1867.] OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES. 397

quired to report to this House immediately the rates of freight
charged on coal shipped over said road, and whether said rates,
are uniform; and whether they or either of them have made
any special agreement with the George's Creek Coal and Iron
Company, the American Coal Company; the Central Mining and
Manufacturing Company and the Borden Mining Company,
or any of them, whereby said company or any of them trans-
port coal over said roai at less freight and wharfage than
other Coal Companies on the line of said road and shall report
also the freight per ton per mile, charged by said company on
coal shipped by each and every of the Coal Companies trans-
porting coal over said road; and said committee have power to
send for persons and papers, with authority to report by bill
or otherwise;"

The Consolidation Coal Company have the honor respect-
fully to State that after a careful consideration of the afore-
said order, the only points in which it is conceived to be ap-
plicable to this company are embraced in the following em-
phatic allegations, viz: -

First, The Consolidation Coal Company are not under their
own or any other charter maintaining or operating any rail-
road in the State of Maryland.

Second, The Consolidation Coal Company have been charg-
ed by, and have paid to the Cumberland and Pennsylvania
Railroad for the past year of 1866, the rate of four cents per ton
per mile, on all coal sent to market, and the same rate of four
cents per ton per mile for the preceding year of 1865, except-
ing for the two months of April and May of said year, when
they were charged and paid four and one half cents per ton
per mile for transportation.

In attestation of which statement the Consolidation Coal
Company have directed this reply to be signed by their Vice
President, and to be authenticated by their corporate seal.

JAMES S. MACKIE,

[SEAL.] Vice President, Consolidation

Coal Co., of Maryland.

Mr. Kerr offered the following:

Ordered, That the use of this Hall be granted to the Rev.
James D. McCabe, upon the evening of Friday 22nd instant,
for the purpose of delivering a lecture upon the Masonic
character of George Washington;

Mr. Ford moved to lay the order on the table,

Which was lost.
The order was then adopted.
On motion of Mr. Creswell,