298 An improvement in BOATS, 



No. XXXVl. 



An Improvement in Boats, for River-Navigation, defcribed 

 in a Letter to Mr. Robert Pattekson, by Ni- 

 cholas King. 



City of WaJJ.nn^ton, Sept. 28, 1797. 

 SIR, 

 Read Nov. A ^ furveyor of the city of Wafhington I was 

 II, J 797- /X called upon, this fpring, to alcertain the 

 difFerence of level, and the diftances along the courfe of 

 the intended canal at the Great Falls of the Potomac ; that 

 the lock-feats might be fixed, and the neceflary excava- 

 tions made. While engaged in this bufinefs, my thought^ 

 were unavoidably led to the confideration of the mofl 

 clegible mode of navigating the American rivers above 

 tide-water ; and in fituations fimilar to this, where the 

 falls are large and impaffable, what mode might be adopt- 

 ed to facilitate the navigation, with the Icaft expence to 

 the perfons interefled therein. 



The nature of the country, the rugged courfes of moft 

 of the rivers, and the fudden fwells they are liable to, 

 from the heavy rains, render the lock-navigation, with 

 towing-paths along the banks of the rivers, as in Europe, 

 in moft cafes impradlicable, or very expenfive. Nature 

 feems here to have precluded the inhabitants from other 

 affiftance in navigating rivers, than manual labour, expen- 

 five and tedious. The difficulties attending the naviga- 

 tion of our rivers, againft the cun-ent are fuch as to render 

 them much lefs ferviceablc than rivers in general are ; and 

 you are under the neceffity of having the boats of great 

 length and narrow ; and of fending with them double the 

 number of hands required to navigate them when loaded, 

 in order to enable them tofet the boat up againft the cur- 



reat 



