New-Jersey is circumstanced mostly for domestic trade, and to be tributary to the two first commercial ports in the United States, situated on her right and left.

It is bounded by water on all sides but her northern line, yet offers no certainty of capital improvements in inland navigation.

With no part of her territory more than fifty miles from navigable waters, she has turned her attention to the improvement of roads. The turnpike mania rages among her citizens, and her legislature have granted charters by the dozen for several years past. It will be fortunate for her citizens if turnpike stock-jobbing should not happen to get the preponderance over her state councils.

It will be a desideratum to the United States to have a water passage opened between the Delaware and the Hudson through that state, for the purpose of continuing the chain of inland navigation coastwise from South Carolina to Long Island Sound, which would be of essential service to the internal continental commerce during maritime wars. But the prospect is not as flattering as our wishes. Probably a small canal could be opened between Trenton Creek and Millstone River-perhaps the latter could be straightened by a cut across its bend, in a direct line from Princeton to Amboy.

Whether there could be found a gap in the Blue Mountains suitable to admit of tapping the Delaware near the north-west corner of the state and throwing it into some of the head branches of the Passaic; or whether the Delaware would admit of being tapped at the southern termination of these mountains, somewhere about Easton, and thrown into the south branch of the Raritan-and this aided, or perhaps even effected, by the use of the Mosconecunk, are but mere speculations on the map of the state. Could a tapping of the Delaware be effected at the latter place, it would greatly aid the grand intersection of the state, besides contributing to its own trade.

Pennsylvania is possessed of a large territory, mostly a fertile soil, and rich in its mineral productions. Like New-York, it is almost an interior state, and has but one principal seaport; but each commands the trade of more than their state territories.

Its large streams open a field for valuable improvements in their channels and canals. As Philadelphia can monopolize the trade of the Delaware, it is her interest to bestow upon it the most effectual improvements. It could be rendered navigable about two hundred and fifty miles above that place, and made to furnish that market with lumber, produce, and pot-ash.

Of the Susquehannah-nature has done much, but never applied the finishing chisel. It requires, and probably will admit of important improvements being made in its bed and channel. Maryland is largely interested in the improvements of this river. Could the contending interests of the two states be reconciled into mutual co-operation for the purpose, it might be converted into one of the most extensive and valuable channels of trade, of any other river to the east of the Alleghany mountains. As it is, its navigation requires an annual sacrifice of a few lives and much property. To blast and remove the obstructing rocks might be sufficient for descending the river in freshets. To ascend the river, its bed would require to be sunk at the small rifts, and the large rapids dammed, with canals and locks cut in its margin; and rendered navigable through the season. [Since writing this number, I have been informed by a gentleman, that there are sundry improvements made and making-among them the Conewaga Falls are canalled and locked as here proposed. These improvements afford excellent mill-seats.]

Doctor Morse says the Susquehannah, with all its tributary streams, " water at least 15,000,000 acres." Besides its agricultural products, the cast branch affords large supplies of pine timber, from which excellent naval spars can be obtained. The west branch, and the Tioga, abounds in excellent grain lands. The improvement of its navigation would cultivate these resources of trade, and command the southern section of the Genesee country.

It is worthy of remark, that the adventures made, a few years since, at Newtown, on the Tioga branch, by the merchants of Geneva, cost them nearly 10,000 dollars. This was a large sum to tax an infant settlement with experiments.

The effect was the turning of that trade into the channel of Albany again.

To follow the natural bed of this river with its improvements, would be throwing its whole trade into the Chesapeake. Philadelphia, straitened to the preservation of its commercial consequence, has been necessitated to devise means for diverting its extensive trade from its natural channel. Under the enterprising spirit which the Philadelphians have displayed in prosecuting their plans, I cannot but presume that the idea of tapping the Susquehannah, and throwing it into the Delaware, must have occurred to them; however, the idea of its immense expense must have deterred them from attempting it; for instead of adopting the only adequate means of securing to themselves their share of its trade, they have resorted to the inefficacious substitute of turnpikes and mill-stream canals.

It is certain that the Susquehannah is above that of the Delaware, and affords the probability of being tapped somewhere.

It is doubtful whether the unevenness of the ground will admit of the east branch being tapped about Wilkesbarre, and thrown into the Lehigh, or the main branch at Sunbury, and thrown into the west branch of the Schuylkill. Could they be effected, it would save the otherwise, necessarily, complete improvement of the bed of the river below their respective places; and the latter, rather more probable of the two, might be thrown into the canal which connects the Tulpehocken and the Swatara, and would serve also as a reservoir to enlarge and maintain that communication between the Susquehannah and the Delaware through the summer droughts. But much the more probable prospect of tapping it with success, is either about Harrisburgh, or at the head of the Conewaga Falls, and running it circular-nearly collateral with the river, until it could raise the height of land, and thence over to the Delaware near Philadelphia-or, about or above the Conestoga and over to Philadelphia or Newcastle-or both. Either of these would embrace the trade of the Juniata, with the east and west branches of the main river, and avoid the part which is the most difficult of navigation, between Columbia and tide waters.

Philadelphia must effect some tapping of the kind, or forfeit nearly the whole trade of the Susquehannah. She is the conflict of trade with the more excellent harbour of New-York, and the more commodious situation of Baltimore to the back and great western country, with the command, naturally, over the best river in her state. Nothing but a spirited effort and success in improvements, can preserve her from a decline in trade; but with well effected improvements, and her merchants possessing a more independent capital, with which they are enabled to give more liberal credits to country merchants, she could retain an able competition with them.

The important purpose of supplying Philadelphia and the manufacturing towns in the lower part of the state, with fuel from the coal mines, up stream of all these rivers, would alone be equivalent to the interest on the sum of their expenses in improvements-also the reduction in the transport charges of iron to market, from the inexhaustible ore beds about their banks ; while the small sized canals, fed by perishable streams, would scarcely make an able competition with land carriage; nor would be of any consequence for the transport of coal.

The head branches of the Susquehannah and the Juniata would merit their necessary improvements.

With respect to a connexion between the waters on the east and west side of the Alleghenies--between the Juniata and the Conemaugh-the west branch of the Susquehannah and the east branch of the Alleghany-the Tioga, and the head of that river-they are too near their respective sources to be durable or sizeable, and must be subject to numerous locks or portages in lieu thereof. However enterprise, and the established connexions in trade, may effect secondary improvements.

HERCULES.