B. No. 1.EXAMINATION OF THE HUDSON RIVER.The committee appointed by the directors of the Northern Inland Lock Navigation Company, in the State of New York, to examine Hudson river, the country between that river and Wood creek, and that creek to where it discharges its waters into Lake Champlain, and to suggest the improvements requisite to accomplish the important object for which the company was incorporated, beg leave to report:That, on the 21st September, they proceeded to the execution of the duties enjoined them; the result of their observations and surveys is contained in the following detail:By the act of incorporation, the navigation of Hudson river, from the mouth of the creek, on which the grist mill occupied by Colonel Rensselaer is erected in the town of Troy, to opposite the house of Mr. Tibbets in Lansingburg, is to be rendered navigable for boats drawing four feet water when loaded.Your committee, therefore, examined the rapid just above the said creek, and that which is half a mile higher up the river, and at the upper end of Whale island, and found, that, although the work contemplated, on the view in August last, would be adequate to the immediate object of affording four feet water, between the points above mentioned, yet they would but very little, if at all, facilitate the navigation to Waterford, and found that such a beneficial alteration of the intended works might be made as to embrace both objects; that is, efficiently to improve the navigation to Waterford as well as to Lansingburg; your committee will hereafter particularize the contemplated improvement in this place.They then proceeded to the rapid, next beyond the creek above mentioned, which extends about thirty yards; the perpendicular height of the whole fall about two feet, and in the present very great drought, boats drawing one and a half feet water only can be carried over the rapid. Bottom rocky.On, about half a mile in gentle current; two feet water, to the foot of the rapid at Whale island; this extends about two hundred and fifty yards; the whole fall about three and a half feet; depth of water about one and a half feet, bottom rocky; breadth of the river about four hundred and seventy yards.On, in gentle current and deep water, about one and a quarter miles to the rapid below, and at Waterford, of these there is succession for half a mile, with small intervals, of deep water; the water on the rapids about one foot; the descent about four feet; through winding channels, with turns too short for large rafts, or even boats of a length to carry four hundred bushels of wheat, except in freshets; the bottom all rock; breadth of the river at Waterford about three hundred and twenty yards.On, from the head of the rapids last mentioned; two miles to Schonhoven's rapid, water deep, current gentle; this rapid extends near half a mile apparently, about nine feet fall; the water on the rapid shallow, not exceeding one foot in general; the bottom all rock; breadth of the river about three hundred and sixty yards.On, in deep water about one and a half miles to the Owl rapid; this extends a quarter of a mile, has ene sharp pitch, on which great velocity of water then descends, with a diminished fall; the water sufficiently deep on the pitch, but on every other part so shallow, as to be only passable with an empty boat; the bottom all rock; breadth of the river about three hundred and fifty yards.On, in good water, gentle current, about one and a quarter miles to the foot of the rapids at Fort's; these extend three quarters of a mile, very rapid and totally impassable, except with an empty batteau; whole height of the fall about nine feet; the bottom rock; the bank on the east side high, on the west low, the land a loose soil, and is fifteen chains across to the rising grounds, breadth of the river about four hundred and thirty yards.On, one and a half miles in i. water, gentle current, to the rapids at Fonda's; here is a continued rapid, and falls for two and a half miles to the deep water above the falls, where Messrs. Palmer and Vandenbergh's mills are erected; nothing but empty batteaus can pass, and these not without being drawn over the rapids by hand; the bottom all rock; the river in general about half a mile wide.On, from the falls at Stillwater, to the mouth of Batten Kill, about twelve miles in perfect good water, current imperceptible; here a small rapid, over which upwards of two feet water may be carried; bottom rocky.On, one mile to the Little Falls; impassable for loaded boats; bottom all rock; rapids above the falls extending one quarter of a mile, the waters on them shallow; the breadth of the river at the falls about three hundred yards.On, two and a half miles through deep water, gentle current, to the foot of the Fort Miller Falls; from the deep water below, to the deep water above the falls, the distance on a straight line, is about forty-two chains; height of the whole falls seventeen and a half feet; impassable for boats of any kind, except empty boats descending the river in freshets; breadth of the river at the falls three hundred and fifty yards.On, one and a half miles in perfectly good water, to the Crooked rapid; here the velocity of the current strong, but great plenty of water; the rapid extends about three hundred yards.On, in perfectly good water one and a half miles, to a small rapid extending about ten yards; bottom rocky; depth of water nearly four feet.On, in perfectly good water, five miles, to just above the ferry, below Fort Edward.From Fort Edward, left the river to explore the creek which falls into Hudson river at Fort Edward; this creek has very little fall in it, and sufficiency of water to supply a canal from the south end of the Great Swamp, which is about four miles from Hudson river. In all the extent between the river and swamp, the