72 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
will be established at the same time; this chv 
cumstance alone will afford the people of the 
city a decided advantage over those of Alex¬ 
andria and George Town. Added to all, 
both these towns are in the territory of Co- 
luinbia, that is, in the district of ten miles 
round the city which is to be subject to the 
laws and regulations of congress alone ; it may 
be, therefore, that encouragements will be 
held out by congress to those who settle in the 
city, which will be refused to such as go to 
any other part of the territory. Although 
Alexandria and George Town, then, may rival 
the city while in its infancy, yet it cannot be 
imagined that either of them will be able to 
cope with it in the end. The probable trade of 
the city may for tins reason be spoken of as if 
neither of the other places existed. 
It may be taken for granted, in the first 
place, that the whole of the country bordering 
upon the Patowmac river, and upon those rivers 
which fall into it, will trade with the city of 
Washington. In tracing the course of the Pa¬ 
towmac all these rivers were not enumerated; 
a better idea of them may be had from an in¬ 
spection of the map. Shenandoah, which is 
the longest, is not navigable at present; but 
it has been surveyed, and the company for 
improving the navigation of the Patowmac 
have stated that it can be made so for one him- 
