26

plain, or tide-water district, as it is called, embraces nearly
one-half of the territory of the State.

The sections divided by the Chesapeake Bay are denomin-
ated Eastern and Western Shores.

The Eastern Shore proceeding in order from the South,
embraces the counties of Worcester, Somerset, Dorchester,
Talbot, Caroline, Queen Anne's, Kent and Cecil. The sur-
face of the Eastern Shore, which forms part of the peninsula
lying between the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, is low and
level, except in the northern part, where it is somewhat
broken and hilly. The soil is generally sandy. A variety
of soil denominated " white oak," which is white, very fine,
feeling but slightly gritty, of compact texture, with great
retentiveness and moisture. It is usually good corn land.

The tide-water district of the Western Shore includes the
counties of St. Mary's, Charles, Prince George's, Calvert,
Anne Arundel, Montgomery, Howard, Baltimore and Har-
ford, although the last three, in surface and soil, are to some
extent allied with the hilly or mountainous portion of the
State, yet scientifically these counties are all grouped to-
gether. This district includes the earliest settlements of
Lord Baltimore, and the Capital of the State.

The Mountainous District, so called, includes the counties
of Carroll, Frederick, Washington and Allegany, in the
range of stratified rocks, granite, (or more properly gneiss),
slates and limestone, which lie nearly parallel with the Atlan-
tic coast, and form the limit of the tertiary formation. The
width of this range from its eastern border to the points
where it is covered with " middle secondary red sandstone,"
is from twenty to thirty miles. This region is characterized
by hills of moderate hight, whose rounded summits present
a striking contrast to the long parallel ridges of the Allega-
nies. They are covered with verdure, and the streams which
intersect them are, for the most part, characterized by abrupt
banks with very small tracts of alluvial soil.

NAVIGABLE WATERS.

The Chesapeake Bay is navigable throughout its whole
extent, for large vessels. Length about 200 miles, breadth
from 4 to 40 miles; between Capes Charles and Henry 12 miles.
All the rivers of the State, except the Youghiogheny and
its branches, empty into the Chesapeake Bay. The Potomac
is 7| miles wide at its mouth and is navigable for the largest
ships to Washington, 100 miles. The Patuxent, for small craft,
60 miles, though for a considerable distance the largest ves-
sels find plenty of water. Into this river a sharp point of
land makes out from the Calvert county side, inside of which
there is depth of water and capacity for the navies of the
world. The Patapsco is navigable for the largest vessels to
Baltimore city, 12 miles. The Susquehanna, from Pennsyl-