80

her in a location like this,—directly on tide-water, and near-
er than any other place to the great marts of consumption.
The principal supplies of lumber are now derived from the
mountains of Pennsylvania and New York, which before it
reaches Philadelphia, Baltimore or Washington must be float-
ed dow mountain streams in time of freshets, then conveyed
hundreds of miles by canal or slack water navigation, then
by means of tide-water conveyance on the average as far as
this location is from, before it reaches a market. In the one
case, the uncertainties of freshets and the expense of canal-or
slack water navigation, in the other a calm, open bay. The
advantages in the latter must need greatly preponderate.

The inlets, or ocean interior waters abound in clams, the
finest oysters, with all the varieties of water-fowl.

Facilities of Transportation.—In this as in all of the East-
ern Shore counties the advantages of facilities to varions mar-
kets are varied and of the cheapest description. The Poco-
moco River which divides this county into two nearly equal
parts, is navigable for sea schooners to Snow Hill, the County
town, nearly in the centre of the county, whilst its whole
eastern border has free access to the Atlantic ocean, with easy
transit to New York and the whole world.

The route of the Southern Air Line Railroad passes through
on the ridge of hills separating the Pocomoke River from the
Atlantic ocean, which will give access in a few hours to New
York city and Philadelphia. This Road will be made, as a
matter of necessity, as soon as political agitators permit the
natural development of the resources of the Southern States,
a measure which time will show to be fully as necessary to
the prosperity of one section as to the other.

In the northern part of the county the Pocomoke.and Wi-
comico Railroad, connecting Berlin, a pleasant village in the
northern part of the county with Salisbury, on the Nanticoke
river in Somerset county, will pass through a very valuable
section of the county, full of timber and agricultural resources.
This Road will in a short time be completed and give to
a large part of the county full and free access to the markets
of Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

The lands in this county can be bought at very cheap rates,
say from five to fifty dollars, the greater part of them for a
sum.less than the mean of these sums, and offer advantages
either to immigrants from other States of our own country,
or from foreign nations, of a very favorable nature.

The general tone of society is of the highest order, and the
hospitable and kind nature of the Eastern Shore is fully sus-
tained in this county.

The County town is Snow Hill, on the head of navigation
on the Pocomoke River.

The above is an imperfect but fair exposition of the advan-