James Hall was an early writer in Cincinnati. This is both a description of commerce on western rivers at the time of writing, in the late 1840s, and background history. Topics covered in the book include:

-The river network in the west, and connections to New Orleans and the eastern states
-Floods of the Ohio River, and effects on Cincinnati
-Sandbars, and efforts to bypass or remove them
-The Louisville and Portland Canal
-Upper and lower rapids of the Mississippi
-Steamboats; history, expenses, improvements, explosions
-Value and types of commerce on western waters
-Western cities: manufactures and trade
-Cincinnati: manufacturing, trade