Mr. Gregg, from the committee to whom was referred, on the twenty-eighth of January last, the petition of the President and Directors of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company, made the following report:
That it appears a company has been incorporated by the respective States of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware, for the purpose of forming a navigable canal over the isthmus, which separates the bays of Chesapeake and Delaware: that in pursuance of the several acts of incorporation, passed by the said States, respectively, a large number of subscriptions were made by divers citizens of the United States, and a board of president and directors were duly elected for carrying the project into effect.
That the said president and directors, in pursuance of their appointment, have procured skilful engineers, to explore and survey the ground across the aforesaid isthmus, and have fixed on a route or position for the canal, calculated, as they conceive, in every respect to secure the great and important purpose of an uninterrupted navigation, and have made considerable progress in the work. They find, however, that to accomplish it, a greater portion of fortitude and perseverance, and more ample resources will be necessary, than the individuals who are embarked in it can be supposed to possess. The importance of the undertaking and the immense national advantages which may ultimately result from it, they hope will be sufficient inducements to prevail on Congress to grant them such assistance as will enable them to complete the business agreeably to their original plan.
The committee cannot hesitate a moment in deciding on the importance and extensive utility of connecting the waters of the Chesapeake and Delaware by a navigable canal. To adopt a phrase familiarized by use, they consider the project as an opening wedge for an extensive inland navigation, which would at all times be of an immense advantage to the commercial, as well as to the agricultural and manufacturing part of the community. But in the event of a war, its advantages would be incalculable. The reasoning of the petitioners is conclusive on this point. If arguments are necessary, their petition furnishes an ample supply to prove, that no system of internal improvement which has yet been proposed in this country, holds out the prospect of such important national advantages, as naturally result from a successful termination of their undertaking.
Did the finances of the country admit of it, the committee would feel a perfect freedom in recommending to the House the propriety, in their opinion, of extending to the petitioners such aid as the difficulty and importance of their enterprise would be thought to justify. But it is a question, whether, at this moment, the state of the treasury would admit of any pecuniary assistance being granted. The amount of the public debt, yet to be extinguished, the embarrassed state of our commerce, and the critical situation of the country in relation to foreign Governments, might perhaps be considered as insurmountable objections against applying any public money to internal improvements, at this particular time. Under an impression arising from these circumstances, the committee recommend the following resolution:
Resolved, That it would not be expedient, at this time, to grant any pecuniary assistance to the President and Directors of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company.
The report was referred to a Committee of the Whole on Monday.
Importations from Great Britain.
The House then, on the motion of Mr. Gregg, resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union—ayes 72.
Mr. Gregg moved that the committee should take into consideration a resolution, offered by him, on the 29th of January, for a non-importation of British goods.