navigation frequently interrupted by rapids, which however with a fwell of two or three feet become very paffable for boats. It then admits light boats, except in dry feasons, 65 miles further to the head of Tygart's Valley, presenting only fome small rapids and fails of one or two feet perpendicular, and leffening in its width to 20 yards. The Western Fork is navigable in the winter 10 or 15 miles towards the northern of the Little Kanhaway, and will admit a good waggon road to it. The Toboganey is the principal branch of this river. It paffes through the Laurel mountain, about 30 miles from its mouth; is fo far from 300 to 150 yards wide, and the navigation much obftructed in dry weather by rapids and fhoals. In its paffage through the mountain it makes very great falls, admitting no navigation for 10 miles to the Turkey Foot. Thence to the Great Croffing, about 20 miles, it is again navigable, except in dry feafons, and at this place is 200 yards wide. The fources of this river are divided from thofe of the Patowmac, by the Alleghaney mountain. From the falls, where it interfects the Laurel mountain, to Fort Cumberland, the head of the navigation on the Patowmac, is miles of very mountainous road. Wills's Creek, at the mouth of which was Fort Cumberland, is 30 or 40 yards wide, but affords no navigation as yet. Cheat River, another confiderable branch of the Monongahela, is 200 yards wide at its mouth, and 100 yards at the Dunkards' fettlement, 50 miles higher. It is navigable for

40

boats,

boats, except in dry feasons. The boundary between Virginia and Pennsylvania croffes it about 3 or 4 miles above its mouth.

The Alleghaney River, with a flight fwell, affords navigation for light batteaux to Venango, at the mouth of French Creek, where it is 200 yards wide; and it is practised even to Le Boeuf, from whence there is a portage of 15 miles to Prefque isle on Lake Erié,

The country watered by the Miffifippi and its eaftern branches, constitutes five-eighths of the United States, two of which five-eighths are occupied by the Ohio and its waters the refiduary ftreams which run into the Gulph of Mexico, the Atlantic, and the St. Laurence, water the remaining three-eighths,

Before we quit the subject of the western waters, we will take a view of their principal connexions with the Atlantic. Thefe are three: the Hudson's River, the Patowmac, and the Miffifippi itself. Down the last will pass all heavy commodities. But the navigation through the Gulph of Mexico is fo dangerous, and that up the Miffifippi fo difficult and tedious, that it is thought probable that European merchandize will not return through that channel. It is most likely that flour, timber, and other heavy articles will be floated on rafts, which will themselves be an article for fale as well as their loading, the navigators returning by land, or in light batteaux. There will therefore be a competition between the Hudson and Patowmac rivers for the refidue of the commerce of all the

country

country weftward of Lake Erié, on the waters of the lakes of the Ohio and upper parts of the Miflifippi. To go to New-York, that part of the trade which comes from the lakes or their waters must first be brought into Lake Erié. Between Lake Superior and its waters, and Huron, are the rapids of St. Mary, which will permit boats to pass, but not larger veffels. Lakes Huron and Michigan afford communication with Lake Erié by veffels of 8 feet draft. That part of the trade which comes from the waters of the Miffifippi muft pass from them through fome portage into the waters of the lakes. The portage from the Illinois River into a water of Michigan is of one mile only. From the Wabash, Miami, Muskingum, or Alleghaney, are portages into the waters of Lake Erié, of from one to 15 miles. When the commodities are brought into, and have paffed through Lake Erié, there is between that and Ontario an interruption by the falls of Niagara, where the portage is of 8 miles; and between Ontario and the Hudfon's River are portages at the falls of Onondago, a little above Ofwego, of a quarter of a mile: from Wood Creek to the Mohawks River two miles; at the little falls of the Mohawks River half a mile, and from Schenectady to Albany 16 miles. Befides the increase of expenfe occafioned by frequent change of carriage, there is an increased rifk of pillage produced by committing merchandize to a greater number of hands fucceffively. The Patowmac offers itself under the following circumstances. For the trade

of

of the lakes and their waters weftward of Lake Erie, when it fhall have entered that lake, it must coast along its fouthern fhore, on account of the number and excellence of its harbors; the northern though shortest; having few harbors, and thefe unfafe. Having reached Cayahoga, to proceed on to New-York it will have 825 miles and five portages; whereas it is but 425 miles to Alexandria, its emporium on the Patowmac, if it turns into the Cayahoga, and paffes through that, Bigbeaver, Ohio, Yohogoney, (or Monongahela and Cheat) and Patowmac, and there are but two portages; the first of which between Cayahoga and Beaver may be removed by uniting the fources of these waters; which are lakes in the neighborhood of each other, and in a champaign country; the other from the waters of Ohio to Patowmac will be from 15 to 40 miles, according to the trouble which fhall be taken to approach the two navigations. For the trade of the Ohio, or that which fhall come into it from its own waters or the Miffifippi, it is nearer through the Patowmac to Alexandria, than to New-York by 580 miles, and it is interrupted by one portage only. There is another circumftance of difference too. The lakes themfelves never freeze, but the communications between them freeze, and the Hudfon's River is itfelf fhut up by the ice three months in the year; whereas the channel to the Chefapeak leads directly into a warmer climate. The fouthern parts of it rarely freeze at all, and whenever the northern do, it is fo near the fources of

the

the rivers, that the frequent floods to which they are liable, break up the ice immediately, so that veffels may pass through the whole winter, fubject only to accidental and short delays. Add to all this, that in cafe of a war with our neighbors, the Anglo-Ameri'cans or the Indians, the route to New-York becomes a frontier through almost its whole length, and all commerce through it ceases from that moment. But the channel to New-York is already known to practice; whereas the upper waters of the Ohio and the Patowmac, and the great falls of the latter are yet to be cleared of their fixed obftructions. (A.)

QUERY III.

A NOTICE of the best Sea Ports of the state,

and how big are the veffels they can receive?

Having no ports but our rivers and creeks, this Query has been answered under the preceding one.

QUERY IV.

A NOTICE of its Mountains ?

For the particular geography of our mountains I must refer to Fry and Jefferson's map of Virginia; and to Evans's analysis of his map of Ameri