Vessels of 40 or 45 tons ascend to the falls, and above those natural obstructions the river is navigable for large batteaux to the junction of the Dan and Staunton rivers, and by others of lesser draught to the mountains.
The Chowan Is formed by the waters of the Mehetin, Nottaway, ancl Blackwater. The Nottaway riscs at North Lat. 37° 15', West Lon. from Washington City 1° 40'. Its general course is south-east 115 miles by comparative course. The junction of the Roanoke_and Chowan is at North Lat. 36°, and due south from Wash ington City. The latter is na‘igable for vesseis of con siderable tonnage as far as the main forks, and for smaller vessels some distance up each branch.
The Roanoke and Chowan yield a very extensive and lucrative cotnmerce. The lands upon the lattcr are considered amongst the most productive of any of the Atlantic streams. Tobacco is the priocipal staple com modity of this fine basin. The Albemarle sound com municates with the Atlantic ocean by two inlets, the Roanoke and Currituck.
From the general course of the Black water branch, and of the Chowan below their junction, an extensive flat peninsula is formed between Albemarle sound, Che sapeake bay, and James river, of about 70 miles in length from north to south, by 50 mean width, east and west, or 3500 square miles. This extensive flat region is occu pied by Currituck, Camden, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Chowan, and Gates's counties in North Carolina, and by the Isle of Wight, Is7ansemond, Norfolk and Princess Anne counties in Virginia. Though the central parts are occupied by the Dismal swamp, and much of the residue marshy, yet, by the census of 1820, the ten counties comprise a population of 87,510 inhabitants. The canal already executed between the Albemarle sound and Nansemond river will be noticed in the sequel of this article.
Under the general head of the confluents of Chesa peake bay is included a basin of navigation, in form of an immense triangle, having 450 miles base from the ex treme southern sources of Nansemond river, North Lat. 36° 40' to those of the Chenango branch of Susquehan na, North Lat. 42° 55'; and 250 miles perpendicular from Cape Henry, North Lat. 37°, East Lon. from Wash ington City 1° 10', to the extreme western sources of James river, North Lat. 37° 15', West Lon. from Wash ington City 3° 30', with an area of 65,000 square miles. This is by far the most extensive and peculiar basin of the Atlantic slope of the United States. The bay of Chesapeake penetrates it from north to south 175 miles.
Into the western side of this great bay, or rather gulf, flow a number of tributary branches," of which the prira cipal are, James river, York river, Rappahannoc, Po tomac, Patuxent, Patapsco, and Susquehanna :—ol these in their order from snuth to north.
James river, the great southern tributary of the Chesa peake basin, rises by a nuniber of sources in the valley of the Appalachian chain, interlocking with the sources of the Great Kenhawa. The approximation of those two rivers forms the channel by which the legislature of Virginia contemplates a junction between the Atlantic and Ohio waters. The intended improvements in order to effect this object will be amply noticed in the sequel of these articles.
The mountain sources of James river having united in Rockbridge county in Virginia, where they have already formed a considerable river, it pierces the Blue ridge, and enters the hilly region between the mountains and Atlantic alluvion, and resuming- a course of south east by east 220 iniles by comparative courses, falls into Chesapeake bay between Point Comfort and Willoughby Point. After its egress from the Blue ridge, James river receives a number of tributary streams, the prin cipal of which are. Rivanna and Chickahomna from the left, and Appomattox from the right. The tide flows up James river to Richmond, and in the Appomatox to Petersburg. Vessels of upwards of 100 tons burthen ascend to eithcr of those cities.
That remarkable range of gneiss rock, which impedes the navigation of all the rivers which flow over it, from the Appomattox to the Delaware inclusive, becomes, advanaing from the south, first in a remarkable manner conspicuous at Petersburg, and, as will be seen, termi nates. or sinks beneath the incumbent earth at Trenton. This primitive barrier has a very great influence over the inland navigation of a very interesting section of the United States. It will be more particularly noticed when treating upon canals York river follows James river. The latter rises in the north-east mountains, and drains the angle between James and Rappahannoc rivers, and flowing nearly pa rallel to the former by a comparative course of about 200 miles, falls into Chesapeake bay 16 miles north-west by north from the mouth of James river. York river is formed by the Pamunkey and Mattapony rivers, which unite 35 miles from the Chesapeake bay ; the tide as cends sonie distance up each branch, and, as far as their junction, ships of 1000 tons may be navigated with ease and safety.