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  and 
  other 
  crossing 
  lines 
  over 
  the 
  ground, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  dis- 
  

   cover 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  beds, 
  and 
  to 
  mark 
  these 
  localities 
  

   for 
  a 
  more 
  thorough 
  and 
  exhaustive 
  investigation 
  in 
  the 
  fu- 
  

   ture. 
  

  

  As 
  it 
  was 
  then 
  your 
  intention 
  to 
  continue 
  the 
  investigation 
  

   and 
  delineation 
  of 
  the 
  beds, 
  I 
  thought 
  it 
  preferable 
  and 
  a 
  

   saving 
  of 
  time 
  and 
  labor 
  to 
  search 
  for 
  them 
  first 
  and 
  after- 
  

   wards 
  survey 
  them. 
  

  

  In 
  accordance 
  with 
  this 
  plan 
  I 
  dredged 
  over 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  

   the 
  Bay, 
  from 
  Tangier 
  Island 
  northward, 
  running 
  the 
  lines 
  

   sufiiciently 
  close 
  to 
  detect 
  any 
  beds 
  of 
  importance 
  or 
  the 
  pres- 
  

   ence 
  of 
  scattered 
  oysters. 
  

  

  The 
  distance 
  over 
  which 
  the 
  dredge 
  was 
  dragged 
  was 
  always 
  

   measured, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  was 
  not 
  too 
  great, 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  was 
  probed 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  of 
  determining 
  whether 
  it 
  

   was 
  suitable 
  for 
  the 
  oysters. 
  

  

  By 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  projections 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  these 
  

   areas 
  occur 
  quite 
  frequently 
  on 
  the 
  shoal 
  ground 
  making 
  oflfin 
  

   a 
  southwesterly 
  direction 
  from 
  Tangier 
  Island. 
  That 
  between 
  

   Tangier 
  Island 
  and 
  Cheesman's 
  Islands 
  there 
  are, 
  in 
  the 
  deep 
  

   water, 
  no 
  oysters, 
  and 
  that 
  from 
  abreast 
  Cheesman's 
  Islands 
  as 
  

   far 
  north 
  as 
  the 
  investigation 
  extended, 
  there 
  were 
  found 
  large 
  

   areas 
  upon 
  M'hich 
  oysters 
  were 
  living, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  in 
  

   'great 
  numbers. 
  

  

  The 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  influence 
  the 
  forma- 
  

   tion 
  or 
  growth 
  of 
  these 
  beds, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  lying 
  on 
  the 
  shoals 
  

   and 
  others 
  in 
  deeper 
  water. 
  Generally 
  speaking, 
  here 
  as 
  in 
  

   the 
  Sounds, 
  the 
  original 
  beds 
  were 
  formed 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   shoals 
  and 
  wherever 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  sudden 
  change 
  of 
  bottom. 
  

  

  Wherever 
  the 
  solid 
  beds 
  or 
  "Rocks" 
  were 
  encountered 
  

   they 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  long 
  and 
  narrow 
  ridges, 
  extending 
  gen- 
  

   erally 
  in 
  a 
  northerly 
  and 
  southerly 
  direction, 
  except 
  when 
  near 
  

   Kedge's 
  Straits, 
  where 
  they 
  ran 
  more 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  and 
  west- 
  

   ward. 
  

  

  We 
  could, 
  in 
  standing 
  across 
  the 
  beds, 
  Init 
  rarely 
  obtain 
  

   more 
  than 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  hauls 
  of 
  the 
  dredge 
  before 
  we 
  were 
  off 
  

   the 
  "Rock.',' 
  The 
  major 
  axis 
  appears 
  here, 
  as 
  elsewhere, 
  to 
  

   lie 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  current, 
  and 
  probably 
  all 
  natural 
  

  

  