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and rearly twenty miles of the distance are level, or less than ten feet 

 per mile. 



The country generally is favorably adapted to the construction of a 

 railway. From Saginaw to Owosso, it consists for the most part of a 

 plain surface, with large extents of level ground. This extensive plain is 

 intersected by the various tributary streams that flow from nearly every 

 point of compass, and form the Saginaw River. Of these the principal 

 streams crossed by the line surveyed, are the Shiawassee, which may 

 be looked upon as the main or trunk river, the Flint, with its tributaries, 

 the Mi^htegayeck, and the Cas*. The land is principally timbered 

 ■with ash, oak, elm, beech, maple, bass, buttunwood, hickory, &c, for the 

 first fifteen miles, where pine land first presents itself The pine timber 

 is of excellent quality, growing on h)W sandy ridges, and admitting of 

 easy transport to convenient markets, by means of the streams already 

 alluded to, as well as the Titibawassee, with its feeders, the Pine and 

 Chippewa rivers, and the Bad and Beaver-dam rivers. 



A sandy soil prevails to a greater exient between Lansing and Owos- 

 so, the surface undulating and consisting for the most part of " Oak 

 openings," except about five miles on the northern portion, which is a 

 clay soil of even surface, extending between the Maple and Shiawassee 

 rivers. 



From Lansing to Battle Creek, the line runs for the most part on foi- 

 ling land, timbered alternately with beech and maple, indicating the 

 presence of clay, and oak openings the growth of a sandy soil. 



The Cass, Flint, Mishtegayeck, Shiawassee, M;ij)le, Looking-glass 

 Rivers, Vermillion Creek and Grand- River, are the principal streams 

 intersected by the line, all of which can be briilged at a moderate ex- 

 pense. The height of the grade fine above the Casa and Flint, will be 

 about six feet above high water maik. The Mishtegayeck, Shiawassee, 

 Looking glass and Vermillion ten feet, and the (Jraud River twenty-five 

 feet. The aggregate length of bridging will be about twelve hundred 

 and fifty feet. 



All who are acquainted with the geogra[)hical position of central 

 Michigan, its mineral and agriculttiral wealth, navigable streams, mill 

 sites, &c., will, 1 have no doubt, fully realize the importance, the abso- 

 lute necessity of building the proposed road. That its construction 

 would be of incalculable benefit to the extensive country through which 



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