The St. Joseph's and St. Mary's branches of the Mau mee unite near the west boundary of Ohio, but within Indiana. Turning to north-east, the united streams flow in that direction, by comparative courses, about 100 miles, and fall into the extreme south-western angle of Lake Erie. The current is in general r,.pid, though thc bed of the river, except in one place, is unineumbered with shoals or falls. That exception occurs near Fort Meigs, 20 miles above the mouth, where a ledge of rocks crosses the river, and produces shoals for 14 or 15 miles along the stream. The entire depiession of the river at this obstruction has never been determined ac curately, but is not supposed to exceed 100 or 150 feet perpendicular. A bar crosses the mouth of Maumee river, over which there is not above 7 feet water. A glance upon a map of the entire region between Ohio river and Lakes :Michigan and Erie, can scarcely leave a doubt but that the channels of Maumee, Wabash, and Miami, must become the great lines of inland naviga tion between the Canadian sea in that quartet., and the valley of Ohio. The distance from Lake Erie to the head of boat navigation in Maumee is, as has been observed, 100 miles by comparative courses. By a similar mode of achneasurement, the navigable channel of the Wabash is 250 miles, making the entire channel from Erie to Ohio of 360 miles ; which, by adding one-third for the particular bends of the rivers, will yield an inland route of 480, say in round numbers 500 miles. The entire portage between the naturally navigable points of the two rivers is not quite 5 mile?. The other route, through the Miami, is 200 miles shorter than the former; but striking thc Ohio 360 miles higher, following the bends of the latter river, and also with a much wider inter vening portage, the Miami channel offers much fewer advantages than that by the Wabash.
The next navigable route from Lake Erie to Ohio ri ver, after the preceding, is through the Sandusky and Sciota rivers. The latter is a very direct line of inter communication, of about 300 miles, following the bends of the streams, 100 of which are in the Sandusky' and intervening portage of about 20 miles, and 200 in the Sciota. The country between thc sources uf Sciota and Sandusky is flat, and in spring floods in great part flown. The portage, as already observed, 20 miles be tween the naturally navigable waters of those two rivers. The navigation of Sandusky, like that of the Maumee, is itnpeded by rapids and falls before reaching Lake Erie, but is otherwise suitable for the cons eyance of boats of considerable size.
Hitherto the confluents of Ohio river are without falls or dangerous rapids. The Wabash, Miami, and Sciota, are sluggish streams near their sources, but become rnore rapid in their progress towards their common re cipient. They are all, at seasons of high water, naviga ble to very near their sources, and flow through a highly fertile country.
From the advance of population, and from the near ap proximation of the Ohio river to Lake Erie, the channels of Cayalioga and Tuscarawas branch of 'Muskingum have been chosen by the legislature of the state of Ohio, as the route of a navigable canal to connect the Canadian sea to the valley of Ohio.
The Cayahoga liver rises principally in Portage and Ge auga counties in Ohio, and flowing fifty miles south-west, reaches NI ithin ten miles from the navigable watcrs of the Tuscarawas. Already a fine boatable stream, the
Cayahoga, turns at an acute angle near the village of Northampton, and flows in a direction of north north-west about 40 miles, falls into Lake Erie in Cayahoga county, at the flourishing town of Cleveland.
The Tuscarawas rises in Wayne, Aledina, Portage and Stark counties, and forming a large navigable creek in the latter, flows south south-east 30 miles, receives Sandy creek from the east, and 12 miles still lower, Sugar creek, from the west near New Philadelphia. Below the latter place the Tuscarawas curves gradually south-east, south-west, and finally west, flows 50 miles to its junction with Whitewornait's river at the town of Coshocton. The two rivers at their confluence are near ly of equal size, and are both lost in the general name of the Aluskingum. Assuming a southern course of ten 'piles, Wills creek enters from the south-east, and wind ing more to the west, 30 miles farther, receives Lick ing creek, a large tributary branch, at the town of Zanesville, in Muskingum county. Here the river is precipitated over its only falls, or rather rapid, 30 or 40 feet entire dc-pression. Below the falls, Muskingum turns to the south-east 80 miles, to its junction with Ohio river at Marietta, in Washington county.
From this sketch, we find this inland channel lying in nearly a north and south direction. Advancing from Cleveland on Lake Erie, up the Cayahoga 40 miles, we reach the Portage, from that stream to the Tuscarawas; thence ten miles over that portage, and again down the Tuscarawas and Muskingum 212 miles to Marietta, exhibits an entire line of 262 miles. As this is probably the first route of inland navigation to connect the river systems of :Mississippi and St. Lawrence, which will be completed by act, it will be necessary to take particular notice of the steps already taken to carry those improve ments into effect.
In 1814 the legislature of Ohio granted corporate powers to a company for the purpose of cutting a canal and constructing locks around the falls of the Muskin gum at Zanesville. The necessary expenses of the works are calculated at from 70,000 to 101,000 dollars. The undertaking is in rapid pt ogress, and will no doubt be soon completed. The adjacent country abounds m exhaustless beds of mineral coal, and the water power afforded by the falls renders the vicinity of Zanesville one of the most favourable manufacturing- sites in the valley of Ohio. Independent of the communication be tween the l'uscarawas and the Canadian sea, the canal and locks past the falls of Aluskingum will open to the Ohio trade an expanse of country having an area of about 8:000 square miles.
The following papers are extracted from Col. Charles G. Haines's able collection of documents respecting the canals of New-York in particular, but incidentally upon the policy of constructing artificial water communica tions throughout the United States in general. NVe have made the extracts as illustrative of the incipient progress made in the state of Ohio to unite the waters which bound that state on its northern ancl southern bor ders. In the language of Col. Haines, " these letters. and the essay with which they are accompanied, cast much light on the second great Western Canal. They will be read with deep interest in the nation, and out of the nation."