6 MARYLAND.

Within the above period, the principal in-
crease of the population of the state has been
concentrated in the City of Baltimore, which
swelled in the thirty years, from a popula-
tion of 13,503 to 62,738 souls. By abstracting
this number from the population of the counties,
it will be found that the Eastern Shore, counties
have preserved not very far short of the same ra-
tio of increase with the counties of the Western
Shore. The increase of the former amounting
to 8,289, and the latter only to 30,387, between
the years 1790 and 1820.

BAYS AND RIVERS.—The natural advanta-
ges of Maryland, for commercial purposes, are
of the first order. Her own sea coast indeed is
of inconsiderable extent, and possesses no inlet
inviting the entrance of shipping for trade.—
The Sinepuxen bay, stretching between the capes
of Delaware and those of Virginia, is merely a
channel between the eastern coast and a succes-
sion of sands and islands The sea coast of Vir-
ginia and Maryland, taken together, being open
the whole year, having regular soundings all its
length, with good anchorage outside of the
capes, has justly been pronounced one of "the
safest, evenest and boldest coasts in the uni-
verse."

The Chesapeake Bay, which makes in sixteen
leagues south of the Maryland line, affords an
entrance between Cape Charles and Cape Hen-
ry, familiarly called the capes of Virginia, near-
ly five leagues across, which width is increased