USA > Virginia > A history of Virginia : from its discovery and settlement by Europeans to the present time. Vol. II > Part 32
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502
MANUFACTURES.
[CHAP. VIII.
bridge, 16,896 dollars; 4,283 gallons of wine, of which Rockbridge made 981, and Rockingham 697 gallons ; and, of home-made fabrics, an amount valued at 955,684 dollars, of which Rockingham made, in value, 67,901, and Rockbridge 61,682 dollars.ª
The estimated agricultural wealth of Virginia will be noted under another head of this chapter. We may now speak of the Manufacturing interest of the state. For many years this branch of in- dustry was carried on almost entirely by private families, and was inconsiderable in its results ; but within the present century, it has drawn the re- sources of wealthy individuals, and of incorporated companies, and within twenty years past, it has rapidly expanded in its operations. We hail this result with unalloyed pleasure. It is vain to speak of the disadvantages of engaging in such pursuits with slave labour, and of the false principles of economy that would suggest the attempt. If Vir- ginia has lately shown any evidence of returning prosperity, in nothing is this evidence more satis- factory than in her attention to manufactures. They are both the cause and the effect of revived energy.
The largest amount of capital thus invested in the state, is in mills for grain. Flour mills are abundantly scattered through the east and west sections, and at Richmond they have been erected and employed on the most extensive scale.b The
ª Comp. of Census, pp. 167-169. largest in the United States, and b The Gallego flour mills, at perhaps in the world, were destroyed Richmond, which were among the by fire on Sunday morning, October
MINING.
503
capital. applied in milling throughout the state is estimated to amount to 5,184,669 dollars, while in Massachusetts not more than 1,440,152 dollars are thus appropriated.ª The manufacture of to- bacco is next in amount in Virginia ; it employs a capital of 1,526,080 dollars. Next is cotton, which employs 1,299,020 dollars of capital. Manufac- tures of leather are next, employing a capital of 1,180,098 dollars. Besides these, Virginia manu- factures wool, silk, flax, and hemp, hats and caps, soap and candles, distilled spirits, powder, glass, earthenware, paper, carriages, wagons, and furni- ture, in respectable quantities. We shall presently give a full estimate on the subject.
The Mining interest of our state is considerable. No man can tell what amount of wealth her mineral resources would produce, were they fully developed. Deep in her bosom there are hidden treasures, which well-directed labour would bring forth. We do not know that her gold mines have yet compensated for the lost investments, blasted hopes, and chilled hearts that have been expended upon them. Nevertheless, she has gold in abun- dance, which is yearly obtained in increasing quantities. Her most profitable mineral is coal, which in 1840 employed a capital of 1,302,000 dollars. Next is iron, which in the same year em- ployed a capital of 1,247,000 dollars.
Some remarks shall be devoted to the Finances
10th, 1847 .- Preparations for re-
a Compendium of Census, pages building them have been already 117-177. commenced.
.
504
FINANCES.
[CHAP. VIII.
of Virginia. On this subject it would be easy to fill many pages with reasonings and surmises, and to offer theories which would have at least the charm of novelty ; but it is happily unnecessary. There may be statesmen in England who esteem her national debt a public blessing, and who ad- mire to enthusiasm the complicated fiscal machi- nery necessary to support it; but in America we have learned a different philosophy. In general, the more simple that may be the financial system of a country, the more happiness it will enjoy, if unaffected by other causes. To administer govern- ment with economy, to tax her people with dis- crimination, to make debts with caution, and to pay them with punctuality,-these are the duties of a wise state ; and by their neglect, nations have been convulsed, and kings have perished on the scaffold.
Like the other states of the Union, Virginia came out of the Revolutionary War embarrassed by a huge debt for unredeemed paper money. She was gradually relieved by her own exertions, and by the working of the funding system, established during the first presidential term. Since that time, though she has experienced financial vicissitudes, she has never suffered under the imputation of bad faith in her monetary duties. She has never repu- diated. She looks upon such conduct with un- mingled abhorrence. She has even verged to the other extreme. She has thought it better to remain poor and inactive, rather than endanger her credit
505
FINANCES.
by contracting enormous debts for purposes of in- ternal developement.