ground good for a canal; the fall in this creek has not been ascertained by actual admeasurement, but your committee, from a variety of information, as well as their own inspection, do not suppose the whole fall to exceed eighteen or twenty feet.The Great Swamp extends about four miles to Wood creek, is apparently a perfect level, part of it well covered with timber, and part entirely without; even in this dry season the ground is so soft, that unless the foot is placed on tufts of grass which grow in the swamp, a man sinks half leg deep in mud and water.On, four miles, along Wood creek to its junction with Half-way brook.From the junction above mentioned, your committee descended in a batteau without any obstructions, other than those arising from great quantities of timber fallen or drifted into the creek. A sufficiency of water in every part; the current gentle; at about two miles short of the Falls of Skeensborough, a large pile of timber in the creek prevented the passage of the boat; we had then gone about sixteen or seventeen miles, sent the boat back, which returned to the junction above mentioned, about an hour after sunset. The committee walked to the falls from where they left the boat; were informed that there was great plenty of water in the intermediate distance; the whole height of the falls about fifteen feet to the deep water in Lake Champlain. Having thus stated the whole route from the mouth of the creek below Lansingburg to the waters of Lake Champlain, it remains to state the improvements which ought, in the opinion of your committee, to be made. 1st. A dam across Hudson river at the upper end of Whale island, of such height as to back four feet of water both on the rapids in the northernmost branch of the Mohawk river, where is now the usual fording place, and on the rapids at and immediately above Waterford, in Hudson river, it is conceived that a dam of eight feet perpendicular height would be amply sufficient; at this dam, a lock, to enter a canal formed by a dike or embankment, to run parallel to the east bank of Hudson river, and of about six feet perpendicular height; the dike or embankment to be made of timber, filled in with loose stones, and to extend from the dam to the mouth of Mill creek, where a lock must also be placed. From Waterford to Stillwater, there are two modes of improving the navigation; the one by dams, locks, canals, and dikes or embankments in the river, to wit: one dam at the head of the rapid above Waterford, with guardgates and a canal, embanked like that already described, of about three hundred yards, and a lock at its lower end: two dams, with similar canals, embankments, guard-gates, and locks, at Schonhoven's rapids, each of the embankments to extend about half a mile; one dam, guard-gates, lock, and embankment, at the Owl rapid, the embankment to extend about a quarter of a mile; one dam, guard-gates, lock, and embankment, at Fort's rapid, the embankment to extend nearly one mile; an embankment from the foot of the rapids at Fonda's, parallel to the west bank of the river, and to extead nearly to the foot of the falls near Palmer's mills, distance two and a half miles; four locks will be requisite here; from hence a canal through the land back of Palmer's house, and to enter Hudson river at the ferry above the falls, distance about forty-seven chains.Your committee have traced the canal last mentioned and the embankments to the deep water below Fonda's, measured the distance from thence to the head of the rapids at Fort's, taken the levels, and traced a canal on the land from thence to Waterford; the field-book of which, together with a section of the levels, are annexed.But to this mode of improvement your committee state the following objections:The height of the dikes or embankments in the river to prevent the canal from being overwhelmed in high freshets will be attended with heavy expense; the injury which the guard-gates and lock-gates would be exposed to from ice when the river breaks up, and from trees which may descend the river in freshets; the length and height of the dams to raise sufficient heads of water; and the perishable quality of the materials with which the dams and dikes or embankments must necessarily be constructed; stones and earth cannot be there obtained without great expense; and because several mills must necessarily be rendered useless, for which although the proprietors might be paid, would still be an inconvenience to the country, and perhaps injurious to the occupants, which ought never to be, unless where the necessity is indispensable to accomplish the object of the institution. These objections induced your committee to make a critical survey of the country between the deep waters of the Hudson, above the falls at Palmer's mills, and the waters of the Mohawk, in its northern branch at Waterford, in order to discover the possibility of cutting a canal from the former to the latter point. In all this extent nature has so favorably interposed as only to require a moderate share of ingenuity and industry in man to surmount the obstacles which intervene. The plan of the survey will evince what is to be done to render this part of the internal navigation as complete as can be reasonably desired, and not subject to any of those disagreeable contingencies which may be expected from carrying the improvements within the banks of the river. A computation has been made, and is herewith presented, of the expense of these works. It will readily occur to the board that estimates of this kind can only be approximations of the real expense, as the human eye cannot be carried above the surface of the earth, and your committee had neither adequate means nor time to determine the nature of the strata below the surface as accurately as they wished; the means in their power they improved. From