On Salt Marsh. 285 



of salt marsh, forming a fringe to our Atlantic border, are, 

 for the most part, worthless, — nay, worse ; but if an in- 

 habitant of the interior should visit them, after seeing the 

 great improvements in other places, he may at once con- 

 ceive the ruinous plan of giving to Ceres all those plea- 

 sure grounds of Neptune. On the other hand, if he cau- 

 tiously consider the strength and height of the wave, 

 with the compactness and elevation of the terraqueous 

 shore ; if, doubting, he retreat to the bay, and thence 

 to the river, calmly to make observations, he will find 

 here an ample area for his enterprise and industry : he 

 may create the fortune of himself and descendants ; — not 

 from the sand and drift weed of the ocean, but the solid 

 blue mud washed from the richest parts of our hills. 



I am, very respectfully, &c. &c. 



John R. Coates. 



Hon. Richard Peters. 