On the 30th September, 1845, the state had pro- ductive stocks and funds amounting to 6,595,844 dollars, and nearly the same amount in stocks and funds unproductive, because generally invested in improvements not completed, or complete but not profitable. The whole amount of state debt was 7,384,794 dollars, requiring provision for an annual interest of 451,746 dollars. Besides this interest, which is regularly paid, a sinking fund of nearly 6,000 dollars, is annually applied to the principal. Beyond these, the chief items of expenditure are the expenses of the General Assembly, which amount yearly to about 75,200 dollars, the officers of government, the contingent expenses of courts, the Public Guard at Richmond, annuities to the University, the Military Academy, school quotas, Lunatic Hospitals, and the institutions for the deaf and dumb, and the blind. The total expenditure for 1845, was estimated at 1,443,388 dollars.ª
The proceeds of productive stocks, fines, forfei- tures, and other sources, other than taxes, amounted to 846,352 dollars. The balance of 685,051 dollars, making up the public income, was raised by taxes on persons and property. Persons, as such, are taxed when enjoying special privileges, professional or otherwise, as physicians, attorneys, merchants, dentists, pedlers, hotel and tavern-keepers, venders of lottery tickets, and exhibiters of shows. Pro- perty in general is taxed as follows : slaves, horses
ª American Almanac, 1847, 256, 257.
506
POPULATION.
[CHAP. VIII.
and mules, gold and silver watches, metallic and other clocks, coaches and other vehicles, pianos, gold and silver plate, interest on money loaned, in- come over four hundred dollars, bridges, ferries, and newspapers. The tax bill is remodelled each year in the Legislature, that it may be accommodated as skilfully as possible to the ability and feelings of the people.
The Population of Virginia has not grown as rapidly as her internal resources would have au- thorized us to expect. Her ratio of increase has fallen below that of most of her sisters, and when compared with some of the western and northern states, the difference has been striking. In 1790 Virginia was the most populous member of the Union ; she had then a total of 748,308 souls, of whom 293,427 were slaves, and 12,776 were free coloured persons. At that time, the second state in population was Pennsylvania, who had 434,373 inhabitants. In 1800 Virginia had 880,200, of whom 345,796 were slaves, and 20,124 free coloured persons. In 1810 she had 974,622, of whom 392,51× were slaves, and 30,570 free coloured per- șons. In 1820 her total was 1,065,379, of whom 425,153 were slaves, and 36,889 free coloured persons. In 1830 she had 1,211,405, of whom 469,757 were slaves, and 47,348 free coloured. In 1840 her total population was 1,239,797, of whom 449,087 were slaves, and 49,852 were free coloured persons." We shall have occasion again to refer to
ª Compare Abstract of Census, 370-375.
507
COMPARISON.
some branches of this subject, in closing this chapter.
After having presented the varied estimates from which the condition of a people is generally to be inferred, the question arises, has Virginia prospered as her physical resources would warrant us in expecting ? Has she held her place in the great march of the American States, during the present century ? It has long been the sad conviction of her most enlightened children, that these questions must be answered in the negative. But enough has been shown to encourage her, and to prove that she has within her bounds every element of pros- perity that a people need desire. If then it be true that she has fallen behind her sisters in any thing pertaining to a nation's welfare, her defects ought to be made known, that they may, if pos- sible, be supplied. Her wounds must be probed in order that they may be healed, and however painful may be the process, her real friends will not shrink from its accomplishment. To this end, an attempt shall here be made to compare Virginia with one of the wealthiest and most prosperous states in the American Confederacy. If this com- parison shall prove unfavourable to our state, the . circumstances under which it is made will exclude the idea of prejudice or partiality. There may be in it much for our encouragement, as well as for our humiliation.
Massachusetts was first settled in 1620,-Vir- ginia in 1607; Massachusetts in winter has a cold, harsh atmosphere,-Virginia has at all times a
508
MASSACHUSETTS
[CHAP. VIII.
temperate and pleasant climate ; Massachusetts has a hard, sterile soil, little grateful for attention,- Virginia has a soil generous even to prodigality, and repaying twenty-fold the labour of the hus- bandman ; Massachusetts is cut by small streams, and has but one river that may claim the first dig- nity,-Virginia has six of the finest rivers whose waters reach the Atlantic; Massachusetts has, comparatively, a flat country, and supplies water- power by artificial means,-Virginia has a surface of mountains, from which she obtains a natural water-power, exhaustless in capacity ; Massachu- setts has some iron and granite, but beyond these, her minerals are as nothing,-Virginia has iron, lead, copper, gold, salt, and coal, in quantity which no one has yet ventured to estimate; Massachusetts has indeed splendid harbours, and every thing essential to the expansion of shipping,-but Vir- ginia has an inland sea, and harbours that might be made as good as any in the world; Massachu- setts has seven thousand eight hundred square miles of surface,-Virginia has sixty-six thousand square miles of horizontal area.
