64 Internal Improvements. 



their duty. For, however desh'ous New York may be 

 to serve its own capital, as Pennsylvania ought to be 

 to serve Philadelphia, it will not be so unjust and im- 

 politic as to tax its remote citizens to do so, but will 

 aid in improving its southern districts and waters, al- 

 though serviceable to Pennsylvania, as we now im- 

 prove ours, although obviously and chiefly to the be- 

 nefit of Baltimore. We may, therefore, reasonably 

 calculate upon the improvement of those rivers, within 

 New York, which water some millions of her best 

 lands, although, as those rivers flow into Pennsylvania, 

 the produce of the lands may be conveyed into this 

 state, and not be transported to New York. At all 

 events, it is our duty to do our part in this great work ; 

 the people of New York who reside upon the waters 

 flowing into Pennsylvania, call for improvements, and 

 if we were to derive no other advantages than the north 

 east branch offers to us, they would be sufficient to 

 justify the expense of thoroughly improving the Sus- 

 quehanna within our own lines. Important as this 

 branch is, however, it is much less so in every point 

 of view than the north west branch, of which I am now 

 to treat. 



4. The north western branch, as every reader may 

 see upon the map of the United States, opens a trade 

 with from six to eight millions of acres of as fine land 

 as any in the world ; that is, by good management on 

 the part of Pennsylvania, the whole import and export 

 trade, into and from the middle and western districts 

 of New York, from lake Oneida to lake Erie, and com- 

 prehending the flourishing Genessee country, may be 

 secured or made to pass through Pennsylvania. That 



