The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-09-13
,.ue. River and kanawha Improve.


River and Kamawha Company AT their called
,,.s,,nr in August. 1900 In order that all
doubt If any still exists, as TO the AGILITY OF
thu Eranch association 10 carry ont their
~rorosittou may be removed, we lay before the
r,h,ie the following facts, gathered from the
o,enins address of the President, and from
the repor, adopted by the stockholders. Some
of them have before been stated In this paper,
bat they will, very well bear repetition.
When, In March last, NJ. ERNEST DIR BEL
LOT pxs MNIrnxs proposed to reopen the
negotiations relative TO the Improvement IN
o1sstion. he exhibited to Col. ELLIS, for the
purpose of satisfying him as 10 the charaee'
and eolyensy of his associates, numoeT OF
latter. certificate. and other writings con-
,.,n,rv exidence which left no doubt upon his
,r,ad From these sources he learned mat the
s.x.,., members of the family OF pR BkLLoT
ma M,NIxRRs. of Bordeaux, and other per
~,r. ted with them, had become inter-
..,as IN a vas, body Of iaud lying in the coun-
4, Of Kanhawa which, by the act OF the Gen.
.rsl Assembly of Virginia relative to de-
iuuuent lands and Western titles, had
hem released from forfeiture, disc harged
from all taxes and damages charged or
Charitable thereon up TO particular day,
and vested In JeHN PETER DUMAS in trust
for the benefit of the creditors of Colonel
JANRs SWAN. an officer OF the Revolu-
lion. who spent The last years of his life In
France. The title of the claimants had been
confirmed by decree of the Circuit Court of
Kanawha county pronounced in January,
1850 and they are still prosecuting claim 10
amuch larger portion of the original SWAN
lands, that to which they are entitled by the
decree amounting TO three hundred thousand
scres Having become thus deeply in terested
In this country-one of the most remarkable
in the world, from its unbounded mineral and
agricultural capacity-it was but natural
that these gentlemen should Immediately
fall to rejecting upon the best mee
of developing its resources. Inc re-
sult was the formation, III France, OF
an association for the purpose OF purchasing
and snlarging the James River and Kanawha
Canal. The fact Of this association is verified
by the certificate Of Mr.. CALHOUN, the Ameri-
can Charge d'Afaires in Paris after the deaih
OF Judge MASON, and in the certincate De
states that the parties named as members OF
The association had appeared before him, OIL
etally. and requested him 10 verify the fact
under his own band The certificate is Only
Acknowledged and signed by them, and, sub
seouently they admitted other associates
That the association is not YET corporation,
4. trus: but the reason why il is not 50 is very
simple A corporation aggregate cannot ex-
tst in France until the whole capital stock has
been subscribed, two thirds of it paid in, and
certificate made in due form to the government
Itwould have been folly 10 have formed Il
CORPORATION on such a gigantic scale, before 1t
had been ascertainsd thatit would be allowed
to prosecute the object for which II was form
ed The mem bers Of the association could not
aao,r that the negotiation here would ever be
completed, and until that fact had been oefl-
nitely settled, it could not be supposed that
they would pay in the enormous sum OF six
teen millions of dollars, which they would
have TO do before the corporation could exist.
Notwithstanding the fact, however, that no
corporation yet exists, abundant evidence was
furnished TO show that the associates in ques-
ton would be formed in to one by paying down
the REQ uired two thirds soon as the success
OF the negotiation here was ascer tanned. They
placed their affairs in the hands of "com-
rnittee," consisting Of six gentlemen, of high
reputation, unblemished character, and posi-
tions in society too well established to admit
of a doubt as 10 the uprightness of their
intentions and the reality Of their zeal
Their official correspondence with NJ. ERNEST
DE BRLLOT was unreseryedly placed before
Col ELLIS. Ii was conducted by a person
well known TO all Europe-a man who had
been successfully Minister of Finance, Pre-
feet Of the Police of France, and Project OF
Pa-i. and the Department OF the Seine. 1t
left upon the mind of Col. ELLIS, no doubt,
that & was founded in perfect good faith, tn al
thu eugagemen!s which it indicated would be
fully and honestly carried out II once en- Tered
into. that there was no trick, subteriuge, or
shutting whatever in contemplation.
In connection with this portion OF the sub
1ec.. we take occasion TO say, that we have
.aen the names of the 'committee"in question
.ad that were they laid before the public.
1ney would be convinced not only of their
canacity to carry out anything in the world
they might undertake, but Of their superiority
To everything which had about it the slightest
suspicion of sham, humbug, bad faith, or
fraudulent speculation. One of those names
alone. would serve as a guaran tee for the sue
osssful prosecution Of any nterprise TO which
II might be pledged, and there are others almos
as we'll snown, and quite as respectable. In
the month of May, Mr.. PAUL. the French
Consul, paid an official visit to the President
of the James River and Kanhawa Company
and addressed him as follows:
al come, SIR, 70 make you an official vist-to
say that my government Is beginning to feel an
have in hand. and that have recsIved q disnatch
from the Minister Of Foreign Relations. written
at the command Of the Emperor. directing me 10
report upon to merlts-and particularly upon it's
relation to the increase and establishment OF d.
rect TRADE between France and Virginia. need
nI6e.noe in this iaet: It means, hrst. that the
parties who are negotia ing with you are per
feotly reliable; my government in such case as
this would never connect it1elf, in the remotest
degree. with any party or association not entitled
20 the his nest credit; but more than this. know
personally or By reputation, number of the gen
urdsrtaking, and know them TO be Of as his
shsraoter, s,ocial' POLITICAL and financial. as any
IN EUROPE"
IN obedience to his instructions, Mr.. PAUL
made report TO his government, and in Au-
gust he again visited the office of the company
BEARING with him q dispatch from the French
Minister of Foreign Affairs, in which, after a
high compliment TO the ability of hi. report.
which had been received and referred to the
proper Department, and presenting the thanks
Of the Government TO NJ. BELLoT DIS MI
BIxKEs, that high functionary proceeds to say
that he il happy In being the medium of COM
municating the sympathy Of the Department
of Agriculture, Commerce ana Public Works,
In this enterprise, the success of which. be
very justly said, would inaugurate direct
commerce on mighty scale between Virginia
and France. 1t was the opinion, he said, of
the iast-named Department that it was the in
t<rest OF the Emperor's government 10 sen.
courage M. DIX BELLOT DKs MINIRRRs and the
sminent men associated with him." and Mr.
rAcL was Instructed TO make known tho
sympathy Of the Government to the prasisa.,
Of ths company and the Executive of ~.
State. At the same time that he exhib,,a, ,his
document, Mr.. PAUL read certified conv OF !,
dispatch from the Minister OF Agriculture
Commerce, and Public Works, addressed to