From level of tide in the Hudson to junction with Erie Canal, Mechanicsville, at the mouth of Anthony's Hill, Schuylersville at the mouth of Saratoga or Fish creek, Fort Edw'd Falls, route] reaches the summit level, and leaves the Hudson, Fort Ann on Wood creek, northern end of summit level, Lake Champlain, surface of, Lake Champlain, outlet of, or Distance Ascent Elevation in 104 176 Springfield opposite the mouth of Westfield river, and where the Massachusetts Rail Road is intended to pass, Mouth of Miller's river, Mouth of White river, 100 170 Junction of Connecti cut and Passumpsic Summit level between 45 25 rises. 39 66 70 34 73 66 261 334 66 50 220 347 420 40 260 25 285 falls. 66 755 1175 523 652 100 440 66 432 10 55 340 28 468 66 10 00 The routes of Tables XV. and XVI. extend in a general approach to parallelism; the mean distance asunder is about sixty miles, though towards the northern extremity they approach cach other and terminate almost at the same point in Lake St. Peter. The peculiar structure and inclination of the intervening region is seen by comparing the respective elevations. We discover that the channel of Connecticut river, to the northwards of tide water in the Hudson, is elevated 273 feet above the New York Champlain Canal, and 329 feet above Lake Champlain; and also, that the latter lake is depressed 561 feet below the level of Lake Memphramagog. These relative heights are independent of the descent of Connecticut river above the influx of Passumpsic, which we have already shown is upwards of 1800 feet above tide water. An inclined plane therefore exists, and of about 100 miles breadth, and 1700 feet fall, from the chain which separates the sources of Androscoggin from those of Connecticut river. This plane is cut by the deep valley of the latter stream, rises again rapidly to the summits of the Vermont mountains, and finally depresses to within ninety feet of tide level at the eastern margin of Lake Champlain. Tables XIV., XV., and XVI. show the very great inequality of surface in the north-eastern section of the United States, and by not including the extreme height of the mountains, exhibit the inflexions of the arable surface. We now proceed to close these tables of relative elevations, by giving that of the Ohio Canal. The reader will find by referring to our articles Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Navigation Inland, Vol. XIV. from page 315 to 409, and taken in connexion with article Tennessee River, a rather detailed view of the physical features of the great central valley of North America between the Gulf of Mexico and Canadian sea, including the latter under the name of the basin of St. Lawrence. At the time, 1822, that the article Navigation Inland was compiled, Florida was a recent acquisition, and the peninsular part very defectively explored. We have it now in our power, to close this physical view of that part of the territory of the United States E. of the Rocky or Chippewayan system of mountains, by a brief survey of the slope and peninsula of Florida. Within this physical section, however, considerably more territory is included than is embraced by the political term Florida. If we glance over a map of the United States, and commence our view with the extreme southern point of Florida, we see the narrow commencement of two slopes or systems of rivers. That to the eastward, or in the supposed position on the right, is the extreme southern extension of the vast Atmencing with N. Lat. 25°, and skirting the Atlanlantic inclined plane of the United States. Comtic Ocean near 500 miles, with a mean breadth inland of about 70 miles, and in no place 120 miles, this confined selvedge is drained by St. John's, Nassau, St. Mary's, and Santilla rivers, with numerous mere creeks of the ocean; and rapidly widens with the basin of Alatamaha. Of the series of rivers in the Florida part of the Atlantic slope, the most important are St. Mary's and St. John's. St. Mary's basin, even when including the small adjoining basin of Nassau, is only 60 by 35 miles; area 2100 square miles; but the importance of this section arises from the great depth of water in the mouth of the former, admitting the entrance of the largest ships of war. This entrance is between Amelia and Cumberland islands at N. Lat. 30° 42', Lon. 4° 37' W. from W.C., and is remarkable as being the deepest and safest haven on the coast of the United States, perhaps of North America, south-west from the mouth of Chesapeake bay. The interior country does not, however, correspond to the noble harbour which connects it with the Atlantic Ocean; but should the proposed canal of connexion between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, and which is to leave tide water at the town of St. Mary's, be ever effected, then will the deep channel of St. Mary's river give existence to an immense commercial mart. St. John's, in