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Executive Department Alabama
Tuskaloosa Oct. 2d. 1828.

His Excellency
Governor Houston
State of Tennessee

Sir

You wil excuse the liberty which I
take by the present attempt to open a correspondence with your
Excellency on a subject which may prove highly important to
both States, and certainly not less desirable to the State over which
you have the honour to preside, than to the State of Alabama.
By a very munificent Act of the last Session of the Congress
of the United States the source of a very considerable fund
has been placed at the disposition of the State of Alabama
for the opening a Canal around the obstruction of the Navigation
at the Muscle Shoals, a work highly important to this State &
I should suppose not less interesting to the State of Tennessee.
But even the accomplishment of this object, so much and so
long desired, and which must unquestionably prove of so
great utility to a large portion of the States of Alabama
and Tennessee, will not affect every thing which I hope may
be conveniently done for their advantage, and which will
give to those interesting portions of both states, the full benefit
of their great natural resources. The improvement at the Muscle
Shoals, will open the great Market of New Orleans to East Tennessee
and to a large part of the State of Alabama on the Tennessee
River. I say open it, for the precarious and temporary communi=
=cation which nature has furnished with that Market, is