40 



D, C," on tlie 12th of July, and we proceeded up the canal in 

 President Gorman's boat, accompanied by his courteous pay- 

 master, Mr. Gambrill. By taking the route by water, we 

 were able to examine the Little Falls, and other parts on tlie 

 river. Major Richard Randolph, Engineer of Baltimore and 

 Ohio R. Road, had kindly promised his valnable aid gratui- 

 ously, and ha<l secured for ns the services of two of his assist- 

 ants, Messrs. Gordon and Jones, Avho, under his able guid- 

 ance, ran the necessary lines, and took tlie levels. We are 

 greatly indebted to Major Randolph for his experienced advice, 

 and his assistance in making this important preliminary sur- 

 vey, and beg to submit liis report : 



T, B. Ferguson, 



Dear Sir : — I make for you this memorandum of the result 

 of our observations last summei' at the (xreat Falls of the 

 Potomac, where I had the pleasure of witnessing your dexte- 

 rous and graceful handling of the fly-rod, while your obedient 

 oarsman quickly or steadily propelled your light boat among 

 the thousand islets of the iishing grounds; mounting and de~ 

 scending the numerous rapids with almost the same facility 

 as that of the game which you were pursuing, and presenting 

 to me, as I stood admiring in the distance, a picture wliich 

 has left a deeper impression upon my memory, than did the 

 luxurious repast afforded us that nigh* by your numerous 

 captures^ I saw enough to convince me of the great import- 

 ance of the enterprise you have in charge, of seeing that the 

 injunction of "crescite et multiplicamini," inscribed upon the 

 arms of Maryland, and which seems to be particularly directed 

 t<i the attention of the man with the fish, is carried out. And 

 I hope that you will make it appear that the great barrier of 

 the tails which prevents our finest fish from ascending higher, 

 can, at a moderate cost, be circumvented. 



The broad bed of the Potomac, above the falls, with its 

 islands and innumerable projecting points, is formed by a 

 horizontal ledge of granite rock, which, at the falls, is cleft 

 across the entire bed by a deep fissure, while lesser fissures at 

 right angles to this present several channels, for the escape 



