350 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 6 



greater length, and what is a matter of deeper I lines of travel in all countries lead through the 

 consideration, its greater expense, forbids the idea 

 of rivalry ; and places your road almost beyond 

 the reach of competition. So that we may say, 

 in fact, it forms an important, if not indeed, the 

 most important link in the great line of intercom- 

 munication between the nortii and the south. 

 Under this view ol the subject, it is dilTicult, with- 

 out the appearance of exaggeration, to estimate 

 the ])robable revenue. 



The travel between Charleston and the north- 

 ern cities by steamboats and stages, may be safe- 

 ly computed at sixty thousand. This amount 

 might be greatly swelled by embracing the whole 

 travel tiom New Orleans ; which we confidently 

 believe will take the route of your rail road. 



Rut we will say sixty thousand travellers at 

 812 50 each, ^750,000 00 



To this we may add for the 



transportation of the mail, 50,000 00 



Way passengers and freight 



on produce and goods, 100,000 00 



S900,000 00 

 Deduct for the repairs and re- 

 newal of the road and 

 steamboats §200,000 00 



Andit leaves a nett revenue of $700,000 00 



Now, although I believe this sum will fall short 

 of the receipts for the first year, yet, lest we 

 should appear too sanguine, and to remove all 

 possible objection, we will deduct from the fore- 

 going, twenty-five per cent, which reduces the 

 amount to ^525,000 00, or a dividend of thirty- 

 five per cent, on the estimated cost of the work. 



A rail road which produces six per cent, nett in 

 the first year of its operation, is considered good 

 property; for the increase of business which must 

 ensue, always increases the annual profits in a 

 great ratio. 



While our estimates exceed this per centage 

 nearly six times, it will be perceived that we have 

 confined ourselves entirely to the amount of the 

 present travel ; and this after being taken at a 

 very low estimate, reduced twenty-five per cent. 

 J3ut in presenting a view ot the prospects of the 

 road, we should anticipate the probable increase 

 of travelling by reason of the increase of the busi- 

 ness and population of Charleston ; which must 

 ensue from the great and gigantic scheme which 

 she has in contemplation, and vvhich she will no 

 doubt carry into ellect to Cincinnati. And in a 

 few years the rail road to Hamburg, which is now 

 being extended to Athens, will be prolonged 

 Boutluvardly to Columbus ; and thence in contin- 

 uation with the rail road to Pensacola, complete 

 the line of railway and steamboats all the way 

 lo New Orleans. But without any furl her speci- 

 fication of" the various improvements which are in 

 contemplation and begun at the south, suffice it to 

 say, that your southern termination at Charleston, 

 towards vvhich all these improvements converge, 

 ensures you immediate, continually increasing and 

 never failing sources of revenue; and completely 

 ECts all competition by other and similar improve- 

 ments, at defiance, l^'or all past experience has 

 shown that the travel on routes connecting com- 

 mercial cities, increases in a ratio, much beyond 

 that of the business or population ; and the great 



commercial towns. 



Routes p.assing through the interior, with a 

 view to divert travel, must be regarded as experi- 

 ments, running counter to all experience, and of 

 very doubtful success. And I lay it down as an 

 incontrovertible fact, that those works which will 

 prove most profitable, and most conducive to the 

 great and varied interests of the country, may be 

 classified under two heads. Those which connect 

 the commercial ciiies, and those which lead from 

 the commercial towns by the most direct routes to 

 the interior and western portions of our country. 



Eut your revenue will be greatly swelled li-om 

 other sources, which we have not taken into the 

 account. All the improvements which are con- 

 templated from the sea-board to the western part 

 of your state, must cross the line of your railway ; 

 and to whatever point destined, will find it to their 

 interest, to some extent, to pursue it, in order to 

 make selection of the most favorable location. 

 Under this aspect, your rail road presents itself to 

 the stale in a peculiarly interesting point of view. 

 It traverses it nearly through its entire length from 

 north to south, antl Ibrnis the basis upon vvhich 

 the internal improvement scheme of the Raleigh 

 Convention may be most economically carried out. 

 For, as I have before intimated, the cheapest route 

 from any point on the sea-board to the west, from 

 Beaufort, (or instance, to the narrows of the Yad- 

 kin, will be found on a very direct line west, until 

 it falls into yourrail road ; and thence (in this case) 

 along it to some point south of the Neuse River. 

 \n a military point of view your rail road, in 

 connexion with the Portsmouth and Roanoke Rail 

 Road, and the contemplated rail road between 

 Wilmington and Charleston, may be regarded as 

 forming a complete line of defence to the whole 

 sea-board from Norfolk to Charleston ; for there is 

 no rail road in the country, upon which so large a 

 force can be concentrated in a given time ; and 

 where, perhaps, there would be a greater proba- 

 bility of its being required. By the Charleston 

 and Hamburg Rail Road and its connexions; the 

 Charleston and Cincinnati Rail Road; the Roanoke, 

 Danville, and Junction Rail Road; the Portsmouth 

 and Petersburg Rail Roads ; and by means of the 

 railways to the west within your own state, levies 

 for troops on South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, 

 Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, 

 Illinois, Indianna, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, 

 Maryland, &c., maybe met from the remote states 

 in a few days, and in a few hours, from the more 

 adjacent states, and any number of troops, may 

 be thrown on the line of your railway ; whence, 

 by lateral roads and s(eam boats, (down the nu- 

 merous navigable streams vvhich the road crosses) 

 in a few hours, or by a march of a day or two, 

 they may occupy any position on this extended 

 coast. And in the transportation of stores and 

 munitions of war, vvhich, under the military head, 

 is a matter of primary importance, it aflbrds a safe 

 avenue ; and in time of war, will prove a saving 

 of millions to the government.* 



* Extract from the Report of Mr. Cass, Secretary of 

 War, on National defence. 



" The power of transporting troops ami munitions 

 of war, has already opcncui new views upon this subject; 

 and such is the ])roj;res3 and probable extent of (lie 

 new system of intercommunication, tliat the time will 

 soon come, when almost any amount of physical force 



