Year: 1864

The Times correspondent thus writes;


The great internal improvement, known
as the Butler Canal" at Dutch Gap, on
the James river, progresses apace, and bids
fair 10 be soon an accomplished fact The
main military object in cutting this canal
has been stated often, viz, to open a pas
sage for our iron-clsds to the upper part of
the river, and thus avoid the shoal water at
the bend know as Trent's Reach, near the
end of a long peninsula, misnamed Far
rars Island, while the incidental advant-
ages of successful result of the marvellous
work will be the turning of the rebel bat
teries at the Hewlett House, command
ing position on the river, as well as render
ing of no effect a line of sunken vessels
with which, in the early days OF our occu-
patton, Admiral Lee thoue ht it the part
of prudence to obstruct navigation at this
point. But aside from the hoped-for mill
tary achievement, the canal will confer
an inestimabIe benefit upon Richmond af-
ter the war, in commercial way, by short
ening the distance at least fourteen miles


Instead Of making the long circuit around
the neck of land, steamboats, and sailing
vessels will pass through the canal, avoid
ing the rapid current and conquering the
battling winds which have made this par
ticular reach of the river the dread and
vexation OF steamboatmen and impatient
shippers. Although 1 believe that TO Gen.
Butler is due the credit Of projecting this
enterprise, it appears to have been thought
of before II suggested itself to his mind A
late Richmond paper said that about TWEEN
ty-fve years since company was formed
expressly to prosecute this scheme, but,
after surveying tho ground thoroughly, it
was deci ed to be Utopian, and was therefore
abandoned. But the Southern peopls
are apt to yield to physical difficulties
without fair trial. They lack the enter
prise and perseverance which characterize
their Northern countrymen, who, in this
instance, as in many Others, will achieve
what their feint-hesrtedness deemed i'm
possible The work is in progress, too,
under scarcely imaginable drawbacks =
With great ingratitude these Southerners
throw all manner of obstacles in the way
of the laborers-pelting them with shells
and grapeshot after fashion that would
be Hmore hOnored in the breech than in the
observance" Happily the casualties to The
working parties have thus far been few,
and, as 1 before remarked, the digging
goes bravely on. A few days since 1
visited the place, and was courteously re-
ceived by Major Ludlow, Of General But
ler's staff, the officer in command of oper-
ations. Leaving my horse in a ravine
where it would be partially sheltered from
the occasional shells of the rebel batteries
at the Hewlett House, crossed the James
River in skif, without being able to say
that was blown into the water, and in
deed the enemy politely refrained from
firing while l was on the ground The
scene about the works was extremely ami
mated. About 1000 negro soldiers were
working zealously with pickles and spades,
and plowing and hauling away
the dirt with mule teams
The ground is very high-at its highest
elevation, should judge, about forty feet,
and the space to be dug through was at
least fifty yards in length by the same
distance in withdrawing task rivalling
that of Hercules in diverting the river of
classic fable into the Augean stables The
soil Is elayey, and some of the strata are
very eampaet, adding vastly to the diff
Guilty of excavating am not at liberty
to give the precise condition Of the work
at this stage o. its progress, but 1 am as
sured that day by day the likelihood of its
successful completion grows more certain.