As for Hops, England might save a great deal of Trouble and Expence, and employ their People in better Business than Hop-Yards, if Hop-Grounds were cultivated in Virginia, which is much fitter for the Purpose.
As for physical Plants and Trees, abundance of Poor might be employed in simpling and collecting Drugs for the Apothecaries Service, which abound there; such as Sassafras, Saxafras, Snakeroot, with numberless more, whose Virtue is unknown; and undoubtedly among such various Sorts of anonymous Plants and Shrubs, there must be many whose Qualities are strange to the most skilful Europeans, tho' many of them be understood by the Indian Doctors: If it be not the true Cortex, yet they have a Bark very like it in Colour, Taste, and Operation.
I know that Abundance of Sumack is yearly consumed in England; but not being perfect in the Use and Nature of it, I shall only say that it grows there in great Plenty; and that the Indians have several fine Colours both for Dying and Painting, that we know nothing of, as to their Composition and Use; but Enquiry into these Things, and Experience might, for what any knows, in a small Time turn to a good Account, both for the publick Advantage, and for the Interest of particular Persons.
I shall say little of Sawing-Mills, since they are already in Use there, and the great Benefit of them is so well known. Certainly it must be improper to bestow much Labour and Expence upon that which might easily be done for a small Cost, and with much quicker Expedition; yet is this wonderful and useful Invention prohibited in some Parts of Great Britain, upon Account of a few that pretend they can't get their Livelihood by any other, but the stupid slavish Work of Sawing: But in my Opinion we might as well prohibit the Use of Boats in all our Rivers, because it interferes with the Interest of the Carriers, and hinders the Consumption of great Quantities of Hay and Oats in the Inns. I wonder that they don't neglect the Use of Horses, Jacks, Handspikes, and Cranes in his Majesty's Yards, as well as Sawing-Mills; since each of them abbreviates Labour and lessens the Expence, requiring fewer People than must be employed, were it not for those Inventions, so much hated by the common People; but certainly these might be so employed in other Business, as to get more Money with less Labour. But to return to Virginia, I am certain that if more Sawing-Mills were set up there, it would bring great Profit to the Owners, employ many People there, and make Timber for Ships and Houses come at a much cheaper Rate in England, than it now does, without any Loss to the English landed Gentlemen or Timber Merchants.
Paper-Mills I believe would answer well there; for there are good Runs of Water with Timber for nothing for building them, and I am sure the Negroes would supply them with Rags enough for Trifles; to which add the Advantage of Water Carriage; these need not interfere with the English Paper-Mills, but only supply us with such Quantities of Paper, as we buy from foreign Countries.
As for carrying on the Fishing Trade in Virginia, though there be Plenty of Fish there, yet I believe other Countries where Fisheries are establish'd, and that have little else to mind and depend upon, would outdo it in this Respect; only more Whales might be taken upon the Eastern Shore, and bring good Gain to such People as would make it their Business; and I don't question but the Sturgeons (with the best of which the Rivers abound) might with good Management and Industry be made to surpass all others, both for Cheapness and Goodness, for they are large, fine, and easily taken; nay, they frequently leap, some ashoar and some in Boats, as I have been very credibly informed.
Upon the Rivers and Creeks are vast large Marshes, which being drained and secured with mud Walls, would employ abundance of People, and might be converted into as good Meadows and as large, as those upon the Thames about and below London. Such Meadows are much wanting there, and would well recompence the Cost and Trouble of the Undertakers of such noble Projects; besides this would confine the Rivers to their proper Channels; whereas now they cover for Miles from each Shoar large Quantities of flat and shoaly Ground, useless and incommodious. However impracticable or difficult this Task may appear to some, yet I doubt not but in Process of Time it may be effected.
The upper Parts of Virginia are deprived of the Advantage of Water Carriage, because the Rivers above the Falls are generally full of Trees brought down by Land Floods, with some Rocks here and there; but they might be made navigable, and cleared very easily with small skilful Labour, for they are generally broad and fuller of Water than our inland Rivers where Boats and Barges of great Burden can pass; and Wears might be occasionally made there as up the Thames; but the main Difficulty would be at the Falls or Cataracts, where the Water falls over vast Rocks with an hideous Noise and great Force. Hither Sloops can come, where the Goods might be landed with Cranes, and then put on Board the Boats above the Falls; and by the like Methods might Goods be sent down. But in Time it may be worth while to turn Part of the Rivers, and make Locks one above another, whereby Sloops might easily be let down or taken up, and so pass the Falls; like as the large Boats of Pleasure and Burden are carried with Profit and Ease thro' Vallies and over Hills quite a-cross France, in the wonderful Canal of Languedoc, which was contrived by the late King, in order to make a Communication from our Seas, to the Mediterranean through the Heart (almost) of his Kingdom; which Action has added to his Glory as well as Profit, and brings in a great Income both to the Crown and to the Undertaker of this most wonderful Work. If in England we will not follow this Example by making a Communication from the head Branches of the Thames into the Severn, which is very practicable, the Distance being but a few Miles; yet I question not but in a few Years they will be obliged to imitate the Locks of Languedoc at the Falls in Virginia.
In the Rocks up James River, and in other Places is found a Stone resembling a Diamond, much nearer than any Crystal or Bristol-Stone, being very hard and ornamental.
There has been formerly discovered a Sand taken for Gold Dust; and towards the Mountains are variety of Stones, some seeming to contain several Kinds of Metals, and others are good for Building; among which is the Appearance of Abundance of excellent Marble of several Sorts. Upon the River Sides is cast up by the Tides abundance of black heavy Sand resembling Smith's Filings; but the Nature and Vertue of this is unknown as yet: I believe it is washed from some Veins of Mines at the Bottoms of the Rivers, or is carried down by the Current, as Gold Dust in Africa, from the upper Parts of the Rivers, and from the Rocks and Mountains.