67

Its facilities for transportation by railroad and canal and
tide water are all that is needed. Through its northern part
the P. W. and B. Railroad passes, giving quick and direct
transit in a few hours to Philadelphia and the northern cities
or to Baltimore. A few miles south of this the Chesapeake
and Delaware Tide water canal passes through the county,
giving all the advantages of this species of navigation. On
its southern border is the Sassafras river, navigable for first
class steamboats, and on its western border is the Chesapeake
bay, from which three creeks or bays penetrate several
miles inland, viz : Principio creek, North-east river, and Elk
river; from this latter Bohemia river diverges and gives ad-
ditional facilities for navigation. On the east border of the
county, distant but a few miles, is the Delaware Railroad.
On the bay and various arms of it that surround and pene-
trate this county, are large fisheries of shad and herring,
whilst all the various fish, except oysters, with abundance of
wild fowl, abundantly prevail—particularly the Ortolen and
Canvass Back Duck.

Situate, as this county is, between the cities of Baltimore
and Philadelphia, with quick, cheap and varied communica-
tion with each in a few hours, it only remains for the excel-
lence of its soil and the abundant and cheap means of its im-
provement to be known in order that it should be justly ap-
preciated. As a knowledge of these have been more generally
diffused, strangers from other States have come in, bought
land, and enjoyed advantages before unknown to them. The
county is rapidly improving, but the lands are still sold far
below their value and vary in price from fifteen to one hundred
and twenty-five dollars per acre, and at either of these prices
are very cheap.

The light clayey loams and ferruginous sandy soils in th&
lower part of the county and on the Sassafrass are specially
adapted to peach culture, and from their proximity to two
great markets will amply repay any reasonable price that
may be paid for them. These soils from their texture and
color, are early soils, a very important advantage where the
culture of fruits and vegetables is the chief object.

The county is well wooded and watered with constant
streams of pure, soft water.

KENT COUNTY.

The second of the counties of the Eastern Shore, as we
proceed south, is Kent county, loounded on the north by the
Sassafras river, which separates it from Cecil county; on the
east by Mason's and Dixon's Line, which separates it from
Delaware; on the south by the Chester river, which separates,
it from Queen Anne county, and on the west by the Chesa-