1
From this statement of familiar facts, we infer that, if Virginia has not equalled her northern sister in her ratio of progress, the fault is in her people, and not in her physical condition. That we may see the truth on this subject, the following comparative view will be presented.
First, as to population. In 1790, Massachusetts had 378,717 souls. In 1800 she had 423,245. In 1810 she had 472,040. In 1820, she had 523,287.
509
AND VIRGINIA.
In 1830, her total number was 610,048. And in 1840, her population amounted to 737,669. Thus it will be perceived, that in 1840, Virginia had a population of nineteen and Massachusetts of ninety- five souls to the square mile.ª This great difference deserves attention. For, if other causes of dis- parity do not intervene, population will present the same test of progress in civilized life, in enlightened as in savage nations. If, in the same series of years, one country has become much more densely peopled than another, the former has given evi- dence that it is far before the latter in the posses- sion of materials for prosperity.
We will next offer a comparison of the actual wealth of the two states, estimated in reference to the same articles, at the same time, under the same circumstances, and upon the same arithmetical principles. In 1840, in Massachusetts, the amount computed to be invested in mining, was 2,345,310 dollars. In agriculture, the produce for the past year had been 22,097,429 dollars. In horticulture, 43,170 dollars. In commerce, foreign and domestic, the amount invested was 28,016,765 dollars. In fisheries, 11,725,850 dollars. The products of the forest, for a year, had been 377,054 dollars. The capital invested in manufactures of all kinds, was 45,891,524 dollars, making a total of national wealth which might be considered as active, of 110,497,102 dollars. In the same year, in Virginia, the amount invested in mining was 3,024,000 dol- lars. In agriculture, the produce of the past year
a Compare Abstract, 370-375 ; Morse's Geog. 21-27.
+
510
SLUGGISHNESS.
[CHAP. VIII.
had been 92,400,583 dollars in value. In horticul- ture, 19,900 dollars. In foreign and domestic com- merce, the amount invested was 21,197,803 dollars. In fisheries, 28,383 dollars. The products of the forest, for the past year, had been 619,673 dollars. The capital invested in manufactures of all kinds, was 12,865,061 dollars, making a total of active wealth of 130,155,403 dollars.a
Thus it appears that the wealth of Virginia, really indicative of public industry, only exceeds that of her northern sister by about thirty millions of dol- lars. Had her productive labour been profitable, in proportion to her excess of area over Massachu- setts, her active wealth in 1840, would have been nine hundred and thirty-five millions, instead of one hundred and thirty millions of dollars. And if her more abundant natural riches be taken into con. sideration, her increase ought to have been much greater. It must, therefore, be regarded as a truth but too fully established, that Virginia has fallen below her duty ; that she has been indolent, while others have been laborious; that she has been con- tent to avoid a movement positively retrograde, while others have gone rapidly forward. Her mo- - tion, compared with that of Massachusetts or Ohio, might, in familiar terms, be likened to the heavy
a These estimates have been care- fully drawn from the returns of the Census of 1840, in the Compendium. I had at first intended to give the amount of each item under each head of national industry above
mentioned, and had prepared full notes for the purpose ; but such an arrangement would have required an inconvenient space in this work, and might have excluded other matter more strictly pertinent to my object.
511
THREE CAUSES.
stage-coach of the past century, competing with the flying steam-car of the present.
For this sluggishness and imbecility, many causes might be assigned, and ingenious arguments might be urged in their support. The cause may be complex : action and reaction are constantly taking place : causes become effects, and, in their turn, effects are converted into causes. But there are three sources from which, as we believe, the evil disposition of our state so naturally flow, that they ought to receive special notice.
