FARMERS' REGISTER— APPOMATTOX NAVIGATION. 



573 



give one and a half ieet depth of water the greater 

 part of the 3'car. With a view to tliis iniprove- 

 incnt the Board of Public Works has had a survey 

 of the river made b}" a competent engineer, who 

 has rej;orte(l liivorabiy of the above system of im- 

 jjrovement, as best suited to the river; and stales 

 tlie cost of the whole work at $84,984 90. It has 

 been thougiit by some who have examined the re- 

 port of tiie engineer, that the estimates are larger 

 in amount than necessary; but as estimates of 

 such works are rarely too high, it will be safe to 

 take the estnnates made as the basis of -the calcu- 

 lations to be made in applying to the legislature 

 for an act incorporating a company to do the work. 

 It remains to show how tlie capital is to be raised 

 to complete the work. 



It is proposed (with the consent ol" the Upper 

 Appomattox Company) to obtain an act of incor- 

 j)oration lor a company to improve the river by 

 locks and dams trom the head of the canal to 

 Farmville, and by jettees and wing dams from 

 Farmvalle to Planterstown, with a capital ol 

 §85,000. 



2d. That this company, on the completion of 

 the work to Farmville, be entitled to receive tolls 

 on all articles passing the river, equal to, and the 

 same with, the tolls received by the Upper Appo- 

 mattox Company with the exception of" wheat, 

 flour, and plaster ot" paria, and to receive on wheat 

 and riour hall' the present tolls, and on piaster of 

 paris no toll: provided, that the profits of" said 

 company shall not exceed 8 per cent, per annum 

 after paying the annual necessary expenses, and 

 ])rovided that the rights of the Upper Appomattox 

 Company be no way affected by the charter of the 

 new company. 



To make it evident that the above propositions 

 are reasonable, and the improvement practicable, 

 it is only necessary to review the present state of 

 the trade on the river, and the probable increase, 

 in case the improvement shall be made. The tolls 

 on the present trade, which average about .$5000 

 j)er annum, will pay a dividend of about 6 percent, 

 on the proposed capital, leaving the income on the 

 water privileges which will accrue to the company, 

 to pay the annual expenses. It is believed how- 

 ever that a constant navigation of two lijet depth 

 will increase the tonnage of" the river fourfold: this 

 if it should be realized, will have the eilect to pay 

 the stockholders 8 per cent per annum and reduce 

 the tolls to a very low rate; add to this the fact, 

 that the improvement will lessen freights, to an 

 amount equal to three times the toll levied on the 

 produce. Independent of the great advantages of 

 reduced freights, the certainty of" this channel of 

 trade will cause it to be used almost entirely by 

 the people of the country south-west of Petersburg, 

 both for imports and exports. Yv'hen this is the 

 case it may well be imagined that the amount of 

 tonnage will be great as the most of the products, 

 for ex[)ort and imported articles of consumption, for 

 the counties of Amelia, Powhatan, Cumberland, 

 Nottoway, Prince Edward, Charlotte, and a por- 

 tion of the same articles, from Chesterfield, Bjck- 

 ingham, Lunenburg and IMecklenbui-g, will pass 

 through this channel. 



The present freights from Farmville are as fol- 

 lows: 



Tobacco $3 50, toll 42 cents— total, .^3 92 pen 

 hhd. 



Wheat 12 cents per bushel, toll 2 cents, total 14 

 cents. 



Other articles in proportion. 



Back loads are brought for 25 cents per hundred 

 pounds. 



Under the new system. 



Tobacco would be, freight ^2, loll 84 cents per 

 hhd.— total S2 84. 



Wheat, height 6 cents, toll 3 cents, total 9 

 cents. 



Other articles in proportion. 



Back loads would be broughtfor half the present 

 rates. 



Thus it will be seen, that the saving in expense 

 alone would be more than double the present toll, 

 and the certainty of the way to market would be 

 a still greater advantage to the agricultural inter- 

 ests and trade of the country. 



After the report of the engineer and the above 

 specified ])lan were duly considered, on motion it 

 was resolved. That James Madison, N. E. Ven- 

 able, William Willson, John Miller, H. Brazeal, 

 J. R. Palmore, Thos. A. Morton, or any three of 

 them, be and they are hereby appointed a com- 

 mittee, who are authorized and required to draw 

 up a memorial, and cause the same to be present- 

 ed to the legislature, embracing the plan and esti- 

 mates of tolls and dividends which are embodied 

 in the statement which has been submitted as 

 above. 



Hesolvsd, That the commitee aforesaid be re- 

 quired to embrace in the memorial, the following, 

 to wit — That in the event of" the legislature char- 

 tering a company for effecting the navigation upon 

 the plan aforesaid, that the company be authorized 

 from time to time to cause an inspection of ffie 

 locks of the mills now on the river, and should 

 they find any of" the said locks at any time in an 

 unsafe and doubtful condition, they shall give no- 

 tice to the owners or occupiers of the mill, and un- 

 less said owners or occupiers shall in months 



cause the said locks to be put in good condition for 

 the speedy and convenient passage of boats, then 

 the said company shall be authorized to cause it to 

 be done, and to collect or receive the cost thereof 

 f'rom the owner or owners of such mills. 



Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting 

 be published in the Richmond Enquirer, th.e Con- 

 stitutional Whig, the Petersburg Intelligencer and 

 Constellation. 



Resolved, That so much of Mr. Conty's report 

 as concerns the contenqjlated improvement be 

 published with the above proceedings. 



On motion, the meethig adjourned. 



THOMAS A. .MORTox, Chairman. 



Report of the Engineer. 



Richmond, Dec. 22, 1834. 



Gentlemen — Having been appointed by your 

 honorable board, to execute an act of last session 

 of the legislature, the object of which v/as the 

 "survey of the Aj)pomattox river, from the town 

 of" Petersburg, to the highest practicable point of 

 navigation, a7id make an estimate of the costs of 

 improving the navigation thereof, by locks and 

 dams, jettees, or wing-dams, or a combination of 

 the three modes of improvement, so as to give at 

 least two feet depth of water from the town of 



