13 



Fishing Point, and about one mile off the southern shore of the river. Its area is (approximately) 

 984,000 square yards. The Naseway Shoal Beds lie NE. of Fishing Point, about tbe Naseway 

 Shoals, and comprise an area (approximate.) of 2,988,000 square yards. Both of these beds appear 

 to have been originally formed about the shoals, those parts of the latter that are uncovered at low 

 water showing a mass of shells brokeu and mixed with sand, and iu their proximity the oysters 

 are iu greater numbers than near the margin of the bed. The depth of water on the Bally Smash 

 Bed is about 4 feet; on the Naseway Beds it is the same, except iu the mud sloughs, where the 

 depth is from 6 to 8 feet. The Bally Smash appears to be an unbroken "rock," the bottom con- 

 sisting of shells and oysters with a light covering of mud. The oysters were small and of the infe- 

 rior quality known as "snaps." The strong current setting past and about the bed should have 

 the effect of cleaning it, but the shoal, being dry at certain stages of the tide, appears to offer a 

 barrier to the current in such a way as to cause a growth of the shoal to the northward and west- 

 ward, where we found the largest amount of mud. 



The Naseway Shoal Bed consists of a number of detached "rocks" separated by mud sloughs, 

 except in the vicinity of the shoal, where the oysters were found in the largest numbers, and where 

 the bed is comparatively unbroken. The "rocks" appear to follow the general direction of the 

 shoals, and are in ridges and groups, scattering and becoming smaller in size as the distance fiom 

 the shoal increases. The oysters were single, of all ages, aud generally of poor quality, but inshore 

 from the bed, where a number of small detached "rocks" known as mud and sand rocks are found, 

 the oysters were larger and older in appearance, and the young growth was missing. The bottom 

 on the Naseway Shoal was a thin stratum of mud and shells on the surface, with a substratum of 

 mud, very thick in the sloughs, and of hard sand and shell in the vicinity of the shoals. The 

 ISaseway Shoal Bed is supposed to receive a larger amount of the sediment brought down by the 

 ebb-tide than any other bed on the southern side of the river. As will be seen by"the chart, the 

 Eastern Shoal runs across the direction of the current, and the water deepens quickly to the 

 eastward of the shoal. The "rocks" lie closer to the shoal on theeasteru side than on the western, 

 while the mud sloughs are more frequent on the western side than on the eastern. From the above 

 it would appear that the western part of the bed received the larger amount of deposit, and that 

 deposit was injurious to the oysters. 



Broiorts Shoal Bed. — The rocks composing this bed lie to the northward and eastward of the 

 Kaseway Shoals on the northern side of the river, and are situated, as their names indicate, on and 

 about Brown's Shoal. The approximate area of the bed is 1,828,000 square yards. The depth of 

 water is from 3 to 18 feet, the average depth about 8 feet, and the deep water i« found as on the 

 other beds, over the mud sloughs. The bed follows the general direction of the shoal, and is not 

 so extensively cut up as those previously described. The bottom was of shell with a little mud, 

 resting on a substratum of shell or hard sand. The oysters were single, and in small clusters, and 

 were not evenly distributed, being thicker on the edge of the channel, where also was found the 

 largest number of young. The oysters brought up having but little mud on them, and the sound- 

 ings and probe discovering but a light covering of mud, it is presumed that there is comparatively 

 but little deposit on the bed. The principal part of the sediment brought down on this side of the 

 river is probably received by the Thomas Point and Kettle Hole Beds, and as we were informed 

 that ice seldom grounded on Brown's Shoal, it is perhaps protected by the beds from that soil 

 also. 



CRUISER'S ROCK AND NANSEMOND RIDGE. 



Cruiser's Kock and the beds of the Nansemoud Ridge are situated off Ragged Islaud, on the 

 southern side of the channel, aud about the shoals extending from Barrel Point. Their approxi- 

 mate area is 6,925,000 square yards. The beds are similar in character to those already described, 

 being intersected by mud sloughs, and the oysters growing in groups and patches, but the mud 

 sloughs are smaller aud the area of the groups larger than on the other beds. The depth of water 

 over the rocks is from 7 to 8 feet, and the surface stratum of the bottom consisted of shells and a 

 small amount of mud. The substratum was, on the shoal parts of Cruiser's Rock, hard and of sand 

 or shell; on the Nansemond Ridge of soft mud aud shell for about 5 feet. The oysters found 

 grew in small clusters or singly, and were of inferior quality. They were not found to the north- 



