rve-port re.lative tTo Ocoa-CooK Inlet. 'Rs.leioVi, 1817 r?. C^&^. A^ o- j"f Book hjJlt REPORT helative to [No. IS.] ^^m WWr^. ^1^9 182T. RALEIGH: I'RINTED BY LAWRENCE & LEMAYi Printers to the State, 1827. 9.(»F a BEPOUT. The committee, to whom was roferrod the memotiai ul sir.uh;,' citizens of N«'\vbern, Uashingtoii, 1*1 \ mmith, K'ieiiton, Vlu«lr»(s bin'ough, Elizabeth City and ijii-tfoid, liiive ((cisidered the stiu jert to which the memoi'ialists invite the atte'iiioii ot the Lei^iis- lature, and resp«'cttnli> report: That yt)ur comuiittee iiave long been aware that the trade ol" a very large portion ol" the State labtmred under s^tious ineonve niences and sustained heavy losses, b\ reasmi oi' the shoals whici: obstruct the passage of vessels through 0(( acock Irdet. But of the extent of these inconvenieiues, and the enormity of tlicse losses, they hati formed a most inadefjuate lOiueptioii until their attention had been di-awn to this subjec t by tli(^ nienioiial undi'i' consideration. It aj)pears that Uccacock aflbids the >!idy outlet to the Ocean for the pioducts of the iisdustr^ of nearly half the State. Near the mouth of this outlet exist nnineitMiS and exit n- si\esJ»oals, to which is applied the general teim of the Swash, and through which winds a ditlicult channel, so shallow as init to per- mit vessels to pass of a greater draft Ol water than seven leet. Every vessel navigating theNeuse, the Trent, tlie Bay;, the 'I'ar, the Pungo, the iioanoke, Cashie, Chowan, Meiieiiin, i^erqui- mons and t^asquotank rivers, and t!ie noble Allntnarle and i-aoij)- tico Sounds, in going and returning from Sea, has to pass tlaough this tedious and obstructed channel. Every vessel ot respectable size must be lightened of a part of her caigo before this fjassagc can be effected, and is thus not oni} subjee ted to heavy chargi s of lighterage, and still heavier costs of detention, but to the moht Imminent perils in a situation of peculiar exposure. Vessels of a large burthen fit for ti'anspnrting lieav;^ products to distantports, are now almost unknown to the navigation of this jiart of the State, and therefore such products, when designed foi* distant markets, are transported coastwise, to be re sliii»ped in other vessels for the places of consumjition. Marty vcss^els of snia!! burthen, at avast additional expense, aie eniphjvi d to jiei fo: ii» what, but for these obstructions, might be performed by one. "W hen intelligence is^received of a favdrabie market, the ship owners, by reason of the unavoidable (hlavs at tiie Swash, arc anticipated by others having no such im])e(liments to encounter, and canniit avail themselves of the inlorniution. These evils, added to the charges of lightei-age, detention and inci eased rr.t* s of insurance, have raised tiu' pi-ice of freight to a rcinous amount. Upon those, by whose industry the products are made, la!' witii aggravated force the consequences Wi high iVeight double sliiiimcnts. It is impossible to compare tlie ordinary pu- ces of the staple commodities of our country in the ports con- nected with Occacocic and in those wliich have an tinobstrurted outlet to tlie ocean, without being stiurk with the enormous dif- ference. Stav s, shingles, lumber «)btain in the former about two tliirds of the price, whicli they command in the latter — Naval Stores about tiirce fourths — and the more valuable articles about seven eightlis It is tlien clear that the stave, shingle, and lum- ber-getter pays to the Swash an annual tax of one tiiird of what jiis labour produces; the maker of IN aval Stores pays one bari'cl in four, and the grower of cotton, one bale in eight. By reason of the badness of the home market, a vast quantity of our most valuable products is carried by expensive land car- riage to the towns of other States. Of thirty-eigiit thousand bales of cotton exported from Tctersburg in the last veai-, thirty thousand were brought thitlier from Nortli Carolina. The ex- penses of this transportation arc, of course, a tax upon tlie ])ro- ducer, while the products themselves swell the expoils, add to the commercial activity, and increase the importance of a sister State, to the injury of our own. The productive industry of the country not only is thus ta^ed in all wliich it makes for sale; it is taxed again, in all whi( h it consumes of imported articles. The pi ices of all commodilits imported through Occacock are higher by reason of its obstructed navigatio)!. TJie memorialists state, and your committee believe they are wai-ranted by the fact, that in the article of salt alone, this section of the country pays an annual tax of more than ten thousand dallars to the shoals of Occacock. If to the taxes upon industry, by reason of the diminished price of products sold at home, and of the expenses attending the tedious land caj-riage of those conveyed to the market towns of another State, and of tiie increased cost of impoi-ted articles, we, add the annual destructioii. as