To the Honorable

The House of Delegates of Maryland,

The committee to whom the House referred a leave to re-
port a bill to lease the interest of the State of Maryland, in the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and a bill entitled an act concur-
ring the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, has given to the whole
subject that particular attention that its obvious importance re-
quires.

The occasion does not seem to call for a general enquiry in-
to the causes which have combined to disappoint the expecta-
tions of those who, originated the public policy in Maryland, of
which the Canal was one of the fruits. It is not for the com-
mittee to applaud or condemn the measures which have so unfor-
tunately lead to that lavish expenditure of the money of the peo-
ple of the State, which all good citizens must deplore. The com-
mittee believes that the House in referring the subject for con-
sideration had in view a more definite object. The Canal in its
present condition notoriously serves no great public purposes.
It has never since the work was extended to Cumberland, had
sufficient trade to pay for repairs and officers salaries. The work
is known to be so incomplete, that capitalists have been deterred
from embarking largely, in any business that would for its suc-
cess depend on transportation upon the Canal. This condition of
affairs is well understood in that section of Maryland which this im-
provement was designed to develope. Unfortunately equally ac-
curate information on the subject does not pervade the whole
State. Residents at a distance from the Canal derive all they
know, through the medium of parties too often interested in dis-
seminating erroneous opinions. And consequently, no matter
how wise, salutary or even indispensable, any bill may be that the
House have to act upon, its passage is impeded by parties who
disguise, their personal object, or selfish purpose, under pretences
of an earnest desire to promote the public interests. To guard
against misapprehension on the subject, on this occasion, the com-
mittee have resorted to the fountain head from which correct in-
formation must flow. We have appended to our report tabular
statements, illustrating the condition of this canal that may be
implicitly confided in. They are founded upon information de-
rived from the books of this Canal company. And in them-
selves, furnish, the committee believe, the best evidence that