The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-09-18
Letter from Hon. Wyndham Robinson.

TIE MEADOWS, NEAR ABINGDON,
September 6. 1875.
D5ar Sir.-I am not advised sufficiently,
nor have access here to the necessary data.
TO insfifv nv addressing the public an rlabn-
rate article on The subject Of the canal cXter-
sion 10 Clifton Forge. But when tell You
that at the first meeting of the james River
and Kanawha Company twas it in 1888 y |
propo<e ed a resolution for the examination (
n route for railroad from Richmond ola
Lypchburg 70 New river docking to branches
thence nortbward TO the kanawha and
south westward TO Mempnis), which was
debated for Two DAYS nv my late brother
(Judre Robertson), Judge z. N. Nicholas. and
the JameseS--thep kichmnnd's principal mer.
cbants--for, and Mr.. Joseph Cabell and Chap.
man Johnson against, and that from then TO
now I have never doubted the expectancy
of the measure it contemplated. or that Plr-
ginia. had it been adopted, would to-day
have been richer and stronger by millions of
values and tens Of thousands OF popula ion
than she is, you may judge how long have
advocated and how earnestly | sought 10 Sc
cure for the State these its mosT impOr' ant
means of material development-the two
ines Of improvement indlcated-of which
one, though by Gripping detour, indeed
has been secured, and the other now pro-
posed to he by the projected water eXien-
sion. The future of the plan referred TO,
and with it Of the Dcalculable strength and
wealth to the State believed il TO have heeD
fraught With. ha1 been a lifelong grief TO
me, But ! rejoice that part OF The blessings
it promised have been realized, though In
perfectly, by our present great line TO the
Southwest, and do not doubt, in the present
status of our Improvement. the extension at
the canal until it unites with our western
railroad at Clifton Forge will, beyond any
projected or possible work within our limits.
most certainly and most largely contribute
to retrieve our shaken credit and restore
our pristine and legitimate prosperity.
How to do it is the opus ct labor,
especially in the face Of the multiplied
and multform experiences Of bad
faith and fraud that capital has so long suf-
fered from similar enterprises. Nor do l
profess the requisite knowledge Of finance
and its methods to enable me to point out
the way yet will say this, that ieei very
sure that the Improvement. contemplated
| would create values and incomes many fold
that of the principal and interest of any cap.
ital it might require to make il. But by what
financial arrangements, if any, The latter can
be brought or made, as they should be II
practicable and in due proportion, to rein.
burse and pay the former, l am too unfa.
mliar, repeat, with such subjects to under
take TO advise. l trust sincerely, however,
that the task is not beyond the powers of our
| 6nauciers, and that the long-indulged, long
deferred, almost consecraled expectations OIL
the State from its great water.line are des
tined yet to q not remote realization, 10 fur.
nish new title TO the gratitude of Virgipia
towards its iIlustrious protector, and tc
add another cubit to that moral monument
of fame raised to him, without effort anc
without price, IN the hearts of the good auC
nigh OF all the world, easily overlapping al
the most ambitious, as we'll as most merito
rous, similar structures erected by love o
art 10 the eminent OF other lands.
Free access and cheap intercourse is TIT
priacipe menstruum By which the towns
and the country rec procate benefits ant
advance each others prosperity; and t
foster, systematic, and time the means o
this observation-disclosures so as to produce
the best economic results is The ioremos
material duty OF the Government. Th
principal Of these copverging centres Of ex
change, the proper metropolis OF the State
should be selected 10 view Of all circnn
stances, and not Of one merely. This sp
pears to me to have been hardly enough re
sarded 10 Virginia. II may be on dee!
water, Us New York and Liverpool, Or shal
low, as Paris and London. So near Ne'
York as Norfolk is. its better water, but In
fyrior conditions in so. many other respects
can never admit OF its being raised to rivalry
nut it may 10 great resi- ectablity asaseapcr'
But even this point itself can never be reache
I'll Virg,nia's true natural metropolis, R'cf
nond, Shall attain its just natural diner
sions, and Lyncbburg and other, vel
seated interior ;towns theirs; aud all thes
results may now he hest, IN my hums
opiu,on. only attained by The proposed Jun
tiou OF her water and steam lines at Chft1
Forge. In other words, cheap transport