worthless, of the timber of o»u ioi'ests; all of which would be in immediate demand foi* ship- building, sj)ars, cabinet vvorI>, carpentry and fuel, the moment this bhickade of tho coast was i-elieved; your committee believe themselves within bounds when they state that North Caroiinii every yo.,\v sustains from tlie Swash a pecuniary loss of a million of dtdiars. NVhile the resources of the coinitry arc thus swallowed up i;i I'hcse sands, it is imjjossiblc tiiat the country should flourish. Al- tlioug'.i the wild woods abound with treasures of wealth, could r!iey be cheaply transported to foreign markets, and the swamps, [m- losons, and. low grounds are Jiot exceeded in fertility by tiie rich lands of the Mississijipi Valley, the hardy and enterprising jK>pu- lation is going forth, in a .steady and rapid stream to tha Wes- \ tfeiii states. The citizens Avho remain— -becaiisc tliey cannot break the ties of nature, ;ind habit, and necessity, \vliich bind them to their native land — ai-e torpid for the want of ex< iternent to ext'rtion, and discouraged by the unsuccessful results of all their efforts at improvement. It is iujpossible that your committee should not feel an anxious solicitude to relieve their country from tiiis fatal impediment to Jjer prosperity. 'J'hat the cliannel through these shoals may be drepent'd, cannot be doubted. Your committee liarn that the a( cu- mulation of sand and mud has been gradual for the last forty yeats, and what has been thus dejiosiled, may certainly be re- moved by art. It in true that similar causes may herraftcr oc- casion another deposition; but the ineans wliich can free tlir pre- sent obstructed channels, will be moie eftectu:'.! when applied in time to prevent their obstruction. If it shiuild be too expensive to remove or deepen the shoals, the use ol the contrivaticrs to Avhich the Hollarlders have given the exi)itssive name of " Cam- els," will carry vessels over them with ease and safety. It is the prerogative of intellect to triumph over physical ditliculties. To skill and energy and pei'severanct- {'a,' obstacles are insurmount- able. If the committee could state with prciision the expense which would certainly effectuate this great object, they would not hesi- tate to declare their opinion tliat such an expense should bo en- ■" countered if within the competejicy of the State to meet it. On this subject they are w ithout exact infornialion, itnd in the pre- sent state of the Public Treasury they arc reluctant to recom- mend an apj)ropriation of money, which may not produce the desired result. Tiiey believe that men «if capita!, feeling aji im- mediate and deep interest in tlie subject, aie willing to engage in vlie experiment of itnproving this na\igati()i5 upon being j)ermit- ted to receive a moderate toll on the vessels which they may ena ble to pass unobstructed to the ocean. This experiment they hope and tiust will succeed. An enterprising indi\idual has declared iiis readiness to contract to make three feet additiimal water on the Swash for gGCOOO, and to keej) the channel tiuis (:ee{» for an annua! sum thereafter of £8,000. Those who may embark in this ))raiseworthy undertaking are more cr»mpetent than the agents ot t.he State could be to judge of iiis ability to accomplish this result, and pjiibabiy will be n^oi-e exact in requiring the proper safe- guards agaifist failure, and more prudent and economical in their expenditures. In the mean time, under the authority of the Board of Internal Improvements, such information may be co! iected as will enable a succeeding Legislature to decide vvhcthci he public funds oughttobe applied in aid of the undertaking. To meet that provision of the fH)ns;tlt'ition of the United States / which proliibits a State from layin.^ any duty on tonnage without \ the consent nl" Coiigiess, a provision tor obtaining that assent is necessary. It cannot be d'»ubted but that this assent will be yielde«l to further an objf'ct so interesting to the revenue, the commerce, and to the private and public marine of the United States. In fixing the rate of tolls, the Committee have been governed by the precedent set in a former act of the Legislature, passed in 1821, for d'M'pening Blair's Channel in Pamptico Sound. From the best calculations which they have been able to make, the charge which these tolls may impose, will not exceed one tenth of those wliich directly or indirectly the navigatian now endures. In the other details of the bill wliich accomjjaiiy this report, the committee have endeavoured, with the utmost care, to combine two objects which are not easily made to concur. While it is dt'sirHbie tliat the State should have tlie power to relieve this na- vigation from exevy burthen, it is absolutely essential that they should hold out to indiviYiLL. GASTON, Chnirmav. '^ No. 13 BILLS, BOJVDS AlVD IVOTES. The committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred a hill rcji^ulating tlie time within which demand shall be ma