1. The “Last Chapter” appears to refer to Fulton’s letter to Pennsylvania governor Thomas Mifflin that concludes the printed text but is not numbered as a chapter.

In the copy of his Treatise on the Improvement of Canal Navigation sent to GW, Fulton signed an eight-page “Supplement” that is handwritten on the first four of the eight leaves bound at the end of the book. It reads: “I am aware that the freezing of Canals may be stated As an argument against their universal Construction: But it must be Considered that we Cannot Calculate on more then six weeks Ice in twelve months: on an average, Which Interruption is Similar on the navigable Rivers; And on the Canals of Russia and Holland, hence the great Carriage of the Country is performed in those Seasons when the Canals are open to which Custome fits the other operations of society.

“But as I have Recommended Canals Instead of turnpike Roads: It may be a Question how is the traveler to be Accommodated? To this I would propose to make the horse path of the Leading Canals Sufficiently wide for a Road; which would Indeed be of Little use but for horsemen or Light Carriages; And this union of the Canal and Road would produce numerous Advantages.

“First the Canal would Convey materials to mend the Road at Little expence: Second In the Winter Season one part might be frozen and Another open, And as the Inns would be on the banks of the Canals; the Inhabitant would Learn of the various travelars, the State of the Stages of Canal; hence the traveler might take either Canal or Road, whichever the weather And his time Rendered most Convenient; And thus he would be accommodated with an easy passage through the Country.

“Having now Communicated the whole of my thoughts Reletive to Conveyence by Canals; and exhibited the mode by which they will become General and penetrate Into every District, the mind begins to muse over that period when the whole Country will be Intersected with Canals, And every acre Receiving their Assistan[c]e: It will be Unnecessery to Construct more Consequently the tolls which was for the purpose of Raising a Sum to extend Navigations may be Abolished and this will further Reduce the Expence of Carriage, Or the Tolls may be applied to Numerous purposes Such as Paying the expences of Gove[rn]ment; Building semenaries for education; or Errecting Academies for promoting Scientific Knowledge.

“But to Return to that period when Infinate Canals will Spread ore all the Country—Here the Comprehensive mind Views as it Ware a Vast Body full of health and Vigor fed by its Million Veins. Here it finds the Rivers Arrested In their Journey and Industry Conveying their waters through Infinate ducts; Seems to demand that they perform an Important office In facilitating the Labours of Men ere they descend Into Mother Ocean.

“Therefore having Given nourishment to the Various Canals It now becomes a Consideration what further Advantage Can be derived In Addition to that of Carriage and this I Conceive will Come under the following heads.

First. Irrigating or Watering Lands.

Second Working Machinery.

Third, Watering Cities and Towns.

“To Irrigation the Canals will be particularly Favourable, for as they will take In a Supply, where there is a Profusion of Water; they will Conduct it along the high Levels of the Country through numerous Situations which Require nourishment; Here In Irrigation the Canals will become the Conductors of the Streams. from Which Sufficient may be drawn to water the Grounds beneath; And Render them the most Prolific and Luxurient Pastures. Thus the Canal would bear on the means of facilitating Agriculture, And dispen[c]e it to the needy husbandman. And the Easy means of Cultivation being obtained the Application would follow hence the Sunburnt hills would put on a Lively Green; and animate the Fields with Infinate Herds and Flocks.

“Nor would this Injure the Canal for Canals now Collect the Waters of the Waters of the higher Country which they Conduct to their was[t]e Wear; where it Passes off without performing any good office, Whereas it aught to be Convoyed to Such Situations as Require Irregation; And There by a tube of Given demensions: placed at a Certain depth In the Canal, the Farmer Should pay a Stipulated Sum, per hour or day while water Could be spared; of Which the Canal Keepers or Agents would Judge.

“Having hinted at what may be performed by Irrigation, Extracted from Canals; I Leave it to Ingenious Men to determin the mode of Introducing It into practice According to the Local Circumstances: And I now Come to the Consideration of Combining Machinery with Canals.