the common meaning of the term, can hardly be called a river. It is rather a series of ponds or narrow lakes than a river, and flowing parallel or nearly so, to the opposing Atlantic coast, has all the essential properties of other lagoons along the same ocean shore. The outer bar affords Of the distance included in Table XVII., 306 miles are included in the Ohio and Erie Canal. It ought to be noted also, that as some of the distances and elevations were measured from the scale in Armroyd's profile, they may not agree minutely with the actual measurements. That part of Ohio river between the mouths of Great Kenhawa and Scioto was included in this table, in order to con nect the relative elevations on both sides of Ohio river. only 15 feet water, a depth maintained, if not increased, 130 miles to Lake George. The latter 18 miles by 12, has 12 feet water; and that depth-is again sustained 30 or 40 miles farther south, to where this singular water course has its origin in inundated flats. The course of St. John's is about N.N.W. with one rather comparatively large confluent, the Ocklawaha from the west. This tributary comes in below Lake George, and drains the space of grassy plains between the sources of Sur vanne and Amasura rivers, and as reported by some persons, the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico has been thrown by violent storms over the intermediate space into the St. John. four to five degrees Fahrenheit over the sandy or marshy plains of southern Florida. Along this coast, following the inflexions without entering the bays, in a distance of 700 miles, the watar is generally shallow. There are havens in Chatham bay, Charlotte river, Tampa bay, Vacasausa bay, Suwanee, St. Mark, estuary of Appalachicola, in St. Andrews, Pensacola and Mobile bays. Of these, the entrance of Pensacola with 22 feet water, is the deepest. The others vary from 12 down to three feet. Of the entrances to the interior, those of Mobile and Appalachicola are the most important. A projected canal over the northern part of the peninsula will be noticed in the sequel of this article. We close this physical survey of the United Returning to Cape Sable, or the southern point of Florida, and carrying our view along the eastern shore of the Gulf of Mexico, we perceive the west-States by resuming and completing our view of the ern slope of the peninsula wider than the eastern, canals and roads. The Chesapeake and Ohio canal and from the former issuing Shark's, Young, Salli- has been noticed, and its ascents and descents given van's, Coolasahatchie, Charlotte's, Tampa and Ama- in Table H. sura, in a distance of 350 miles. The mouth of St. John's on the east, and Vacasausa bay on the west, are usually regarded as the limits of the peninsula of Florida, but it is difficult to fix unexceptionable bounds to what nature has left vague. With the With the entrance of Suwanee river into the northern side of Vacasausa bay, commences a rapid and wide extension of the Florida basin, and the eye sweeps over in succession the sub-basins of Suwanee, Ocklockonne, Appalachicola, Choctawhatche, Conecuh, Mobile, Pascagonla and Pearl. On strict physical principles the Mississippi itself belongs to this system of rivers; but that great stream and its cónfluents are already noticed under their appropriate heads. The estuary of the Mobile affords also a very natural termination to the Florida basin; though by the changes and restrictions of political terms, the latter basin no longer debouches in any part of political Florida. Embracing the area drained by the rivers entering the Gulf of Mexico, from Florida Point to the Mobile, including the whole basin of the latter, the Florida basin extends 850 miles in a direction from south-east to north-west. For the first half of that distance, including the rivers of the peninsula with the Suwanee, the mean breadth is about 70 miles, and the area falls short of 30,000 square miles. This long narrow strip is followed by a section comprising the sub-basins of Appalachicola and Mobile, with the smaller intervening and adjacent basins, and containing 74,800 square miles; of which great extent Mobile embraces 37,000, and Appalachicola 12,800 square miles. The whole basin of Western Florida extends in Lat. from 25° to 35° 05′ N., and in Lon, from 3° 50' to 12° 30' W. from W.C. In relative height, the extremes it is probable exceed 1800 feet; or the country giving source to the Coosa river, differs in temperature, arising from greater elevation, from The Chesapeake bay is an immense reservoir, receiving into its capacious bosom the discharge of rivers presenting natural channels affording more or less facility to navigation. But the approach of the two bays of Chesapeake and Delaware, suggested at an early age of settlement a canal of connexion. Similar to that part of the Erie canal of New York, now forming the