﻿XXVIII 
  

  

  from 
  Captain 
  Travers, 
  commanding 
  the 
  steamer, 
  and 
  Colonel 
  

   Hines, 
  the 
  former 
  commander, 
  who 
  was 
  on 
  board, 
  testifying 
  

   to 
  the 
  faithful 
  discharge 
  of 
  duty 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Hughlett. 
  

  

  Baltimore, 
  May 
  15, 
  1879. 
  

   T. 
  B. 
  Ferguson, 
  Esq. 
  

  

  Dear 
  Sir 
  : 
  I 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  steamer 
  Lelia 
  last 
  week 
  when 
  she 
  

   was 
  down 
  the 
  bay 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  carrying 
  your 
  young 
  shad 
  

   to 
  the 
  Eastern 
  Shore 
  rivers. 
  

  

  The 
  weather 
  was 
  exceedingly 
  rough 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  we 
  

   reached 
  ISTorfolk 
  until 
  Monday 
  last, 
  and 
  .though 
  Mr. 
  Hugh- 
  

   lett 
  took 
  every 
  pains 
  and 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  fish 
  sent 
  him, 
  

   they 
  died 
  before 
  Sunday. 
  

  

  I 
  looked 
  into 
  the 
  cans 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  first 
  received 
  at 
  Nor- 
  

   folk, 
  and 
  found 
  some 
  dead 
  ones, 
  but 
  though 
  he 
  regularly 
  

   every 
  second 
  hour, 
  night 
  and 
  day, 
  carefully 
  drew 
  from 
  the 
  

   cans 
  about 
  two 
  gallons 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  suj^plied 
  a 
  like 
  fresh 
  

   amount 
  from 
  the 
  steamer's 
  tanks, 
  attending 
  to 
  it 
  himself, 
  

   trusting 
  to 
  no 
  one 
  to 
  do 
  it, 
  they, 
  after 
  the 
  run 
  from 
  Norfolk 
  

   to 
  Fortress 
  Monroe, 
  when 
  we 
  had 
  to 
  harbor 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   heavy 
  sea, 
  began 
  to 
  die 
  very 
  rapidly. 
  

  

  This 
  trip 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Hughlett 
  was, 
  he 
  told 
  me, 
  the 
  first 
  he 
  had 
  

   taken 
  with 
  young 
  fish, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  written 
  this 
  letter 
  that 
  you 
  

   might 
  understand 
  that 
  the 
  failure 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  their 
  des- 
  

   tination 
  was 
  due 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  either 
  to 
  him 
  or 
  Captain 
  Travers, 
  

   who 
  gave 
  him 
  every 
  assistance 
  in 
  his 
  power, 
  but 
  to 
  the 
  weather 
  

   and 
  causes 
  beyond 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  man. 
  

  

  Hespectfully 
  yours, 
  Jesse 
  K. 
  Hines. 
  

  

  T. 
  B. 
  Ferguson. 
  Norfolk, 
  Ya. 
  

  

  Dear 
  Sir 
  : 
  Yours 
  of 
  the 
  7th, 
  and 
  also 
  nine 
  tins 
  of 
  young 
  

   shad, 
  came 
  to 
  hand 
  in 
  due 
  time. 
  I 
  can 
  only 
  say, 
  as 
  soon 
  

   as 
  we 
  could 
  procure 
  sufficient 
  water 
  for 
  the 
  fish 
  we 
  pro- 
  

   ceeded 
  on 
  our 
  voyage 
  to 
  Crisfield. 
  When 
  we 
  got 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  

   Fortress 
  Monroe 
  we 
  found 
  the 
  wind 
  and 
  sea 
  too 
  much 
  for 
  

   such 
  a 
  ship 
  as 
  the 
  Lelia, 
  and 
  went 
  into 
  Old 
  Point 
  and 
  re- 
  

   mained 
  until 
  the 
  morning 
  ; 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Hughlett, 
  finding 
  his 
  

   £sh 
  over 
  two-thirds 
  dead, 
  and 
  no 
  prospect 
  of 
  us 
  being 
  able 
  to 
  

  

  