, 1862-03-06

The report Of Hon. F. P. Blair, Jr., to Con
eress, in faForo Of the enlargement Of the illinois
and Michigan Canal, and tic Improvement of
tlena7igation OF the Illinois river, is attracting
wide attention in the Eastern States. In the
course Of an article on the subject, the New
York Times of The Sd inst. remarks:
But 10 place cur commercial supremacy up-
o. an immutable basis. We must have an ave-
Eue OF commerce which will sustain to the
Great Valley Of the Mississippi the relation
that tie Erie Caoa1 does to the Great Lakes
tblp canal from the Mississippi to Lake
Michigan. This lake Is so nicely poised in
the sentre OF The Continent that 4 tilt that
Wonld elevate its surface only eight feet. or
dcprcss its western bank in an crual degree.
"Gpld scnd its waters into the Gull
OF Mexico lEstc:d Of tie Gulf OF St, Lawrence
into ga Equatorial instead Of an Arctic
Sta. We Dc not propose to go to such an
ctueme- We wish, hy sending little Of
tic trre wu.er Of tile lakes dawn lie Mississin
II, to draw up whatever valuable the snst
tce;on OF It's ua'ers~ produce. The cost ct
SUCH IN achievement is a vcry small affair.
All thst Is wanted is canal Of 100 miles, and
az improvement Of the Illinois River Of
So-in al $50; length Of line 63 miles
shorter than the Erie Canal Its proposed to
untertake ibis ulilitnry work, a sort Of guiso
= Thich The Constitution imposes; and fof this
purpose Nh. F. p Blair, Jr., Chairman Of rhe
Committee on Military Affnfrs in the House
Of ReFn necntatf,es, at Washington, las sub
mttted report, accompanied BY hill, which
We copy c1eew here, and which Is now before
that body for consideration.
~ the importance Of the york proposed,
botn IN q military and commercial point Of
view, nothing need be urged, though the sub
ject Is 50 attractive and coagcniaf to the ar
dent imagnation Of our people, who have an
experience shared in By no other natiou-that
OF taktnE continent ia state Of n.inre of
peopling and converting it into the most at
t1actire abode for man, and constituting II n
theatre, the nohlest yet created, for the deyel-
opment of his nature Imagine the Mississin-
r and its tributaries, with its ao,ooe miles
Of par1eah1e water courses, turned into the
harbor Of New York! This we wcrc doing by
slow degrees before the rebellion broke out,
4 cannl Of small dimensions and capacity had
al1t ady been constructed from Lake Michigan
to the head of navigation on the Illinois
River. This work cannot accommodate a
h:tieth part Of the trade Of the Great Valley
What Is wanting is work that will, at ali
tlmss OF: the year, except Ninter-Hhich In
Illinois lists only about two months
The passage Ct the largest boats that navigate
the loEer Mississippi The cost of all this,
Mf. Blair estimates at only &l3, ,346, ,ss4 @M
recommends the canal to te 160 feet wide on
the hotteEo, with locks 70 by $50 feet, aud
with dtp pth to pass boats drawing 6 feet Of
water: A. tLc cann& is to be. supplied from
A1an@ n41& !1SHi.s 1AlSc fplHG1c OF H1ter eau
be thrown at all times into the Illinois River.
the navigation Of which can be gradually i'm
proved by 8, stem Of dams, which shall give
the same depth OF water as thst proposed for
TIE canal. =.
With such = work, nc need have no more
;rS!ctr shont New Orleans, or auy Of the Gulf
Forts, 1htse might be closed by ourselves,
& any foreigntPower, without, for that cause
:tleetirs ea:t :ttr the foreign OF domestic trade
ei me country.:.The work proposed would
sescer us every way,a people complete in our
ts1Ves.- Isolated from all the world, our. ter
1i!oTy ~opid embrace any belt Of production,
Ehl:r VIC should at tie lowest possible cost.
b0 able 70 distribute to each sectlou the pro
dues Of all As far rs our material Interests
j, wire concerned, NC could bid ad;cu for a
xEsncrsticn longer. Il necessary, TO the Old
I World thst eeems st the present time to tako
so mech tx cdiEes trouble about the new. The
e1r<st way e ma:niain peace Is to- render
ourselves entirely kelEe 1etalning in time OF
wsf: This Hr. nlair.s project would faIly &C
*eompli<h, and it cancot too sooI seeelFd IA
yofsb's sc.;on from Coegress.