IGO A. L. Bishop — The State Worl's of Pennsylvania. 



was not overlooked ; but tliat Philadelphia might secure the major 

 ])art of this trade if adequate transportation facilities were pro- 

 vided, was hardly questioned. We shall see later how wide of the 

 mark this prediction proved to be. Their opinions in this matter 

 were based upon the advantage in distance (considering Pitts- 

 burg as the point of entrance to the Ohio valley) possessed by 

 Philadelphia over other ports on the Atlantic. With this advan- 

 tage, they believed there could be no doubt that the transportation 

 of all kinds of commodities from Philadelphia to Pittsburg might 

 be effected "at a much cheaper rate than from any other seaport 

 on the Atlantic coast." The time was not yet ripe, however, for 

 the government to undertake at once so extensive a programme of 

 improvements as here proposed. However, as we shall soon see, 

 some provisions were immediately made to better several local 

 lines of transportation. 



Stimulated now by the recommendations of Governor Mifflin in 

 his message of 1790 and by the efforts of the improvement society, 

 the legislature appointed a board of commissioners to explore the 

 western waters, the Susquehanna, the Delaware, etc. On January 

 5th, 1791, the same body appointed a committee to examine their 

 reports,* and, wath the information contained therein as a basis, 

 to recommend jilans for improving the roads and navigation of 

 the state. The report of this committeef was presented to the 

 legislature on February 19 th of the same year. It was unanimously 

 recommended that some action should be taken by the government 

 to improve at once the navigation of the most important rivers 

 of the state, and to build roads and portages for the purpose of 

 facilitating transportation between them. Estimates also of the 

 expense anticipated in making each of the improvements were sub- 

 mitted. The importance of providing a direct line of water 

 communication, except at the Allegheny portage, to connect 

 Philadelphia with the western waters and the great lakes was not 

 overlooked. In short, the programme submitted as timely for 

 the adoption of the government was such as would provide the 

 various parts of the state with easy and cheap transportation for 

 local traffic, and improved facilities for reaching the West. The 



* Full reports of those coiiiinissioners arc published in an appendix to the 

 Journal of the House of Representatives for 1815-16. 

 t Full report in Haz. Reg., II, pp. 129-132. 



