59

In addition to the oysters, terrapins, wild duck, geese and

swan, some of the largest shad and herring fisheries in the
United States are on the shores of the Potomac in this county.
Millions of herring and thousands of shad are here takea du-
ring the season and salted for exportation or domestic use.
The refuse of these, with numerous other fish not fit for pick-
ling, furnish, as I have said before, one of the best, cheapest

and quickest manures, and if proper attention were given to
it, would afford enough annually for the use of the county to
the exclusion of all foreign manures.

The negro population of this county was proportionably
large before the war, the loss of this, together with the de-

struction produced by large bodies of troops stationed here
have very much injured the resources of its people, and as a

consequence, good lands, well improved, can be bought every
cheaply here. There is a large quantity of every class in
the market for sale at rates which would find ready purchas-
ers if those in want of land or farms could know of their
value.

The price of land here will vary from five to seventy-five dol-
lars , per acre and may be bought at this rate in large contiguous
tracts. Double these prices in gold currenciy could have
been obtained before the war. From a reccollection of the
boundaries of the county, its facilities for transportation will
be known to be most thorough and complete. On its eastern
border the Patuxent affords the best kind of transportation to
Baltimore, whilst the Potomac river gives all that can be ob-
tained by direct tide-water navigation to the markets of
Washington, Georgetown, Alexandria, and also with but
little delay to Baltimore. Every part of the county is with-
in convenient distance of daily steamboat navigation to the
great heads of consumption and export to the Southern and
Middle States, viz., Baltimore, Washington, Georgetown and
Alexandria.

The character of its population would make a residence
here most inviting tojanyone if of a genial disposition and de-
sirous of partaking in all the amenities of polished civiliza-
tion.

The County town is Port Tobacco, a small village at the
head of Port Tobacco creek, about thirty-two miles distant
from Washington city.

The Baltimore and Potomac Railroad will have its termi-
nus on the Potomac in this county and give direct railroad
facilities to Washington, Baltimore and the Northern cities.