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boated thirteen hundred miles for that sum; yet a ton could not be wagoned the same distance for less than £38. 108., so great is the disparity between land and watercarriage.

Hence it must be evident, that roads, however good, can never effectually assist the remote country; each mile is attended with a heavy expense on carriage, till penetrating so far, that the value of the produce is consumed in carriage; it terminates in a luxuriant wilderness, sable and uncultivated as the interior of Africa. But by canals, the conveyance may be so easy, that they may penetrate the most remote districts, draw down the produce to the ports of trade, and bear up the various conveniences of life; thus each man may exchange his surplus labor for the necessaries or luxuries which he may require; hence his faculties will be put into action, cultivation will flourish, and enjoyment be more equally diffused; canals will pass through every vale, meander round each hill, and bind the whole country in the bonds of social intercourse; hence population will be increased, each acre of land will become valuable, industry will be stimulated, and the nation, gaining strength, will rise to unparalleled importance, by virtue of so powerful an ally as canals.

Having exhibited the immense disparity between canals and roads, with the mode of extending canals in every direction, by appropriating the tolls; it is evident, that such a system will produce infinite navigation. But the mode of constructing them must be maturely considered; and in this two things must be scrupulously adhered to.

First, that canals may truly benefit a country, it is necessary the passage should be performed with equal ease each way. Second, that the nearest course should be taken to the principal points of the country; and for both these reasons, the beds of the rivers, beyond tide, must

almost universally be forsaken ;* because torrents, in time of rain, which is extremely injurious to the works of art, with the shoals in dry seasons, together with the current ever-standing one way, will very frequently interrupt free intercourse, and render fresh-water river navigations precarious.

The rivers, creeks, and rivulets, which are numerous in all parts, must be considered as the feeders of canals; and in this respect, having an abundance of water, America is very fortunate; land is also cheap and timber plenty, so that the great expense of an American canal would be labor.

Therefore, as it is the channels of art which can only effectually assist the country, I have constantly endeavored to find a system which might pass by the straightest line to a given point; hence you will observe the mode of mounting hills, crossing valleys, rivers, and defiles, by the various machines; which, I hope, will display an easy means of extending water communications through a great continent, and bear the mind to those days, when a well directed economy in manual labor will give enlightened and rational enjoyment to many millions of inhabitants: hoping, that this important subject will make a part of the deliberation of a wise legislature,

I remain, with all possible respect,

Your's sincerely,

ROBERT FULton.

* By forsaking the beds of rivers, I mean, that they should not compose or make a principal part of a leading canal; yet, however numerous canals may be, it will frequently happen that some miles of a river will afford easy navigation in particular seasons, and probably touch the leading canals into which the goods, or perhaps boats, may be transferred from the river; for small boats will live on the American rivers in particular parts and seasons, of which there are innumerable instances by the batteaus and even canoes.

ROBERT FULTON'S LETTER TO ALBERT GALLATIN-1807.

In the Report of the Hon. Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the U. S. Treasury, transmitted to the U. S. Senate, April 4, 1808, we find the following communication from Mr. Fulton.

WASHINGTON, December 8th, 1807.

"SIR: By your letter of the 29th of July, I am happy to find that the attention of Congress is directing itself towards the opening of communications through the United States, by means of roads and canals; and it would give me particular pleasure to aid you, with useful information on such works, as I have long been contemplating their importance in many points of view.

But a year has not yet elapsed since I returned to America, and my private concerns occupied so much of my time, that, as yet, I have acquired but very little local information on the several canals which have been commenced.

Such information, however, is, perhaps, at present, not the most important branch of the subject, particularly as it can be obtained in a few months at a small expense. whenever the public mind shall be impressed with a sense of the vast advantages of a general system of cheap conveyance. I hope, indeed, that every intelligent American will, in a few years, be fully convinced of the necessity of such works to promote the national wealth, and his individual interest. Such conviction must arise from that habit of reflection which accompanies the republican principle, and points out their true interest on subjects of po

litical economy. From such reflection arises their love of agriculture, and the useful arts, knowing them to augment the riches and happiness of the nation; hence also their dislike to standing armies and military navies, as being the means of increasing the proportion of non-productive individuals, whose labor is not only lost, but who must be supported out of the produce of the industrious inhabitants, and diminish their enjoyments.

Such right thinking does great honor to our nation, and leads forward to the highest possible state of civilization, by directing the powers of man from useless and destructive occupations to pursuits which multiply the productions of useful labor, and create abundance.

Though such principles actuate our citizens, they are not yet, in every instance, aware of their best interests; nor can it be expected that they should perceive, at once, the advantages of those plans of improvement which are still new in this country. Hence the most useful works have sometimes been opposed, and we are not without examples of men being elected into the State Legislatures for the express purpose of preventing roads, canals, and bridges being constructed. But in such errors of judg ment our countrymen have not been singular.

When a bill was brought into the British Parliament, 50 years ago, to establish turnpike-roads throughout the kingdom, the inhabitants for forty miles around London, petitioned against such roads; their arguments were, that good roads would enable the farmers of the interior country to bring their produce to the London markets cheaper than they who lived nearer the city, and paid higher rents; that the market would be overstocked, the prices diminished, and they unable to pay their rents or obtain a living. The good sense of Parliament, however, prevailed, the roads were made, the population and commerce of London increased, the demand for produce increased, and he who

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lived nearest to London still had a superior advantage in the market.

In like manner, I hope the good sense of our Legislature will prevail over the ignorance and prejudice which may still exist against canals. And here an important question occurs, which it may be proper to examine with some attention,-in this early stage of our public improvements, whether, as a system, we should prefer canals to turnpike roads. Our habits are in favor of roads, and few of us have conceived any better method of opening communications to the various parts of the States. But in China and Holland, canals are more numerous than roads; in those countries the inhabitants are accustomed to see all their productions carried either on natural or artificial canals; and they would be as much at a loss to know how we, as a civilized people, could do without such means of conveyance, as we are surprised at their perseverance and ingenuity in making them.* England, France, and the principal states of Europe, commenced their improvements with roads; but as the science of the engineer improved, and civilization advanced, canals were introduced, and England and France are now making every exertion to get the whole of their heavy productions water-borne; for they have become sensible of the vast superiority of canals over roads.

Our system, perhaps, ought to embrace them both, canals for the long carriage of the whole materials of agriculture and manufactures, and roads for travelling, and the more numerous communications of the country. With these two modes in contemplation, when public money is to be expended with a view to the greatest good, we should now consider which object is entitled to our first attention.

The Royal Canal from Canton to Pekin is 825 miles long; its breadth, 50 feet; its depth, nine feet.

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