these, and a close examination of the surface of the ground through which the canal may be cut, they are tolerably sure that the expense will not vary widely from their estimate. From what has been said in the detail of the general survey, it will appear that nothing is to be done from the falls at Stillwater to the falls above Batten Kill, other than cutting away an inconsiderable number of trees and brush standing on the banks of the river; that men or horses may with facility draw the craft employed in the transportation of the produce of the country. At the falls above Batten creek, a dam to be erected across the river, about four feet high, to back the water, that vessels may ascend or descend the falls and the rapids just above this fall; and a lock, to let such vessels ascend and descend the falls and rapids; or a canal from the head of the rapids to the foot of the falls, whichever, on a more critical examination, shall be found most eligible. The next obstruction is the fall at Fort Miller. A canal, of the length and in the direction designated in the plan, is to be cut here; a section is given of that canal, and an estimate of the expense thereof and of the requisite locks. This, and a dam of about four feet perpendicular height across the river, to deaden the current above, and to forego the necessity of cutting four feet deep through a hard rock in a considerable extent of the canal, will complete the works on Hudson river; for from this fall unto just above the ferry near Fort Edward the navigation is now competent. The track of a canal from hence to the Great Swamp has not been traced by your committee; but the view taken certainly affords room to conclude that it will not be a difficult operation. To cut a canal directly through the Great Swamp would probably be more operose, as the laborers would have to work in very soft mud, and most probably, in all its extent, continually up to the waist in mud and water. It would, therefore, appear more advisable that the direction of the canal should be on the solid earth adjoining to the swamp, which would probably only increase the length of the canal about half a mile beyond that of a straight course through the swamp. Small cuts must, however, be made in the swamp to communicate with the canal, in order to obtain a supply of water; but, should the water thus collected be inadequate to support the canal and locks, when the produce of the country becomes more extensive than at present, it may be necessary to gain a head of water in those months when it falls in the greatest quantity, to be expended in those when least falls. This may be procured by a dam at each end of the Great Swamp, of about six feet high, which would cover about two thousand five hundred acres of waste ground, which cannot, without a very heavy expense, if at all, be reclaimed for the purpose of agriculture, because of the very little descent of the streams that issue out of the swamp. 2 The committee have made no estimate of the expense of the canal from Hudson river to Wood creek; it will probably not exceed 15 or £20,000. From the Great Swamp, Wood creek, in all its extent to Skeensborough, only requires to be straightened in some places, and to have the timber taken out of its bed, except between the swamp and Fort Ann, where it may require to be deepened. A guess can only be made at the expense; we will suppose it to amount to £5,000; it will certainly, in the estimation of your committee, not exceed £6,000. A canal and two locks at Skeensborough will complete the work. Here the distance to be cut does not exceed eighty-five yards; yet the rock through which it must pass appears hard, and at the same time not favorable for easy blowing. The expense will probably be about £3,000.The computed expense for improving the navigation in all its extent from the mouth of the creek on which the mill occupied by Colonel Rensselaer is erected to Lake Champlain, stands as follows:A dam from the east bank of Hudson river to Van Schaick's island, an embanked canal, twenty feet wide, from thence to the mouth of the mill creek, guard-gates and lock at the upper end of this canal, and a lock at its lower end, estimated at - - - - - £ 2,500A canal from Waterford to the ferry at Stillwater, ten feet wide at the base, with eight locks, - 34,000 Clearing the banks of trees and brush from Stillwater to the falls above Saratoga, - - 300A dam and canal at those falls, with guard-gates and locks, - - - - 800A canal, twenty feet wide, with guard-gates and two locks, at Fort Miller, - - - 8,000Cutting the trees and brush from the banks between Fort Miller and Fort Edward, - - 250A canal, ten feet wide, from Hudson river to Wood creek, - - - - 17,500Clearing and deepening Wood creek to Fort Ann, and clearing Wood creek of the timber and other obstructions in it, and cutting trees from the banks, canal and two locks at Skeensborough, - 9,000- Total, - £72,350The aggregate of the expense estimated for the completion of the whole improvements to be made by the company amounts, as above, to £72,350; but in works of this kind, where many men are employed, worthless characters will introduce themselves, notwithstanding every attention to prevent it; accidents will intervene, tending to retard the business; and contingencies, which the most sagacious cannot foresee, will be interposed, and all inducing to an accumulation of expense. We may, therefore, add the further sum of £7,650, to meet the contingencies already stated, and to defray expenses which may arise, and which cannot be anticipated; and thus the aggregate amount will be £80,000.The annual interest of this estimated aggregate, computed at seven per cent only, is £5,600; and it is certain that the toll on the produce of the country, until the population shall be more extended, will, after deducting the