The first of these is the Want of Education among the people. Lord Bacon has said that " Know- ledge is power." He did not say that knowledge is virtue, or that knowledge would necessarily bring happiness to its possessor. Yet the expe- rience of all ages has proved that an educated people will, other things being equal, be the most industrious, most prosperous, most virtuous, and therefore most happy. And since the light of re- vealed knowledge has dawned upon the world, the necessity for education has become more and more apparent. Great learning may not be essential, but in the present century, to read, and write, and use figures intelligently, are qualifications without which the great body of any people will find it difficult to perform their positive duties. An un- cultivated mind will be lethargic and inefficient in its movements; polish it by education, and you immediately give it activity and power.
Adopting these views, it is with pain we are compelled to speak of the horrible cloud of igno-
512
WANT OF EDUCATION. [CHAP. VIII.
rance that rests upon Virginia. In the eastern section, there are twenty-nine thousand eight hun- 1
dred and sixty-three, and in the western, twenty- eight thousand nine hundred and twenty-four, making a total of fifty-eight thousand seven hun-
dred and eighty-seven white persons, over twenty
This, however, is not all. It is computed that years of age, who can neither read nor write.a
there are in the state '166,000 children, between seven and sixteen years of age, and therefore fit for school. Of these, about 28,000 poor children at- tend the free and Lancastrian schools, an average of twelve weeks in a year for each child. 12,000 more children are sent to colleges, academies, and classical schools. The remaining one hundred and twenty-six thousand children attend no school at all, and receive no education except what can be imparted by poor and ignorant parents ! But yet farther,-there are in Virginia 449,087 slaves, and 49,852 free negroes, who are, with few exceptions, wholly uneducated. They are human beings, with intellects, passions, wills, all perverted by original depravity, and they are sunk in ignorance. Hap- pily, they are permitted to hear the public minis- trations of our religion, and affecting examples of its good influence upon them are often seen. The policy which discourages farther extension of know- ledge among them is necessary; but the fact re- mains unchanged, that they exist among us, a huge
a The population of Eastern Vir. mate in the text is for the same ginia, in 1840, was 806,942 ; of West- year.
ern Virginia, 432,855. The esti-
b Amer. Almanac, 258, 259.
WANT OF INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT. 513
mass of mind, almost entirely unenlightened. We fear, then, that the most favourable estimates will leave in our state six hundred and eighty-three thousand rational beings, who are destitute of the merest rudiments of knowledge.
This deplorable condition has long been felt and mourned by Virginia's most virtuous sons. Efforts have been made to ameliorate it. Education con- ventions have assembled, and many animated de- bates have taken place. The Legislature has moved from time to time, and during the session of 1845-46 its movement was decided and beneficial. Nevertheless, the evil remains almost untouched. We pretend not to suggest any remedy. But it will be pertinent to the subject to add, that in the whole state of Massachusetts, containing in 1840 seven hundred and thirty-seven thousand six hundred and ninety-nine persons, there were but four thou- sand four hundred and forty-eight white persons, over twenty years of age, who could neither read nor write.
The next cause of the inefficiency of Virginia is the Want of Internal Improvement. Her native wealth is boundless, and if it were furnished with means for its developement, would make her rich in a quarter of a century. But, thus far, by a con- currence of untoward circumstances, all that she has done in establishing lines of internal commu- nion, has effected little in bringing out her real resources. As early as May, 1784, the Legislature granted an act of incorporation to the Old James River Company, and authorized them to raise one VOL. II. 33
514
JAMES RIVER AND
[CHAP. VIII.
hundred thousand dollars to improve the naviga- tion of the James.ª But their labours were never extensive, and their means were always too limited to accomplish objects of much importance. In February, 1820, the Legislature passed an act, un- der which the James River Company, with its own consent, was made a trustee to carry on the work for the state. The plan then proposed was to ren- der the James River, from Richmond to the mouth of Dunlap's Creek, in the present County of Alle- gany, navigable for boats by a series of locks and canals; to make the Great Kanawha navigable in the same manner, from the Great Falls to the Ohio River, and to connect the Great Falls and Dunlap's Creek by a turnpike road. Under this act, improve- ments, more or less important, were applied to parts of the line of three hundred and sixty-five statute miles, thus designated; but no portion of the route was completed so far as to open the wealth of the finest section of Virginia.
