8

miles were put in operation as far as Treverton in July last. The
remaining portion of the Rail-way extending from Treverton to
Sunbury, (a distance of eleven miles) the northern terminus, and
at which point the Sunbury and Erie Rail Road commences and
is now operated as far as Williamsport. is now under contract, and
will, it is believed, be finished by June next.

A Bridge now under construction, crossing the Susquehanna
River 3900 feet in length, will, it is expected, be completed in Feb-
ruary next, when a continuous Rail-way from Baltimore to Tre-
verton, will be fully opened, and by the first of June, will be ex-
tended to the terminus of the Rail-way at Sunbury. The Presi-
dent of the company in his communication to this Department,

says: "Although the Rail-way has been extended during the past
year fifteen miles in length, still the nett revenues have not been
increased in an equal ratio; amongst the causes to be assigned is
the difficulty of drawing business from old to new routes, but prin-
cipally from the break in the road, having to use other roads be-
tween Harrisburg and Dauphin, because of the unfinished bridge
referred to above, and on which full local charges are made by the
respective companies."

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company.—The history of the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company continues to be marked
with successive disasters and misfortunes. The interest and
liability of the State in this work amounts to, for bonds loaned,
$2,000,000; stock subscribed, $5,163,724; being over $7,000,000.
The canal company is also indebted to the State for arrears of
interest about $7,000,000. The State's interest is subject to
$1,700,000 of preferred bonds, and the arrears of interest thereon
$550,000, being about $2,250,000; other prior claims exist,
amounting to about $500,000, and the company has also a large
floating debt amounting to nearly if not quite $1,250,000.

From this statement it must be obvious that the prospects of
any revenue to the State from this company is very distant, if not
altogether hopeless. From the last annual report of the President
of the Company, and from information subsequently received, it
appears that the canal has been inoperative for a considerable por-
tion of the past two years. The severity of the winter, and the
drought of the summer of 1855, closed it for a great part of that
year, and other causes contributed to diminish its operations. In
February last an ice freshet carried away a great part of Dams
Nos. 4 and 5, which after being temporarily repaired, were again
destroyed by the occurrence of freshets. The President of the
Company animated by the hopeful spirit which characterized his
report, succeeded by the most energetic and praiseworthy efforts,
in procuring from the friends of the work, a loan of funds suffi-
cient to renew the repairs, when other disasters occurred, which
again closed the canal; and lately two heavy land slides, requir-