Utica level, the first idea of uniting the Delaware and Chesapeake bays by a navigable canal, must have been excited in the mind of the first intelligent person who became acquainted with the intermediate country. "It has been affirmed," says Armroyd, "that as early as 1762, David Rittenhouse, the celebrated astronomer, and at or about the same time, Dr. William Smith, Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, effected a survey or surveys, and levelled a route for a canal, to connect the waters of the Susquehannah and Schuylkill rivers by the Swatara and Tulpehocken," &c. In 1767, or the following year, the canal system of the United States may be said to have commenced, by the surveys made by Thomas Gilpin and others for a canal from Duck creek to the head of Chester. In 1769, this project was further discussed, as were also the routes from Bohemia to Appoquinimink, and by the Christiana and Elk rivers. Had the state of society been mature for such designs as early as 1769, the revolutionary war would have arrested their execution; and when that war terminated, want of moral and political cohesion in its parts, want of foreign, and still worse, domestic commerce, in the United States, were all adverse to any project on a large scale, and which also was in its nature different from the ordinary operations of society. With all these causes of rejection or delay in canal plans, two abortive attempts were made to unite the Delaware and Schuylkill. Finally, in 1801 the Chesapeake and Some explanation of the political term Florida may be necessary. The Spaniards imposed the name of Florida on the southern part of what is now the Atlantic slope of the United States, early in the 16th century. The name in the revolutions of last century became limited to the peninsula extending to St. Mary's on the east, and stretching westward to the Mississippi, southward from N. Lat. 31°. In the still more recent revolutions by which the whole of Florida was absorbed in the United States, the name became restricted on the west by the Perdido river; and West Florida divided between the states of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. VOL. XVIII.-PART I. 2 W Delaware canal was commenced, and several miles of the feeder of the upper route (via. Wilmington) were finished the work was then suspended for about twenty years, and in 1823 the present route was selected, and on the 5th of April 1824, was commenced. This great work was finished the 18th October 1829. Length of this canal from Bush creek, water of Chesapeake, to Delaware city, on Delaware Bay, 14 miles; 60 feet wide at surface, 36 at bottom, with 8 feet water. It has now been in operation a little above two years. Next to the preceding, advancing up the Delaware basin, is the Union Canal, the title of which was taken from the incorporation, into one, of two former companies, chartered in 1791 and 1792; but if we regard the city of Philadelphia as a point of outlet, the Schuylkill navigation may be regarded as the commencement on tide water of the chain, of which the latter navigation, the Union Canal, and Pennsylvania Canal are the great links. The ascents and descents of these works, with their routes, as also the route and perpendicular inflections of the Columbia Rail Road, are given in Tables XII. and XIII., and in Table XIV. are given the connexion of the Pennsylvania Canal with the higher part of the basin of Susquehannab, and the farther connexion with the Canadian basin, by the Erie Canal of New York.. Of the Pennsylvania part of the preceding, the Schuylkill Navigation is in complete operation, not only to meet the Union Canal near Reading, but to Pottsville at the coal mines. This is a combined system of dams, slack water, and canal and lock navigation; distance about 108 miles, and rise of 620 feet from tide-water to Pottsville. This great work was commenced in 1792, and 240,000 dollars were expended on it before it was suspended. In 1815 a new company was organized, and a new route was selected; the work was recommenced in 1816, which was one year prior to the commencement of the New York Canal. The total sum which has been expended on the old and new work, including also Fairmount Dam and Canal, has been 3,060,000 dollars. This is the greatest work yet accomplished by the enterprise of any company in the United States. Union Canal also completed, and in successful operation, leaves the Schuylkill near Reading, and following the valleys of Tulpehocken and Swatara, reaches the Susquehannah and joins the Pennsylvania canal at Middletown; length 80 miles. The Pennsylvania Canal itself, commencing at Columbia, and uniting with the Union Canal at the mouth of Swatara, and thence traversing the basin of Susquehannah, the intervening mountains by a rail-road link, and going on to the head of Ohio river at the city of Pittsburg, may be viewed as the main junction