XX Y III 
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 
xeached Norfolk 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 supplied 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 pow r er, but to the weather 
and causes beyond the control of man. 
Respectfully 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 
.fish over two-thirds dead, and no prospect of us being able to 
