MARYLAND WEATHER SERVICE 3 1 5 



at a distance from the navigable water and the "back-woods" began 

 to be settled. 



The Bay region was in general level, and easily accessible from 

 the water; to go inland one had merely to follow the tongue-, of 

 land between the different streams, with no considerable hills to 

 climb for many miles in the lower counties, the distance decreasing 

 as the head of the Bay was reached. From the region about Balti- 

 more northeastward, the higher ground comes closer to the shores of 

 the Bay, and the level Coastal Plain area is correspondingly de- 

 creased. A considerable series of long hills or ridges extended as 

 a barrier across the path of any who would go westward, and sim- 

 ilarly checked the travelers from the western side from reaching the 

 coastal region. Thus each group developed with but little influence 

 on the other; the Indian trails, enlarged to allow the passage of 

 pack animals, being the first means of communication. The 

 streams which rise in the ridges between these two areas of settle- 

 ment, flow in opposite directions, the dividing line of the two sys- 

 tems of drainage being in the midst of the ridges. Thus there was 

 no chance to use these natural lines of travel for any extensive com- 

 munication as was possible in the case of the Potomac and Susque- 

 hanna rivers, the head waters of which lie beyond the ridges and 

 lines of hills that are here mentioned. 



It was not until the settlers in the valleys or those of the Bay, 

 found that trade in their surplus products was possible with the 

 settlers of the other region, that trails were cut for regular trade, 

 and the business of the trader began to develop into a larger form 

 than mere barter. In this development it appears that there were 

 three centers of trade, at Georgetown on the Potomac, Annapolis 

 on the Severn, at Joppa and later at Baltimore, practically at the 

 head of the Chesapeake. At these points the surplus from the car- 

 goes of the vessels returning from their tobacco voyages naturally 

 were stored and the products of the interior could be easily ex- 

 changed for such imported articles as were of greatest value or 

 otherwise were desirable. 



As the settlement of the tidal regions became more complete and 

 the localities away from the water front were occupied, it was found 

 possible to get the tobacco to market from these plantations by mil- 