“When we View the Various Mechanic operations and Contemplate with what Facility we obtain the numerous Conveniences by their Aid, when we examine how much more Manual Labour will produce by being familiar with Machinery, we Should do every thing to encourage and promote so usefull a Science and diffuse the Knowledge.

“It is an unfortunate prejudice which prevails in this Country that by mechanics expediting the Labours of Men; the Labour Is Reduced and the Poor are out of employ But the fact is the Quantity of Labour Is not Reduced, nor are the Poor unemployed. But by the Same Quantity of Labour there is more produce, Which Produce by being Rendered more abundent and Cheap, Comes within the Reach of the Mass of Society. Thus by the Invention of the Stocking Loom there are more people employed in the fabric of Stockings then if they were Knit; the hose is also produced Easy. Consequently Cheap By which means Millions now wear Stockings that would otherwise be necessitated to go Bare Legged.

“The Same Idea extends to every operation of Society to which mechanics Can be applied. Which being expedited by machinary will Give a polish to the Whole Country.

“Yet among All the Mechanic Improvements; the Convenience of the Farmer Appears not to have been Sufficiently Attended to although his Labour might be Rendered much more productive By mechanic Aid; But In all the Farmers operations one of the first Considerations Is to obtain Power At a Little expence And the difficulty of doing this is perhaps the Reason Why Machines have not been much More Introduced, But by the Canal the Requisite power may be obtained, hen[c]e the Farmer who finds a Canal pass through his estate or meander near its margin, Should Consider how to Combine his advantages. For this Purpose his Barn should be so Situated as to Conduct a feeder from the Canal to turn a Small water Wheel: By Which the Following Work might be performed

1st Thrashing and Winnowing Corn,

2 Cut Straw,

3 Break and Clean hemp and Flax,

4 Grind Apples,

5 Mash Turnips, & &c:

“In the department of the Women it might assist in Washing[—]Washing Machines are Becoming very General, and are found of great use In this Country—And be of much use In Churning of Which the Labour would be Considerable As the System of Irrigation would produce numerous Dairies, Thus The Canals would facilitate the operations of the Farmers and give Life to numerous other works.

“Nor would the Canal Thus be Injured for as In the System of Irrigation the water would be guaged, Which water might first be applied to machinery and then Irrigation or pass from one farm to another over Numerous machines, Hence As America is abundant In Water the Canals would Receive the Streams of Nature, Conduct them through the Country and distribute them In every Direction. In their Passage the[y] Would Water the Cities and towns, Clens them of Filth and Sprinkle them In Seasons of dirth—When a Canal has a Sufficient feeder there Can be no Injury In drawing Water for all the above purposes provided a Current is not Created, Which may be avoided by digging the Canal one foot deeper, It will then become a Reservoir, for Irrigation and Machinery.

“Thus we See the Infinate Advantages to be derived from a Juditious use of the Streams which Nature has Lifted to our Mountains; Streams by which the demand for horses may be much deminished If the Quick and Long Carriage of a Country Is performed by Canals, Oxen will be best for Agricultural purposes As they may ultimately be fattened for Beef And America Rendered Like one Continued Garden of which every acre would Mentain its Man. Stream which would produce Abundence and every one having the necessaries and Conveniences of Life within their easy Reach would be Left to their discretion to use them like Rational Beings.

“Thus while I Contemplat this hive of Industry, and muse ore a Scene of National Improvement, by domestic application, I Cannot Resist Calling on Common Sense to Testify how Infinately Superior it is. To the Furo of Conquest which enervates Society In a Mad Contest for additional acres, While those In possession Lie Waste and Unimproved.”

2. GW replied to Fulton from Philadelphia on 14 Dec.: “By the hands of Doctr Edwards, I was favoured with your Tr⟨ea⟩tise on the improvement of Canal Navigation. For your goodness in sending it to me, I pray you to accept my best thanks.

“The subject is interesting, and I dare presume is well treated; but as the Book came to me in the midst of busy preparatory scenes for Congress, I have not had leisure yet to give it the perusal which the importance of such a work would merit. I shall do it, with pleasure I am persuaded, when I have” (ALS [letterpress copy], DLC:GW; LB, DLC:GW).