FARMERS' REGISTER— RICHMOND, &c. RAILWAY. 



525 



land; and the work of 15 or 20 hands, which would 

 have been otherwise employed tor several weeks 

 in grubbing and hilling the ground, entirely saved. 

 Mr. Richard Baylor, an oilicer ot" our society, has 

 one of them, which I ordered lor hitn, and I have 

 had another made at the request of Mr. A. Fore- 

 man, also one of our otKcers, which will furnish an 

 opportunity to such as think liic matter worth in- 

 quiry, to examine the plough lor themselves. The 

 construction is so simple, that the most ordinary 

 lilacksmiih can make them by these models. In 

 conclusion, I would remark, that lew things are ol' 

 more imjiortance to the farmer than a judicious 

 selection of the implements of husbandry, both .as 

 it regards the economy of labor, and the due pre- 

 paration of the soil for cultivation. And if I have 

 not been greatly misintormed, much is required in 

 this department to jilace us upon the vantage 

 ground occupied by our more enterprising and in- 

 dustrious brethren of the north, or even of many 

 parts of our own state. I therefore reconmiend 

 this subject to your particular attention. Much 

 may be done to better our condition in this respect 

 before Ave meet again, if we can but iniuse new 

 energy into our operations, and excite something 

 like interest in agricultural [)ursuits in this and the 

 neigiiboring counties. But candor compels me to 

 add, that if we continue to manifest the same in- 

 dill'erence to the well being and progiess of our 

 eociety, whicli has, so far, characterized our first 

 efforts, we may, at once, abandon all hope of ad- 

 vantage to ourselves, or utility to the public, 

 through the agency of this institution, which with- 

 out more spirited exertions than have yet been 

 made, we ma}- consider as virtually dissolved. 



From tlic Riclimond Enquirer. 



PRESKXT STATE AKD PROSPECT OF THE RICH- 

 MOAD, FREDERICKSBURG, AND P0T03IAC 

 RAIL ROAD. 



Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Hail 

 Road. — The three-fifths of tlie stock, with the ex- 

 ception of about -370,000 has been subscribed by pri- 

 vate capilalisls of undoubted responsibility — about 

 8 150,000 by gentlemen in Philadelphia — and 5 per 

 cent, actually paid in. The 70,000 doUans will be 

 readily made up, and is pledged to be subscribed, 

 before the state will be called on to subscribe its 

 two-fi;lhs. A bill is now before the House of 

 Delegates to subscribe ti-ie two-fifths or ,?;280,000. 

 "NVe entertain no sort of doubt of the value of the 

 investment— nor of the great utility ol' the pro- 

 posed rail road to the public at large. We have re- 

 quested some inlbrmation on the subject from Mr, 

 Sloncure Robinson, the engineer, who has been 

 so obliging as to address us the following letter. 



Richmond, Dec. 2Sth, 1834. 



Dear Sir.— I hand yon, agreeably to your re- 

 quest, the Ibllowing information in relation to 

 the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Rail 

 Road. 



Twenty-seven miles of the road, extending from 

 Richmond to the North Anna, were contracted for 

 on die 27ili, (yesterday,) at an average expense 

 of -98,000 per mile. The work was let "to cont.'-ac- 

 tors of the highest responsibility; and the grading I 

 and masonry ol" this portion of the road, aic to be \ 



completed by the 1st of July. The rails, it is pre- 

 suuied, maybe laid in the course of the summer 

 and fall, so as to admit of the use of this portion 

 of the rail road by the 1st of December next. 



It is the intention of the company, it" the usual 

 subscription of two-fifths should be made by the 

 state, to ];lace the remainder of the road to Fi'ed- 

 eiicksburg under contract in the month of May or 

 June, so as to insure the completion of the whole 

 road in tbe course of 1836. 



The distance liom Richmond to Fredericksburg 

 will be reduced by the rail road from sixty-seven 

 miles to fifty-eight; the time of travelling it, from 

 fourteen hours to Ihree hours; and the journey be- 

 tvvcen Richmond and Washington, ii-om twenty- 

 four hours lo between eight and nine. 



The cost of the trip between Richmond ami 

 Washington, now between ten and eleven dollars, 

 will be reduced to ^6 50 per passenger. 



With the liicihties aflbrded to the'^travel, by the 

 proposed work — in connection with the great line 

 of steam boat and rail road communication be- 

 tvveen Washington and Boston, no\v on the eve 

 of completion — the fi'iends of the improvement are 

 sanguine that so large a portion of the travel now 

 taken by packets between New York and Charles- 

 ton, may be diveited fi-om the coast to the interior, 

 ' as to atibrd, immediately on its completion, to 

 stockholders, a dividend of' six per cent., from this 

 source alone. Independentlj,-, however, of the travel, 

 a great trade may be exp"ected on the rail road. 

 Tile line passes within about 3 miles of the Deep- 

 Run coai field. By a branch to it, coal will be 

 transported a-om these mines both to. Richmond 

 and Fi-edericksburg; and cotton, now brought by 

 the Petersburg Rail Road, to Petersburg and Rich- 

 mond, may be ex jiccted to be conveyed to Freder- 

 icksburg; and the water-power of the last named 

 town niade use oi; as at Richmond and Peters- 

 burg, for hs manufacture. In agricultural pro- 

 ducts, ihe trade of the rail road will be any thing 

 but inconsiderable. It is true, that the country 

 through which it passes is not generally fertile; 

 but the cheapness ol transportation will brin-T 

 lands into market not nov/ cuUivatsd, and increase 

 largely the amount of its products; and imnrove- 

 ments of the North and South Anna Rivers, al- 

 rcad}- projected, or branch rail roads, will extend 

 the benefi!s of the irn{,rovement to the counties of 

 w!'-f^' ,'^i^o"s3'l^'ania, Orange, and Madison. 

 V^ hilst tiie prosperity of our sister town, Freder- 

 icksburg, will in many respects be ])romoted, and 

 cannot be impaired by it, Richmond may be ex- 

 pected, by the execution of the work, to be placed 

 in the relation to her which Baltimore now occu- 

 pies; and produce, which would otherwise leave 

 the state to find a purchaser, be brought to this 

 place. But a more probable result will be, the 

 improvement of the markets in both towns, in 

 consequence of the facility of intercommunication 

 afiorded by the rail road, which will enable the 

 merchants of either town to make purchases ad- 

 vantageously in both. 



I will add only in addition to the above, that the 

 definite location of the work, as far as it has pro- 

 gressed, shows that it will be executed at much 

 less than it was at first computed at. The orifn- 

 nal estimate, based on the experimental line firat 

 traced, was i^763,000 for the whole work, inclu- 

 ding the necessary depots, locomotive engines, 

 cars and carriages. Great improvements have 



