Legislature approaches,
popular interss, 10 revived on this important
subject JoaHpH SKoAR, Esq, Of Hampton,
that veteran advocate Of the cause, is out in a
letter Ia reply TO DR.. WILLIAMS, Of Putnam
county. who, ON behalf Of the people, invited
him to make a visit TO that county before The
next meeting Of the General Assembly. In
this letter. Mr.. SEeAn speaks with great en-
phasis Of the Coyington and Ohio Ralroat'
which hn STYLES "the nob;est OF all American
railway thsroug h fares" whose completion
should he a fixed fact in the policy of ths
State for ths moment IL is settled upon, pub
lie credit will rise and the great wsrk Will
advance not only more rapidly, bnt far NOR
~ economically, than il can under any system
contingent and stinted appropriations. Th'
finances Of the State are declared to be in the
rnost auspicious condition for the prosecution
Of this great line. Mr.. SEGAR says that, under
the operation Of the present tax law, helped
on. a. it IL, by the creative agency OF our pup
lie improvements, there is, and will continue
10 be- a sufficient surplus IN che tr'asury TO COM
plsts all asy Public porks toithout the imposHio"
of a solifa,y dollar Of iaersased taxation upon
III. psopis. That surplus, he adds, after paying
all the floating debt of the Common wealth.
and meeting every demand on account OF fh'
nuhIic debt and the civil list, is more IMAM mai
. million and 1t is destined to an annual pro-
vressiye increase until we shall not only have
the most abu ndant means OF finishing all oui
improvements, but eventually get back ever,
dollar of their cost, and have our taxes sradu-
ally reduced from their present high rate to
almost nominal amount
"rhs prouos,ton is as obvious rs the sun. AS
chr improvements shall be ramlfed through gu
broad domain. increased value VIII be iinparteo 70
our lands. For example, in the short space 81 SIX
yss,s between the assessment Of 1850 and that oi
las the au gmsnted value of lands In eleven conn
virginia and Tennessee Railroad; rose from SIX to
twenty SIX millions Of dollars; So that by construct
hui n few millions, the Commonwealth collects a
revenue on twenty-sIx millions, instead % SIX
ono who has stood firmly by the improvement pol
lev the people are far abler tn bear the twent, mil
'xnd so Of the general assessment, in the same
six years. the total increase in the value of the
millions. SO that the State. in the brief period OF
half dozen Years. and ow5ng almost exeusireaa
Turnpikes, gathers into her list n land tax on a |
hundred millions of augmented values |
Now, fas intimated before when this aug
meninx instrpmentality shall have pervadsd ev,
cry section of Virginias fertile and mineral tiied
domain and the stiInulatinI effect shall have been
felt in all the departments Of viyihed enterprise
and when .ain our rtroIds, by BENZ completed. |
shall have become profitable, furnishing direct as |
well collateral contribution tothe revenues, las
they every day giving promise, then.l saw the
present treasury surplus Will an ment, until the
piest rusans for completing whole system of
public improvements, and materially lessenins the
lakes
One Of our Western correspondents has Civ
en-, In his communications to this paper, some
account Of that wonder Of American enter
prise, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, u
miracle OF engineering skill, and magnificent
monument Of commercial sagacity and per-
severance. We commend this stupendous
achievement and its marvellous results to
those who still affect to doubt the practicable
ity and the value Of the Coyington Road to
the Ohio. The Baltimore aud Ohio Railroad
was commenced nearly thirty years ago. and
pushed to its completion in the face of the
greatest physical and financial difficulties, by
which does not compare with Virginia in pop
nlation and resources. 1t was constructed
over a rough, rocky and mountainous coun-.
try. uniting the waters of the Ohio and the
Chesapeake In line of 3ls miles, and nj Il cost
of Ss4,2s3 per mile. There are many miles on
this road with grades Of Il6 feet, with more
diflcult curves than the Covington line, and
with the disadvantages to It's working result
ing from d colder climate. These immense
difficulties have been overcome 10 reach point
on the Ohio much higher up than the Coving-
ton terminus, and below which the navigation
of the river IL frequently interrupted by low
water In summer and by ice IN winter. The
Covington Road has no such difficulties to en-
counter. Coming eastward from the mouth
of the KAnnwha there Is no grade exceeding
twenty feet to the mile. Even ut the crossing
Of the Allegheny there are no such high grades
a. those OF the Baltimore Road; the highest
being two miles of 90 feet To the mile, at one
point, when assisting locomotives can be used
TO aid the train over the mountains. Accord
ing to a thorough survey by skillful engineers,
aud an estimate by measurement of the cubic
yards Of earth aud rock excavation, ofembank-
ment, dry walls. tunneliing, &c, the road will
cost only about S2i 600 per mile, including the
building Of depots and stocking the road with
cars and motive power. 1t will reach the Ohio
ut point where the navigation OF that river IL
not interrupted by summer heat or winter cold,
and where IL will connect with bridge over
the Ohio, with a railroad running to Cincin-
natl and thence TO St. Louis and at the mouth
Of the Big Sandy with the Kentucky railroads,
which will unite it with Memphis, thus max
ing the whole Of the Ohio and Mississippi
Valley tributary, by railroad and river to this
grand central thoroughfare TO the Atlantic.
What the value Of the commerce command
ed by this road will be, may be estimated by |
some facts which we will briefly mention
The entire amount of commodities conveyed |
on the Mississippi waters cannot be less than |
tvs hundred and fifty millions Of dollars and |
yet enormous rs this sum is, the COMMITTEE |
Of Commerce Of the United States Senate have |
estimated that not one-teh tn part of even the |
fertile lands Of this great plain are yet occu- |
pied. II IL believed that in less than twenty |
years, the population OF the Mississippi Valley |
will reach twenty millions, and its produe- |
tions q, 600 00O, 600. There are obvious reasons
why many Of the great staples of the valley |
should take the railroad route to the Atlantic |
In preference 10 that by New Orleans. Or the |
wheat crop 81 Ohio amounting to twenty five |
millions OF bushels, aud Of which il is fair 10
allow that twelve millions are sent to market
we might reasonably calculate on a fourth OF
this last seeking route by which il avoids
the injuries II suffers al New Orleans. In re.
gard TO the great staple of cotton, the cos, OF
sending which from Mississippi to Boston is
four dollars per bale, Of four hundred and
ninety pounds, there would be a saving NV
the proposed route, of one dollar and fifty cents
on every bale. The hogs and beeve. intended
for Virginia would take the Coyington road
The optpiOn 10 appraised by commercial p.a