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  mud 
  for 
  several 
  feet 
  and 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  number 
  and 
  character, 
  

   being 
  old 
  and 
  discolored, 
  as 
  to 
  forbid 
  the 
  supposition 
  tliat 
  tliey 
  

   had 
  recently 
  sunk 
  in 
  the 
  mud 
  or 
  been 
  covered 
  by 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  Pocomoke 
  River, 
  draining 
  an 
  extensive 
  tract 
  of 
  the 
  

   Peninsula, 
  would 
  bring 
  down 
  a 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  sediment, 
  

   which 
  the 
  strong 
  ebb 
  current 
  would 
  carry 
  directly 
  over 
  the 
  

   beds 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Sound. 
  The 
  set 
  of 
  the 
  ebb 
  is 
  

   east, 
  and 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  chart, 
  the 
  deeper 
  water 
  lies 
  

   nearest 
  the 
  southern 
  shore 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  Sound, 
  and 
  those 
  beds 
  

   lying 
  to 
  the 
  southward 
  of 
  the 
  channel 
  are 
  the 
  hardest 
  and 
  

   least 
  broken. 
  

  

  The 
  shores 
  are 
  low 
  and 
  marshy 
  and 
  probably 
  add 
  somewhat 
  

   to 
  any 
  sediment 
  held 
  by 
  the 
  main 
  current 
  before 
  it 
  enters 
  the 
  

   Sound. 
  

  

  I 
  infer 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  deposit 
  going 
  on 
  of 
  maximum 
  amount 
  

   over 
  the 
  Old 
  Pocks 
  and 
  those 
  to 
  the 
  northward 
  of 
  the 
  channel 
  

   and 
  decreasing 
  as 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  Sound 
  is 
  approached. 
  

  

  The 
  amount 
  in 
  any 
  given 
  period 
  of 
  time 
  would 
  be 
  difficult 
  to 
  

   ascertain 
  but 
  the 
  character 
  will 
  be 
  shown 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  by 
  an 
  

   examination 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  of 
  bottom. 
  Whether 
  the 
  amount 
  

   of 
  matter 
  deposited 
  is 
  sufficient 
  in 
  quantity 
  to 
  seriously 
  affect 
  

   the 
  beds 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  conjecture. 
  I 
  should 
  judge 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  

   not 
  and 
  my 
  opinion 
  coincides 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  oystermen 
  

   I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  interrogate. 
  

  

  That 
  it 
  must 
  have 
  some 
  effect 
  cannot 
  be 
  doubted 
  and 
  the 
  

   evident 
  deterioration 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  Pocomoke 
  Sound 
  may 
  be 
  

   accounted 
  for, 
  to 
  some 
  extent, 
  by 
  the 
  supposition 
  that 
  the 
  

   effect 
  is 
  injurious 
  ; 
  but 
  so 
  many 
  other 
  and 
  more 
  direct 
  causes 
  

   exist 
  for 
  the 
  deterioration 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  eliminate 
  their 
  

   influence. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  beds 
  have 
  existed 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  

   worked 
  since 
  the 
  first 
  settlement 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  would 
  lead 
  

   to 
  an 
  inference 
  that 
  the 
  effect, 
  if 
  prejudicial, 
  was 
  very 
  slight- 
  

   ly 
  so. 
  

  

  The 
  scattered 
  oysters 
  lying 
  on 
  the 
  sands 
  and 
  those 
  beds 
  in 
  

   the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  sand-shoals 
  and 
  in 
  shallow 
  water, 
  the 
  Muddy 
  

   Marsh 
  and 
  Beach 
  Island 
  Rocks 
  particularly, 
  are 
  exposed 
  to 
  

   damage 
  by 
  " 
  sanding 
  " 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  similar 
  to 
  certain 
  beds 
  in 
  

   Tangier 
  Sound 
  and 
  which 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  described. 
  The 
  

  

  