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the wants of the community, and who shall apportion the aid of the State in such manner as to best forward improvement throught the State.

An evil long existing with us will reappear with increased magnitude upon any revival of professional business. We refer to the want of organization and co-operation among engineers throughout our country. The benefits resulting from a proper esprit de corps are entirely lost, and one of the most considerable of these is a greater respect and dignity for and in the profession as a profession. There is hardly a class of men in our country containing more respectable and better educated members, and yet as a class they may be said to have no character or standing other than in their individual capacity. The engineers of Europe take rank among the men of science of the day, while the profession with us, scattered over an immense extent of country, possessing a vast fund of experience and information, and enjoying all the advantages of scientific education, have no mode of intercommunication, and no method of giving to the world the results of their labors. We have often endeavored to induce our professional friends to favor us with communications upon the subjects of their various experience-but with a small number of exceptions, we have found that distance, employment, or want of stimulus have prevented them from complying with our wishes. We however, will not let the present opportunity pass, without expressing our warmest thanks to such of our friends as have furnished us with many very excellent papers.

We conceive that much, if not all, of this indifference to commit to paper, the valuable information known to exist, would disappear under the influence of a proper organization of the Profession in the most liberal manner, and with a strict regard to its scientific reputation.

That we are not mistaken in the value and amount of matter that might be accumulated, we infer from the labors of the Chev. de Gerstner. It is understood that this distinguished gentleman has in his possession such a mass of detail, in regard to our public works, as would in itself, constitute a complete body of engineering. This has been entirely collected by the Chev. de Gerstner, or his assistant, who have in person visited every known railroad in the world. It appears that the impression made upon these gentlemen, by an inspection of our railroads, is most favorable, and far more satisfactory than had been anticipated. We have great faith in the confidence in our railroads, which this testimony will inspire both here and abroad-as well as in the respectable standing which it will give the Profession with those previously unacquainted with its labors.

One of the difficulties complained of in this, and in every other attempt to collect railroad statistics, is the loose manner of keeping accounts, which are correct enough as regards the aggregate of expense and inconie, but which do not distinguish and separate those items which should be carefully understood, in order to have an economical management of the affairs of a company. This indeed is a fault which belongs rather to companies and

their agents, than to Engineers, but a remedy might soon be found by a well directed professional body.

The past year has witnessed a new era in our history, the exportation of locomotive engines, to various parts of Europe, and above all, to England. We well remember the ridicule and sarcasm bestowed upon the first accounts of the performances of locomotive engines, which had accomplished more than was possible, according to calculations based upon some of the most antiquated experiments upon the subject. Now, however, the matter stands differently, and we cannot but confess, that we feel no small satisfaction in having at least aided in the dissemination of the truth of a matter having so important a bearing upon our domestic industry.

In the last place, we beg leave to add a few words in regard to ourselves. During the last year, we have suffered in common with the cause of improvement, and in self-defence have been obliged to adhere more strictly to our rule of payment in advance. We conceive that the loss, from our list of non-paying subscribers, will prove a profit to those who do pay, as well as to ourselves.

No one conducting a public Journal can satisfy every one; we have endeavored to do our best, and though sensible of some imperfections, we do not pretend to please all kinds of tastes, and have only to say, that if Engineers wish to see less of other men's work and more of their own, a very easy remedy is to be found. Send us something of your own.

As to those who desire us to exclude all matters pertaining to locomotive engines, etc., or any other particular branch of inquiry, we beg to assure them, that we shall do no such thing. We conceive that great injury has been done to the Profession by too close restriction, and we certainly cannot consistently curtail our list of subjects, though we will at all times be thankful for any suggestions of our friends.

We have made additional endeavors to increase the value and variety of our matter, and hope to give satisfaction throughout this volume.

We promised in the last number, to take up the subject of the railroad through the southern tier of counties, and now redeem that promise by offerring our opinions on the claims of the southern counties, and by frankly stating the reasons which we consider sufficient to justify us in differing widely from the views and wishes of a large majority of the friends of this project.

Were the question an open one, we should be disposed to follow the example of Connecticut and leave all to private enterprize unaided by loans or grants from government; but by the construction of the Erie canal, the central counties were rendered populous and rich, and the emigration, which, without that channel, would have filled the northern and southern portions of the State, was turned off to the far west. One of the effects of this canal has been to bring the northern part of Ohio, a large portion of Michigan, and even Chicago nearer to the city of New York than millions of acres of

good land in this State, which are still as wild as when the country was first explored, and which would now have been nearly as well settled as the central counties, if the canal had not been constructed.

We do not mean it as the slightest objection to the Erie canal, when we say, that we believe the population of this State would, at this moment, have been much greater had that work never been undertaken. The experience of the last 15 years shows, that the country which contributes to the revenue of the Erie canal, and which is consequently benefitted by it, consists of a belt of land on each side, averaging about 30 miles in width, and the official returns also show, that this State has furnished nine-tenths of the business of the Erie canal up to this period.

