1861.] OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES. 179

molestation the trade along its line of navigation, and he has
been particularly solicitous in removing all obstacles which
threatened it. While the bed of the canal is on the soil of
Maryland, the damns which furnish it with water are de-
pendent on the protection of the Virginia authorities, and
while they have manifested no disposition to withdraw their
guardianship, and leave them liable to the depredations of
malignant persons, your commissioner has deemed it his
duty to guard against as far as possible such a contingency,
and he indulges in a well founded confidence that the ma-
terial interests of this great State work will not be seriously
jeopardized.

O. HORSEY.

To His Excellency, the Governor of Maryland:

The undersigned respectfully represents that he is a citizen
of Frederick county, in the State of Maryland, resident at
Berlin, on the line of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and
engaged in the business of forwarding grain and other pro-
duce over said canal to the terminus thereof at Georgetown,
in the District of Columbia—that for the prosecution of said
business, he owns two canal boats, to each of which are at-
tached three hands for the management of the boats and
four mules, and has a warehouse for the storage of grain pur-
chased by him or left with him on commission at Berlin—
that on the 22d day of April instant, he had a boat loaded
with grain on its way to Georgetown, and he left his home
and went to Georgetown for the purpose of disposing of the
cargo and inquiring into prices of grain at that market, in
order to determine on the time when he should ship the grain
then in his warehouse—that being advised by his Com-
mission Merchant at Georgetown that prices were high and
rising, he on the same day of his arrival, (Tuesday the 23d
inst.,) started for home, and riding all night on horseback,
reached his home, at a distance of "fifty-five miles from
Georgetown, about sunrise on Wednesday morning, the 24th
instant—that he immediately caused his boat, then at Berlin,
to be loaded with the grain then in his warehouse, using great
exertions to have it loaded, as quickly as possible, in order to
avoid probable detention on account of the water which was
being let out of certain portions of the canal for repairs—and
that about 12 o'clock, M., on Wednesday, the 24th day of
April, his said boat was loaded, and he was about to dispatch
her to Georgetown, when a detachment of military rode up to
him and demanded that said boat and cargo should be deliv-
ered up to them—that the officer in command of said squad or