navigation between the basin of Susquehannah and the Valley of Ohio. We may now speak of this immense work as complete, and as one of those stupendous undertakings involving expense which few European nations would have dared to encounter sixty years past, and as one of the many proofs afforded of a change.in the thinking faculties of mankind on the means of applying their labour and resources,* Of this magnificent undertaking, that part from the junction with the Union Canal to Huntingdon on the Juniata, and from the city of Pittsburg to Johnstown is already navigated. The residue, as also the two rail-roads, arè in progress, and will be in operation before the termination of the present year. Other works entirely within or united with the western side of the Delaware basin, are also either completed and navigable, or in rapid advance towards becoming so. Of these, the Lehigh Navigation is the only one altogether confined to the Delaware basin. This very important work is executed and owned by a chartered company, called "The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company." The Mauch Chunk and Easton Canal is 46 miles in length, the locks are 100 feet long and 22 broad, the canal is five feet deep, and is perhaps the best work of the kind in the Union; it was viewed and approved of by the state commissioners, as finished, January 1830, and is in full operation. Mauch Chunk, the coal landing on the Lehigh, is 524 feet above tide-water, and 361 feet above the Delaware at Easton. A plan of a canal of connexion between the Lehigh at Lausanne, two miles above Mauch Chunk and the Susquehannah at Nescopec, led to the incorporation of a company, on the 25th of March 1826, by the legislature of Pennsylvania. The practicability of this canal is rendered doubtful, if Armroyd has correctly stated the elevation of the intermediate summit level at 1325 feet. A canal from the Delaware river at the foot of its lower falls and mouth of Assanpink, by the valleys of Assanpink and Millstone rivers to the Raritan, was amongst the early canal routes planned in the United States; a charter for the purpose was granted by New Jersey, 30th December 1824, and under certain limitations acceded to by Pennsylvania on the 6th April 1825. Comparing the natural obstructions respectively opposed, we should have expected a canal from the With all the apparent magnitude it has gained, the system of roads and canals in the United States with direct commercial views is in its infancy. Having lent my feeble aid to this system, no reader will deem it presumption when I endeavour to secure the only reward I ever expect or wish to directly receive. In the original designs of canals there are two routes inserted in Armroyd's Naviga tion, which, as far as I have learned, came first from me. The first was to extend the Erie Canal from Black Rock to Detroit, along the United States side of Lake Erie; the second was to extend a canal from Pittsburg to Louisville, along the Ohio river. To these I am bold enough to add another; that is, the practicability to deepen the channel of the Mississippi, and navigate ships of the line to New Orleans. These were not designs made in the closet; they were conceived on the very ground they are to be effected; and on which they will be effected. The Union Canal passes over the very spot, where, fifty-six years past, I was born, and if, in the course of nature, I could be in existence only fifty more years, what too many will now consider visionary, I could view or contemplate amongst the great finished labours of man. WILLIAM DARBY. Delaware to the Raritan as the first work of that kind which would be carried over New Jersey, but such has not been the actual course of events. The Morris canal, from the Passaick river to the Delaware at Easton, passes over a summit level of 888 feet above tide-water. The greater part of this elevation is passed by means of inclined planes in lieu of locks; the boats used are 25 tons each. The engineer who directed the work was Major Douglass. It has been completed and is navigable, affording a channel of intercommunication between the Delaware and Lehigh and the Hudson at the city of New York. The Delaware and Raritan Canal is nearly finished, and will be navigable in the ensuing autumn the canal is 75 feet wide, 7 deep, and 38 miles long, exclusive of the navigable feeder. The Delaware and Hudson Canal is again another great work, produced by the coal mines of Pennsylvania. This work unites with the Delaware near Carpenter's Point, and four miles above the mouth of Nevesink river, and also very near the extreme northern angle of New Jersey, at an elevation of 455 feet above tide water. From the Delaware it as cends 80 feet up the valley of Nevisink, and again falls 535 feet down the Rondout and Esopus creeks to tide-water at Eddyville on the Hudson, length 106 miles, including also the