went to Europe, and applied to the Duke of Portland, one of his Britannic Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, for a ship canal from Lake Champlain to River St. Lawrence; his Grace and the Prime Minister, Mr. Pitt, were in favor of granting such ship canal as being interesting to the mercantile interests of Great Britain and that bankers and merchants in London assured him they would cause stock in such company to be subscribed to complete it. Allen in the address urged the State of Vermont to authorize him to apply for the support of the Executive of the United States and the resident British Minister, in favor of the project, and claimed that a saving of more than 200,000 dollars a year would be made to the people of Vermont. He also addressed a letter to Governor Galusha on October 6, 1809, on the subject of the ship canal and said, "This being a National and State question for public benefit, I hope that political parties will unite for mutual advantages and that the authority of the Legislature will be sent me by post, on which I shall repair to Washington, and by the assistance of the Executive of the United States, their Minister in London, with the assistance and influence of the British Minister with the British Government, and writing to my friends in London, I have no doubt of obtaining a grant for a ship canal and sufficient funds to complete the same. I consider this a favorable time to accomplish this object, which I have been more than twenty years in pursuit of."

Although the building of the ship canal was not

undertaken by Vermont and that Allen did not succeed in sufficiently enlisting the British Government to carry forward the worthy enterprise, it called forth the earnest zeal of a progressive, noble Vermonter in its favor.

Vermont being an inland State there was a necessity for avenues of transportation out of the State, and especially to the seaboard, and public attention began to be turned with interest and zeal to opening a waterway between Lake Champlain and Hudson River. A discussion of this enterprise first appeared in the Vermont Gazette of September 6, 1790, as follows:

"A correspondent from the county of Rutland informs, that the plan of opening a water communication between Lake Champlain and Hudson's River, has become a subject of much conversation in that section and the northern counties of this State. A company of gentlemen in that part of the country have agreed to make an excursion a few weeks hence, for the purpose of examining the ground between Fort Anne and Hudson's River, and determining the practicability of the scheme, by actual mensuration, if necessary. Our correspondent adds, that the practicability cannot be doubted, if a stream of water can be found sufficient to supply a canal, capable of being brought onto the highest ground in the course. Wood Creek is boatable from Lake Champlain to Fort Anne, fifteen miles, except the Falls at Whitehall, which may easily be locked; from Fort Anne to the Hudson is twelve or fourteen miles through a level country.

"The advantages to be derived from the accom

plishment of such an undertaking, to the fertile country adjacent to Lake Champlain, are almost inconceivably great; and the addition of 150 miles inland navigation, through the most fertile and thriving country in this part of America, to the present commercial advantages of New York, will give them a decided superiority in trade to any place in the Union. It is apprehended, should the execution of the scheme be found possible, by actual survey, the expensiveness of the undertaking will be no obstacle to its accomplishment. It is an object worthy the attention not only of individuals, but the legislatures both of New York and Vermont."

Previous to this time however, about 1784, William Gilliland of Willsboro, N. Y., had written that, "The region of both sides of Lake Champlain, is now a well inhabited country, and the lands amazingly advanced in value even at present. How much more valuable will they become when an inland navigation will be made from sea to sea?"

In March, 1792, Gen. Philip Schuyler of New York, aided by Elkanah Watson, procured from New York the charter of the Western and Northern Inland Navigation Lock Companies, which E. P. Walton of Vermont declared were the precursors of both the present Erie and the Champlain Canals. At this time the people in eastern Vermont were contemplating the improvement of Connecticut River for navigable purposes, and at the October session of the Legislature of 1791, an article of business was assigned for the session, as follows:

10th, That the Legislature take into consideration the expediency of opening a communication between the waters of Lake Champlain and Hudson River and also rendering the navigation of Connecticut River more easy and advantageous." This article was referred to a committee of seven from the House, joined by one from the Council, who made report in respect to the Champlain Canal that was supposed to be favorable to the project, but it was tabled and nothing further was done with it that session. At the same session the House passed a bill entitled, "An Act granting to William Page and Lewis Morris and their Associates, their heirs and assigns forever, the exclusive privilege of Locking Bellows Falls." This act fixed the tolls for 32 years; provided at the end of that period, and every ten years thereafter, the Supreme Court might reduce the tolls, but not so as to prevent the proprietors from receiving twelve per cent per annum on their actual expenditure; and made it the duty of the Governor to issue a charter to the grantees and to incorporate them into a body politic, by the name of the company for rendering Connecticut River navigable by Bellows Falls. The Governor did not issue the charter and incorporate them, but an act of incorporation of the same company was passed at the October session of the Legislature in 1792. Under the act of New York of March 1792, work was commenced on the Champlain Canal in 1793, at Whitehall and elsewhere on the line, but was soon discontinued on account of the defalcation of some of the stock holders and it was beyond the means

of others to pay the assessment that had to be made upon the shares of stock that had been subscribed. There had been but 672 shares subscribed and the estimated expense was 225,000 dollars. Gen. Schuyler wrote to Governor Chittenden on October, 17 1793, that there was little doubt but that relief would be obtained from the Legislature of New York by donation to the Company or by taking an extensive number of shares in the stock; and that the directors had been advised that it was probable the Legislature of Vermont would contribute to the important undertaking, and said:

"Should aid be extended by your State your Excellency will pardon the liberty I take in suggesting the stipulations which appear to me proper to accompany any free gift- and which will secure its application to such part of the improvements in which the citizens of Vermont are more immediately interested, and which are, that the gift should [be] exclusively appropriated to clearing, straitning and deepning Wood Creek, from the canals and locks now being constructed at Skensboro [Whitehall] to that part of said creek where it will be intersected by a canal to be drawn from Hudson's River near Fort Edward, and that the improvements should be made on such a scale as to admit the passage of vessels of sixty feet in length, ten in breadth, and to draw, at least, two feet of water, and that if the whole gift is not expended in this improvement, the residue to be laid out on the canal to Hudson's River aforesaid,but if the Legislature should prefer to direct the