166 



UNITED STATES. 



^ight feet drang;ht. That part of the trade whick. 

 comes from the waters of the Mississippi must pa^ 

 from them through some portage into the waters of 

 the lakes. The portage from the Illinois river int» 

 a water of Michigan is of one mile only. From the 

 Wabash, Miami, Muskingum, or Alleghany, are 

 portages into the waters of lake Erie^ of from onci 

 to fifteen miles. When the commodities are brought 

 into, and have passed through lake Erie, there in 

 between that and Ontario an interruption by the falls 

 of Niagara, where the portage is of eight miles ; an^ 

 between Ontario and the Hudson's river are portages 

 at the falls of Onondago, a little above Oswego, of 

 a quarter of a mile ; from Wood creek to the Mo-» 

 hawks river two miles ; at the little fails of the Mo« 

 Jiawks river half a mile, and from Schenectady t® 

 Albany sixteen miles. Besides the increase of ex- 

 pense occasioned by frequent change of carriage,, 

 there is an increased risk of pillage produced by* 

 committing merchandise to a greater number of 

 hands successively. The Patowmac offers itself un- 

 der the following circumstances. For the trade of 

 the lakes and their waters westward of lake Erie, 

 when it shall have entered that lake, it must coast 

 along its southern shore, on account of the number 

 and excellence of its harbours, the northern, though, 

 shortest, having few harbours, and these unsafe. 

 Having reached Cayahoga, to proceed on to New 

 York it will have 825 miles and five portages: where- 

 as it is but 425 miles to Alexandria, its emporium, 

 on the Patowmac, if it turns into the Cayahoga, and 

 passes through that, Bigbeavcr, Ohio, Yohogany> 