canal to Honesdale in Pennsylvania. The Hudson and Delaware canal is continued by that of the Lackawaxen. The latter ascends the left bank of the Delaware river and in the state of New York to opposite the mouth of Lackawaxen river, rising, in a distance of 17 miles, 148 feet; crossing Delaware and ascending the Lackawaxen valley 36 miles, and rising 68 feet, attaining an entire elevation of 1271 feet above tide-water. The two latter, if they can be termed two canals, open to the New York market the immense coal deposites on the Lackawanna river, and similar to the Schuylkill and Lehigh navigations, have been crowned by new towns rising amid what a very few years past was barren rocks and silent desolation. Honesdale and Carbondale, in the mountains of Wayne and Port Carbon, Port Clinton, and Pottsville, in the mountains of Schuylkill county, have risen indeed amid the rudest wastes, monuments of the rapid improvement of the state to which they belong and adorn. Independent, however, of canals or roads, the chan nels of the eastern and central rivers of Pennsylvania, have demanded and received some share of attention. Four hundred and forty thousand dollars have been expended in improving the natural channels of the rivers in this state. A canal commences at Bristol on the Delaware, 18 miles above Philadelphia, and with some slight exceptions extends along and near the right bank of that river 60 miles, and rising from tide-water 170 feet to meet the Lehigh navigation and Morris canal at Easton. Above Easton to Carpenter's Point, in a distance of upwards of 60 miles, the channel of the Delaware has been but little improv ed; a remark equally applicable to both its higher constituents above the influx of the Lackawaxen river. It is needless to swell an article necessarily brief by noticing the numerous canals and locks design. ed, or even chartered, where no ostensible labour has been performed; but the great importance of the Susquehanna basin will justify attention to the projected canals along the different channels. Perhaps no river of equal magnitude ever more completely justified the expression of Mr Brindley, that rivers were made to feed canals, than the Susquehanna, Abundant in its volume of water, but flowing over a rocky bed, and wide channel, the natural facilities of navigation are attended with difficulty and danger. To remove or obviate these obstructions different works have been proposed and executed. Port Deposite canal, to pass the lower falls, has been long since completed by the state of Maryland. Conestoga canal, to render that small river nayigable to Lancaster, was authorised by the legislature of Pennsylvania, 28th of March 1820; and an act of incorporation passed for the same purpose, the 3d of March 1825. It has been completed in the manner of a dam and slack-water navigation, length 18 miles and fall 70 feet. Conewago canals, two and a half miles in length, to overcome a fall of 21 feet, similar to the works at Port Deposite, were erected to pass falls, and are now used chiefly to convey water to certain mills. The Susquehanna, or Middle Division canal, leaves the main trunk of the Pennsylvania canal at Duncan's Island, nearly opposite the mouth of Juniata, and ascends the valley 39 miles and rising 86 feet to Northumberland; and thence to the New York state line above Tioga Point, rising 337 feet in 165 miles. See Table XIV. West Branch Division leaves the Middle Division at Northumberland, and extends to Dunstown, rising 109 feet in 70 miles. On the two Divisions just mentioned, 143 miles have been finished, exclusive of the portions now in progress. It is an observation equally applicable to roads and canals, that those directly uniting the east with the west have always succeeded to an extent far beyond those extending longitudinal to the Atlantic coast. From the Susquehanna to the Seneca lake in New York, a canal is in progress, and from Oswego, on the east branch of the same river, to Ithaca, on the Cayuga lake, a rail-road is in progress; a canal from the Chenango to the Erie canal has been commenced, the Champlain route being too peculiar in its elevation and other attendant circumstances to come into the comparison. Our survey now brings us into the great basin · of the Hudson, rendered as remarkable for the vast extent of its canals as for its peculiar natural fea tures. The canals of this physical section have been so extensively noticed under the Art. Nav. INLAND, Vol. XIV., from page 345 to 375, that we may refer to that part of the Encyclopædia and to tables XIV. and XVI. of the present vol., only noticing under the present head, important works executed since the Art. NAV. INLAND was published. Oswego canal was authorised by an act of the legislature of New York, the 25th April 1825, and has been navigable since 1829. It connects the Erie canal with Lake Ontario by Seneca and Onon |