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Show TRAVELS TilROUGII NORTli AMERICA: c:1 trancc from the fca jnto the rivers in th~tt {btc arc all impeded· by fl1o~ls and ftu~d bank ~, !10 nc of which afford nwtc than eleven feet water'" nnd the paD;1gc over fome of them is very dangerous from tl1e J:md {hifting . vVi1mington, which is the grcatcfl: place of trade in it, co:1 tains only two hu thlrecl and fi fty hou(cs. In order to carry on their trade to North Carolina to a1orc ad~antagc, a. canal is now cutting :.1crofs the Difinal Swamp, from Nor folk into Albemarle Sound, by means of the river.Y th~t empty into which, a water conunu nication will be opened to tho remote parts of tha.t {bu.;. Added to this, Norfolk, frotn its contiguitt to the Difmal Swamp, is enabled to fupply the Weft Indian market with lumber on better terms than any other town in the United States. J t is in con feq ucnce incrc:afing with wonderJul rnpidity, notwithjlandino- the difadvantae-t.:s it labours under from the laws, which are f~ b 0 inimical to con1mcrce. At preft:n t it contains upwards of five hundred ]JOules, which have all been built wi thin the 1all: twenty years, for in thu year 1776 the town was totally deflroycd by orders of Lo1d Duntnore_,. then regal governor of Virginia. Mofl: of the rivers in South Carolina are obfiruCled at their n1ouths,.., much in the fame manner u.s thofe in North Carolina; at Charlefl:on,.. howev:er, there is a f.Ue and commodious harbour. From having fuch an advantage, this town con1mands nearly the entire trade of the il:at<.> in which it is fituated, as well as a confidl:rable portion of that of NorthCarolina. T.hc confequence is, that Charlcfion ranks as the fourth commercial town in the union. There are two rivers which difen1- bogue on each fide of the town, Cooper and AD1ky; thefe are navi •. gable, but not for a very great diil:ance; however, from Cooper River a canal is to be cut to the Santee, a large. navigable river which runs, a confiderablc way up the country. Charle!l:on has unfortunately been almofl: totally dcfiroyed by fire of late, but it is rebuilding very faft, and will moll: probably in a few years be larger than ever. The view that has been taken [o far is fufficient to dcmonfl:rate, that the. profperity of the towns in the United States is dependant upon the1r trade, and principally upon that which is carried on with the in-. terior parts of the country; and alfo, that thofe towns which are moft conveniently. P A T 0 W M A C R I V E R. 31 conveniently fi tuatcd for the purpofe of carrying on this in\nnd t rade. . rc tl10fe wh ich enjoy the grc~Hdl i11arc of it. It is now tin1c to cxt:ttn inc more p:1rticuhrly how fu· the fituation c.f the ft.:dcral city is f.t vo u r~ blc, or otherwifc, for comn1ercc: to do fo, it will be nccc{[u-y, in the fi 1i1: pla ce, to t1acc the courfc of the l.)atowwac I iver, on whi ch it ilands, a1Hi aH() that of the rivers with which it is connected. The P.ttowmac t:tke:' its ri fe on the north- weft fi de of Alh:ghany Mou i1 t1ins, and after run ning in a n1can..lcri ng direclion for upwards of four hundred n1i lcr., f<tlls i nto the Chditpc..tk B.ty. At its confluence with the hay it is feven 1ni:cs and a half \Yi !c ; about thir ty n ilcs h igher, :1 t N om iny B<1y. four ~ nd a half; at Aq ti.1, th ree ; at I I allowing Point, one ::md a half; a :~d ~ t 1\ kxand1 ia, and fr01n thence to the federal ci ty, it is one m11c and qu:u·t..: t· wide. 'fhc depth of water at its mouth is fcvcn iathotns; at St. l;coc:' ·'::. Jflar d, five ,· at Alexandria four· a nd w ' ' f rom thence to Wa:l1 ingt: Jn, Lv ·n tn!~L:S ddb nt, three flttl1oms. The nav igation of the P atowm:1c, fron1 the Chc:fapeak Bay to the ci ty, one hundred and forty nliles diibnt, is rematkable f<1fe, and fo pLtin that any navigator of comn1on .1bi l iti ~.-s , that has once Llilcd up the river, n1ight venture to rake up a v ctT~: l drawing twelve feet water withou t a pilot. This could not be ft1ic.l of any other ri ver on the con t ir1cnt, frozn the St. Lawrence to the 1V1~Hii1ip pi. In its courie ir ri.;CCivcs feverJl large i1reams, the principal one of which fall s in at the federal city. This riv r js cal led the E afiern Branch of the Patowmac; but it fcarcely defcr ve~ that name, as it extends no n1orc than th ir1y zn ilcs up the country. At jrs n1outh it is nearly as vvidc as the u1ain branch of the river, and clofe to the city the water is in n1any places th irty feet deep. Thoufands- of vdfcls n1ight lie here, :1.nd ihel lcred fro1n all danger, arifing either fron1 fi-d bcs, or frorn icc u pon the breaking up of a fevere winter. 'rhus it appears that the f( dcral city is po!fdfed of one effential qualification for making it a place of itnportance, namely, a good harbour, fr01n whi h there is a ready paffage to the ocean.; it will alfo appear that it is weB fituated for trading with the interior parts of the country. The water in the Patowmac continues nearly the £1.n1e depth that it . 'fS |