Finally, in March, 1832, the stockholders of the James River and Kanawha Company, were incor- porated by act of Assembly." The object of this Company was to connect the tide-water of the James with the Ohio River; and it was to be done either by canal to Lynchburg, and railroad to the Great Falls of the Kanawha, or by railroad from the highest improvement of the James to the Ohio, or by a continuous railroad from Richmond to the Ohio. Their works were to be commenced within
* Hening, xi. 450-462.
e Supplement, 474-489.
৳ See Supplement, 420-433.
+
515
KANAWHA COMPANY.
two years after the passing of the act, and to be completed within twelve years from the first general meeting of stockholders; otherwise their charter was to be forfeited.
We have to record that after a period of fifteen years from its incorporation, the Company has not accomplished the task for which it was formed. It has constructed a large and well-made canal from Richmond to Lynchburg, a distance of about one hundred and forty-six miles; it has advanced, nearly to completion, a line of works from Lynch- burg to the mouth of North River, a distance of twenty-seven miles.ª Beyond this, it has not been able to do more than keep in good condition the works previously constructed. Its charter has been extended, and legislative aid has from time to time been bestowed on it. During the period from the 27th June, 1835, to the 31st October, 1845, the " Old Improvements" of the Company have yielded an amount of revenue which exceed- ed the disbursements on their account by 218,825 dollars. And the Richmond Dock, purchased by the Company, has yielded a net revenue of 16,058 dollars. But the "New Improvements" during this period, have required an expenditure, direct and indirect, of 5,975,398 dollars, and to meet this, beyond the net revenue of the " Old Improve- ments" and the Dock, the Company has been com- pelled to rely chiefly upon payments on the stock made by individuals, by the state, and by several .
a Eleventh An. Rep. J. R. and K. Co. 748.
516
RAILROADS -TELEGRAPH. [CHAP. VIII.
corporations.ª It will, therefore, be apparent that, thus far, the work has not been profitable to the stockholders.
Neither has it developed the resources of the state, to an extent proportioned to its cost. It would be unjust to charge the Company with neg- ligence and inefficiency for the failure. They have contended with physical obstacles far more formidable than had been anticipated, and they have felt the same want of abundant capital in money, that Virginia as a state experiences. Yet it is sad to think that so much has been expended, and so little has been done. It is believed by many that the canal now brings to the head of tide-water very little produce that would not find its way thither by the natural laws of trade. The improvement has not yet struck the Great Valley, and opened an avenue through which its wealth may flow to the East: above all, the Allegany range has not been crossed, the Ohio has not been reached, and Virginia's frontier is literally pressed by agricul- tural products which seek outlets in every direction except through her veins.
The railroads which have been completed within the state are convenient for travel, but do not effect much for trade. A line of magnetic telegraph from the North, has been finished to Richmond, within a few months past, and has already advanced far to the South. By means of this miracle of the age, Virginia may converse with her distant sisters,
2 See Statements, Eleventh An. Rep. 7-10.
517
SLAVERY.
and hear their voices urging to energy. And it is true, that within the present year she has shown symptoms of a disposition to awake from her long slumber.
Several lines of railroad are now contemplated by the enterprising of our state. It is proposed that one of these shall run continuously from Rich- mond City to the Ohio River. Another is to be carried from the present terminus of the Louisa Railroad, at Gordonsville, to the eastern base of the Blue Ridge; another is to run from the metro- polis southward, through the tobacco region of the state, to Danville, in Pittsylvania County. For this last object heavy subscriptions have been already made, and many things seem to indicate that it will be accomplished.
The last and most important cause unfavourably affecting Virginia which we shall mention, is the existence of Slavery within her bounds. We have already seen the origin and progress of this insti- tution. As to its evils, we have nothing new to offer ; they have long been felt and acknowledged by the most sagacious minds in our state. "It is the common remark of all who have travelled through the United States, that the free states and the slave states exhibit a striking contrast in their appearance. In the older free states are seen all the tokens of prosperity ; a dense and increasing population ; thriving villages, towns, and cities ; a neat and productive agriculture ; growing manu- factures, and active commerce. In the older parts of the slave states, with a few local exceptions, are seen, on the contrary, too evident signs of stagna-
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