318 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



from the settlements to contain, for interment, the bod}^ of a river- 

 driver drowned in the lake. The story of his death, as told by a 

 guide, gives additional interest to the melancholy spot. 



Rounding this " Coffin point" we had but a short distance to 

 pass over before reaching the strait connecting Grand lake with 

 Pocurapus or " Compass," as it is generally abreviated by lumber- 

 men. The maps from which the new State map was compiled 

 were entirely erroneous as regards this portion of the lake. A 

 more correct one, and yet open to some criticism, is the map of 

 Washington county, by Lee & Marsh. It is difficult to see why 

 this part of our State has been topographically neglected. Very 

 man}'' lumbermen and lumber owners of Calais and Baring have 

 more correct plans than any others we have had the pleasure of 

 examining. • 



The thoroughfare between Grand lake and Pocumpus lake, is 

 not more than a few rods in length. The current is quite slight, 

 (in August,) and yet enough to completely change the character of 

 the pond-weeds growing in the still water. Potamogeton lucens, 

 L., with ovate leaves floating on the water and making it P. lucens, 

 L. var fluitans, was quite abundant in the almost stagnant water 

 of Pocumpus. But in the current of the thoroughfare it became 

 submersed and agrees with P. obrutus, Wood, convincing me that 

 Dr. Gray is right in referring the latter plant to P. lucens L. var. 

 I hope to place the plants in the hands of Prof. Tuckerman, who 

 formerly published a monograph upon the genus, and who has 

 studied them more protractedly in the fresh state, than any other 

 botanist in America. 



The lake thus called variously " Pocumpus," " Pocumsus," and 

 "Compass," is an extensive body of water, oblong in shape, its 

 greatest length lying in a north-west and a south-east direction. 

 It is a lake of much beauty, but does not possess much interest 

 either for the Geologist or Botanist. The banks, as in the other 

 lakes, are mostly walled with granitic boulders, while the white 

 and whitish yellow sand comes well up to the very base of the 

 Avail. The woods are mainly pine, with hard-growth intermixed. 

 It was our conclusion, as we examined the soil in this vicinity, 

 that several good farms could be cleared and rendered productive 

 around the lake. Our party also ascended the stream coming from 

 Woboosoos, a lake lying off to the south. This lake has a dam 

 at the outlet, but does not seem capable of high flowage even if the 



