COMMUNICATION.

BALTIMORE, 16th January, 1867.
To the Honorable Senate of Maryland

The undersigned, President of the Baltimore and Ohio

Railroad Company has received a copy of the resolutions,

passed by your Honorable body, on the 8th day of January

1867, whree3by it was ordered,

"That the President of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Company communicate to the Senate at as early a day
possible, the rates of freights he is allowed by the charter of
that company to charge; also, what have been the highest
rates charged within the twelvemonths ending December 31
1866, upon the Baltimore and Washington Branch, both on '
through freight,from the two cities or from way stations to

either city; and if any of the reate should have been inexcess of

those amounts allowed by charter, why this provision of the

charter has been so violated

The members of your Honorable body are doubtless fami-
lar with the statutes of the State, which prescribe the rates
of freights (or toll and transportation) which this company is
authorized to charge on the Washington Branch Railroad;
but it may be necessary to remind the Senate that the Wash
ington Branch, does not extend over the entire distance be
tweeen the two cities.
The transportation between Baltimore and Washington is
conducted for a distance of eight miles between Baltimore and
the Relay House, over the main stem of the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad. For that distance the charges are regulated

by the provisions of the charter of this company relating to
the mam stem. Between the Relay House and Washington
a distance of 32 miles, the charges are regulated by the pro-
visions of the charter relating to the Washington Branch
the rate which the company is authorized to charge gen-
erally for freights are, on the main stem, eight cents, and on
the Washington Branch, for its whole len|th, five cents per
ton per mile, and for way freights, four cents,
The aggregate of these charges upon a 'ton carried the
whole distance between Baltimore and Washington is $2.24
The total charge allowed on a ton carried the whole distance