HIS LAST YEARS IN VIRGINIA 233 



tion of the former address. He also, in it, treated the 

 question of immigration, saying that the prejudice which 

 had arisen abroad against the South must be removed; 

 and he once more touched upon the old problem of 

 better trade communications for that section. This 

 latter question had been in Maury's mind for years, and 

 he at this time advanced bold and original ideas as to 

 the best means of improving conditions. 



He declared in one of his letters to Dr. Tremlett that 

 the seat of empire was fast settling down in the North- 

 west States. "They already give the Presidents", he 

 wrote, "and will soon dictate the foreign policy of the 

 country. They must have a better way to the sea. 

 They have been taught to believe — erroneously — that 

 the best way lies through Canada and the St. Lawrence. 

 It does not ; it lies through Virginia. You will appreciate 

 my feeling on this subject, when I remind you that grain 

 is sent around Cape Horn from California, and delivered 

 at the ports along the Atlantic seaboard at ten cents 

 the bushel cheaper than it can now be sent from Iowa 

 and other Northwest States ; that the people throughout 

 these states — and they are the grain-growing states — 

 know that, with a good highway to the Atlantic seaboard, 

 the value of their grain would be enhanced ten, twenty, 

 even thirty cents the bushel ; and they think that Canada 

 and the St. Lawrence can give them such a way. The 

 greatest difficulty in teaching these people that their 

 best way to the sea lies .through Virginia, not through 

 Canada, is to get our people to raise funds for the gra- 

 tuitous circulation of the Reports (Preliminary Report 

 on the Resources of Virginia) in sufficient numbers be- 

 tween this and the next meeting of Congress in De- 

 cember. If we can do that, the Northwest States will 



