water communication from Ontario to the Hudson.' History, &c. p. 40. 'The utmost stretch of our views, was to follow the track of nature's canal, and to remove natural or artificial obstructions; but we never entertained the most distant conception of a canal from lake Erie to the Hudson.' Ibid. App. Note K. p. 100. Now we conceive, that if there be any thing peculiarly imposing or advantageous in the canal operations of New-York, it is inseparably connected with the Erie canal, and that if Mr Watson's idea of joining lake Ontario with the Mohawk by the Oswego river had even been carried into effect, it would have been of little comparative utility to that state, and that instead of securing the commerce of the great lakes, that trade would have absolutely passed by its very doors. In that case, a country, which is exceeded by no other of the same extent in fertility, the western part of New York, in consequence of its remote situation, would have protitted little by the enterprize of her own citizens. The produce of the upper lakes, once on Ontario, would pursue its natural destination, the market of Montreal, for even the citizens of Cayuga county have found it their interest to carry their flour to that city. We ask then, would the commerce of the country between Cayuga lake and Buffalo, or that of the great inland seas beyond, ever have found its way to New York? A variety of considerations will show its impossibility; but we refer the reader to the irresistible arguments on this subject, contained in the memorial, Documents, p. 86. It appears, therefore, to us, that the great and vital principle of what is called the canal policy, was to divert into the bosom of our own people a trade, which was enriching our rivals, and carried on from our own shores, to open a market for the products of the western country, and finally to secure, even if the falls of Niagara were locked, by a cheaper route than that of lake Ontario, the commerce of the upper lakes and the territory which was contiguous to or bordering upon them. If we are correct in these statements, Mr Watson cannot claim the high honor of having originated the canal policy of New York. Such an exclusive honor, in cases of this kind, rarely belongs to an individual. It is the nature of human enterprises, which consist not in one lucky effort, but in a series of wise counsels, steadily pursued, through a great variety of measures, deliberative and active, that many should bear a part in the labor, and be entitled to a share of the credit. And

if truth and justice have obliged us to withhold from Mr Watson that exclusive honor in this case, which rarely belongs to any individual in any case, they equally oblige us to bear witness to his animated exertions in favor of the plans of uniting Wood creek and the Mohawk, and the Hudson and Lake Champlain. Doubtless the final passage of the act of 1792 was owing to the facts which had been collected in his journey of September 1791, and which were communicated to general Schuyler, the father of the measure. His powerful concurrence and zealous activity in these projects will always be mentioned with respect and remembered with gratitude.

With the information which we possess, we shall certainly not pretend to decide on so delicate and important a matter as the one before us. But we cannot conclude without noticing a fact, recorded p. 64 of the History, but with which we were before acquainted. The quick and grasping mind of that eloquent orator and profound statesman, Gouverneur Morris, was deeply imbued at least as early as the year 1800, with the supreme importance of a canal between lake Erie and the Hudson. He pours forth his magnificent auguries in the following enthusiastic language, in a letter to a friend in Europe:

Hundreds of large ships will in no distant period, bound on the billows of these inland seas. Shall I lead your astonishment up to the verge of incredulity? I will. Know then, that one tenth part of the expense borne by Britain, in the last campaign, would enable ships to sail from London through Hudson's river into lake Erie. As yet, we only crawl along the outer shell of our country. The interior excels the part we inhabit, in soil, in climate, in every thing. The proudest empire of Europe is but a bauble, compared to what America may be-must be."

These suggestions were by some regarded as the production of a romantic and ardent imagination; and there were those who too often lisped the accents of contempt, over what their courage was too faint to espouse, or their minds too insignificant to conceive. That great man lived, however, to bring the subject before the public-the luminous report of 1811 is the fruit of his powerful and disciplined intellect.

Mention is made in the History, &c. p. 67, of fourteen essays, which appeared in 1807 in a newspaper, and are attributed to Jesse Hawley Esq. of Rochester. The account there given makes us regret, that we have never been able to see them. The route of the canal is laid down, the distance

calculated, the expense estimated, as experience has since shown, with remarkable accuracy. Our readers will recollect, that this was before any legislative proceeding on the subject, and is, therefore, more worthy of observation on account of the minuteness of the details, the boldness of the conception, and the courage of supporting, that which was then esteemed a wild and extravagant attempt.

We proceed to make a few remarks upon the probable effects, which the great works we have been considering will have upon the interests of the United States, or upon those of that state, which has so strenuously and nobly prosecuted them. And, in the first place, we think that the internal commerce of a large portion of the union will undergo a very material change. Let us examine for a few moments the connexion of the western canal with other great points in our limits. By an artificial navigation of sixteen miles, the voyage from Buffalo to Pittsburgh would be uninterrupted. The communications between the Ohio and lake Erie are numerous and not difficult. A short cut would join the Muskingum, which discharges itself a hundred and seventy miles below Pittsburgh with the Cayahoga. The junction of the Scioto with the Sandusky, the Miami of the Lake with the Miami of the Ohio is practicable. Michigan and Erie may unite their waters by means of the river Raisin, while by the Chicago. river which runs into the former, and a branch of the river Plein, a passage might be secured into the Illinois, and thence to the Mississippi. The latter route has been lately pointed out in a report made to the secretary of war.' Introduct. to Doc. p. ix.

