Canal between Seneca lake a7id Tioga creek, 29 



their market, owing to the facility with which they can 

 return with their goods, would find it more to their 

 advantage to carry their produce to Philadelphia ; and 

 for the same reason, all those who took their produce, 

 whether in wheat or live stock, to Philadelphia, would 

 exchange them for goods in that city, and thereby save 

 the expense and other inconveniencies, which I have 

 before stated they were subjected to, in proceeding to 

 New York for the purpose of purchasing the articles 

 of their trade. 



** The circuit of rich and fertile country, the pro- 

 duce of which Pennsylvania vi^ould command, and the 

 inhabitants of which she would supply with foreign 

 and domestic merchandize and manufactures, would 

 be enlarged to an extent far beyond what your mer- 

 chants, manufacturers or legislators are, I conjecture 

 aware of. But let me more particularly consider how 

 far those improvements might be extended. 



** The first operation, which presents itself, is the 

 connecting Seneca lake with the Tioga ; from the in- 

 formation contained in my last letter you will be ena- 

 bled to judge of the practicability of accomplishing 

 this. The next is the improvement of the navigation 

 of the Tioga above Newtown, and of the Conhocton 

 and Canisteo rivers, as far up as Bath on the former, 

 and Arkport on the latter. Whether it is possible to 

 render those streams navigable at all seasons of the 

 year, I cannot positively say, but I conclude that it is 

 from the circumstance of some families, wlio now re- 

 side in this country, having moved up from Fishinj^ 

 creek, near Northumberland, in the months of June of 

 the years 1796-7, in boats carrying ten tons, to within 



