As the latter are generally taught but a part of the year, that is, on an average, not more than eight months, and as the teachers will generally be other wise engaged for a portion of their time, and will not be permanently devoted to the business, it is high ly important that the greatest possible number of intelligent men should be found in every precinct, capable of understanding the duties, if not of per forming the labours, of teachers. In a community thus fully supplied NI ith intelligent members, and impressed with the value of thorough instruction, dulness and mediocrity will seldom find encourage ment to usurp the office and responsibility of guid ing the intellectual pursuits of the young; while the agents entrusted with the execution of the laws on ed ucation will hesitate before they " lay careless hands on skulls that cannot teach, and will not learn." CANALS.—In our article NAVIGATION INLAND., Vol.
XIV. p. 345 to 373, we have given a full account of the commencement and progress of those great state works, the Erie and Champlain canals: since the publication of that article, these canals have been completed, and are now in successful opera tion, realizing all the advantages which were an ticipated by their projectors; 280 miles of the Erie canal were completed, and the first boat entered the Hudson at Albany, from the north and west, through this canal, on the 8th of October 1823, and the whole line was completed in October 1825.
The length from Lake Eric to the Hudson river is 363 miles, viz.
miles. locks.
Western section; Buf faloe to Montezuma, on 157 21 fall 186 ft.
Seneca river, Middle section; 96 11 rise 8c fall 95 ft.
tezuma to Utica, Eastern section; Uti 110 52 fall 417 ca to Albany, 363 84 rise & fall 698 The whole cost was 59,027,456 05. Tolls in 1830, $954,328 05. In 1831, 51,091,714 26.
Champlain Canal.
Length from Lake Champlain, at White Hall, to Albany, seventy-two miles.
7 locks. Rise fm. lake to summit lev. 54 ft.
14 do. Fall fm. sum. lev. to Hudson 134 21 locks. Rise and fall 186 ft.
The cost of this canal was 51,179,871 95, and the tolls in 1830, S78,148 63; in 1831, $102,896 23.
The Oswego canal connects Lake Ontario with the Erie canal; the length from Salina to Oswego is thirty-eight miles. One half the distance is canal, and one-half slack water, or river navigation, with a towing path on the bank; the descent from Salina to Lake Ontario is 123 feet, and has 14 locks.
The cost of this canal was 5525,115 37. Tolls in 1850, 512,335 18, in 1831, 16,271 10.
The Cayuga and Seneca canal from Geneva on the Seneca lake, to Montezuma on the Erie canal, is twenty miles and forty-four chains. One-half canal and one-half slack water navigation; there are eleven locks, and the descent is 731 feet.
Whole cost S214,000 31. Tolls in 1830, 511, 987 81. In 1831, 512,920 39.
For a more detailed account of these and other canals of this state, we refer to our article thsrrEn STATES, pp. 275 and 276 of this volume, and for a comparative monthly statement of tolls, see page 280. See also tables XIV. and XVI. pp. 270, 271, for ascents and descents.