Now, the Erie canal is a work as general in its character as any undertaking of the kind can well be, yet, beyond a distance of 25 or 30 miles, its beneficial influence ceases, and it is notorious, that it has been the means of retarding the advancement of the southern and northern counties by offering every inducement to the husbandman to leave his native State, because it costs less to send his produce to market from Ohio and Michigan than from nearly one half of the State of New York. The western States offer great natural inducements to settlers, and it would be as unfair to them to attempt to check the tide of emigration as it is unjust to our own citizens to use indirect but most powerful means to retard the settling of our northern and southern counties. The views of our legislators appear to be too enlarged to be confined to their own State; and we would respectfully, but earnestly ask, Has the government of New York the right to tax her citizens in order that the property of the inhabitants of other States or Provinces may be carried to and from the seaboard more cheaply than at present rates? Not only is the N. York farmer to be taxed, but the amount so levied is to be expended in reducing the value of his property by adding, at his cost, great artificial to the already superior natural advantages of the west, and thus enabling the inhabitants of that region to undersell him in his own market. The entire course of New York legislation for many years appears to have had in view nothing higher, than to direct the energies and resources of government towards aiding the interests of forwarders and brokers at the expense of the farmer, the regular merchant and the mechanic, who require no exclusive privileges to enable them to carry on their business. Thus, the idea that the enlargement would bring to the Erie canal a few thousand more tons of freight, and lead to the sale of a few additional bales of goods, has been considered of more importance than to double the population and wealth of the State in ten years, by developing the resources of the northern and southern counties; and large sums of spare capital which would have been invested in internal improvements in this State, have been forced to the western and south western States to be expended on their improvements by placing the at present, comparatively trifling security of new States on an equality with that offered by the wealth and industry of Massachusetts and New York.

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As yet all the means of the State have been spent on the Erie canal or its auxiliaries, and though we fully admit that the latter are of no use to the inhabitants of the central counties or to the Erie canal, because the tolls received on the lateral canals and consequently their contributions to the Erie canal are nominal-we shall still find that these large sums of money expended with that extravagance which appears inseperable from government works, do much to enrich these counties already placed in advance of the rest of the State, by the advantages conferred on them by the Erie canal. What number of channels will it then require, to place the rest of the State on the same footing as the canal counties? If we take a map of the State of New York, and suppose to be shaded or covered with paper, the country for 30 miles on each side of the Hudson river, of the Erie and Champlain canals and of the southern shore of lake Ontario as far as Ogdensburgh, we shall find that there are only two parts of the State where works of a general character can be projected-the northern part of the State and the southern tier of counties. These works would, like the Erie and Champlain canals, have resources of their own."-Courier and Enquirer, 7th May last.) Other important works may be pointed out in various parts of the State, but they differ entirely in character. The Albany and Buffalo, and the Albany and Whitehall chains of railways, are required in addition to the present excellent, though insufficient accommodations, of the Erie and Champlain canals; the Albany and New York, and Long Island railroads are to increase the present facilities offered by the navigation of the Hudson and of the Sound; but the channels opened in the northern and southern counties will form their first, their only direct communication with the city, and must serve for the river, canal, and railroads of more fortunate districts.

If it be the intention of the legislature to pursue the system of internal improvement, either by constructing works themselves or by aiding private enterprise, these portions of the State present not only the strongest, but the only just clains, until they are placed on an equal footing with other parts of the State, and then, if the revenue accumulate so fast that it cannot any longer be disposed of so as to confer some benefit, other than that arising from the mere expenditure of money in a certain district, the plethora may be rapidly and permanently reduced by the application of 'lateral canals', to which they have proved themselves admirably adapted, and which is in fact their legitimate function.

We have thus far endeavored to show, that the claims of the southern counties are equal to those of the central counties, consequently we fully acknowledge the justice of the adoption of this road by the State, but we feel confident that their permanent interests will be better served by constructing it with the aid of the State even at considerable expense on their part.

In the first place, a private company can, beyond all doubt, construct and put into operation a single track, for about 20,000 dollars per mile, or, say

in round numbers, ten millions of dollars for the entire work. The Phil adelphia and Columbia railway, owned by the State of Pennsylvania, cost 40,000 dollars per mile, and to make the southern railway in a style corresponding with the new works on the enlargement, would require at least 60,000 dollars per mile, or nearly 30 millions of dollars. Railroads executed by private enterprise have cost this sum per mile, and the State must pay much more. The first cost cannot be put down at less than double, and the interest must be paid by the southern counties, in the shape of tolls. Secondly, the time required will be double on account of the additional cost, besides a year or two which will be unavoidably lost in changing or endeavoring to change the present locations for the benefit of those who are unwilling or unable to contribute anything from their own means towards aiding the work. This view of course pre-supposes, that the State will advance as rapidly to the company as to her own officers, by which course, the means of the State and of individuals will be simultaneously expended with a corresponding diminution in time. The security offered the State by the one-fourth part of what the southern counties would cheerfully contribute, would be a better guarantee against any misapplication of her funds than the united security given to the different State governments by all the "Internal improvement commissioners" in the Union.

That the cost of, and the time required to complete the southern railroad will be much greater as a State than as a private work, will be admitted by every disinterested man, and as already remarked, the interest on the additional sum due to government extravagance will aid in increasing the cost of transportation, and thus defeat the very object of the undertaking.

Some have perhaps been influenced in recommending this as a State work, by the expectation of seeing money spent with the same profusion in the southern, as in the central counties, and thus they advocate the southern railroad, as they would a lateral canal-that is, for the advantages derived from the expenditure of a large sum of money within a certain district. To such persons, any other arguments than dollars and cents, would be unintelligible, but the inhabitants of the southern counties generally desire the construction of the road for the purpose of developing the resources of that portion of the State, and they ask the government to undertake it, because the southern counties have been decidedly injured by the canal policy of the State of New York, and because they consider the project too great for private enterprise.

But how is the road to benefit the southern counties, unless by furnishing a cheap and rapid communication with the city, throughout the year? And what does the experience of this country offer, to show that railroads, as government works, afford as cheap a mode of transportation, as when in the hands of companies? The States of Pennsylvania and Michigan, have had railroads in operation for some time, the former owning the roads and locomotives, the latter owning every thing, and carrying on the forwarding business in all its details. The former plan was to avoid the im

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