The present cost of transportation across the mountains to Pittsburgh is $70 per ton. Now, by the western canal through the village of Erie to the head waters of the Ohio it is estimated at $35, and if there were a good road only at $28. If, therefore, it be true, that in three years the cost of wagoning to Pittsburgh amounted nearly to $5,000,000, there would have been a saving in either case of several hundred thousand dollars. It is stated in the introduction, (and we presume these results are the consequence of diligent inquiry,) that taking a section of 8000 square miles within forty miles of the Ohio and Sandusky as the depot, and charging land carriage to the various places of consumption, the canal would save at least $42 per ton, and in the north-east part of Ohio at least

The effects are

$90 per ton, in the cost of conveyance. more palpable in the state of Illinois. Merchandise from Philadelphia or New Orleans, pays for carriage $130 per ton, but when the canal shall be finished, and a road of sixty miles made from the head of lake Michigan, a difference of $50 or $60 will immediately be felt. From all these considerations it will seem probable, that Philadelphia and Baltimore must yield a large portion of their present trade to their more fortunate rival.

The time must soon arrive, when that extensive territory from the Ohio to the great lakes, and from the Missouri to the borders of Pennsylvania, a country fertile and healthful, inhabited by a race of hardy and vigorous men, capable of supporting a population of enormous magnitude, a country, in comparison with which the fairest kingdom in Europe is almost sterile, will hereafter receive all which may supply its wants or add to its luxuries through New York, and will in return transmit, by the same channel, the rich fruits of an exuberant soil, owned and cultivated by a free population. New Orleans, great as she inevitably must be, will find her influence contracted, and will be obliged to bow to those great physical and moral causes, which have constituted New York the emporium of North America. If the contemplated canal across the state of Ohio (and what may we not expect from that young but powerful member of the republic) should be made, even the tobacco of Kentucky would find a cheaper passage on the smooth waters of the canal, than on the Ohio, obstructed by the falls of Louisville, or the Mississippi, at all times a tedious and dangerous navigation. The United States will feel the benefit of the canal in the improved value of the public lands in that quarter. Population will rapidly increase, and the Indian, ameliorated by the benign policy of the government, will be enclosed with the cordon of the white settlements, there we trust to enjoy the blessings of civilized life. The protecting force and paternal energy of the same power will then be extended to our frontier with ease and economy. On the seaboard we have nothing to fear; the fortifications now erecting, the perfection to which our navy is brought, and the characteristic gallantry of our seamen, afford an ample defence in that quarter. On our northern frontier we are more exposed; and that owing to the very difficulty of supplying the materiel of war. A piece of ordnance during the late contest with

England, delivered at lake Ontario, cost the country $2000, when its original price was only $400. These canals, therefore, while they will save thousands to the individual and the nation, are calculated to protect our borders from invasion, to secure the safety of our citizens, and guaranty the general welfare of the republic.

The state of New York, already one of the most powerful in the confederacy, is destined to become yet more so. Situated in a healthy climate, and in a commanding geographical position, with a hardy population of 1,300,000 souls, she has before her a most noble career. The profits of agriculture will be increased, the resources of the state improved, all its parts brought nearer to each other,* its population extended, and its power concentered and consolidated. She possesses great mineral riches; the beds of gypsum in Onondaga are not only extensive, but of the purest quality. It is an article of prime necessity in her agriculture, and will hereafter afford a regular source of profit, by exportation to the south. Already the lake fisheries have become a matter of importance, while the Champlain canal has led to the establishment of numerous forges in a country where the iron ore is said to be of an excellent quality.

The salt works at Salina are particularly deserving of attention. They already yield sixty or seventy thousand dollars to the state, the duty being twelve and a half cents per bushel. A single gallon of the water yields twenty-six ounces of salt, and the supply is inexhaustible. The Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Illinois salt is sold at the works, from four dollars to $7,50 per bushel; at Salina it can be sold at two dollars per bushel. What will be the future value of the salt springs to the state cannot be accurately foreseen; but already has this commodity been carried by land to Buffalo, and thence distributed along the banks of the lake. Hereafter it will supply the valley of the Ohio and Mississippi, and be exchanged for the fine marble and agricultural products of Vermont. As it is an article of the first necessity, the revenue to be derived from it will be a fund constantly increasing with the exigencies of a growing population.

The Champlain canal, though a considerable work, has been

* It was well remarked in the report of 1812, that the proposed canal would to every useful purpose produce the same effect, as if lake Erie were brought within forty miles of Hudson's river.'