166 
channel), and is 11 miles long and from one-eight to one-half 
mile broad, and is irregular in outline. Its area is 1,213,580 
square yards. 
Due west of this bed, south of Oyster Creek and hf. N.W. 
of Fog Point is the second bed. It extends north and south 
five-eighths of a mile and east and west one-third of a mile. 
Its area is 645,705 square yards. 
Southwest and west from this bed, and northwest from Fog 
Point, in the middle of the Straits, and west of the shoals, is 
the third bed. Its area is 550,045 square yards, and its great- 
est length II. H.W. and S. S.E. is three-fourth mile, with an 
average breadth of one-fourth mile. 
The depth of water on the inner bed is from 12 to 16 feet, 
and on the two outer ones from 14 to 19 feet. 
The oysters are spread in groups of different areas, sepa- 
rated by spaces of mud and sand, generally the latter, except 
close to the channel-way, where there is more mud. 
The beds are in almost all cases very liard ; when the probe 
would penetrate, however, soft sand was found. 
The inner bed is much softer than the other two, and has 
a larger amount of mud. 
The oysters were small and dark, single, and in small clus- 
ters of three or four, with no red sponge or grass. 
On the outer beds the shells were lighter and cleaner than 
on the inner, and generally the oysters in the Straits are larger 
and with sharper bills than those inside. 
INVESTIGATION OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WEST OF TANGIER 
AND SMITH’S ISLANDS. 
The only information with regard to the ground outside the 
Sounds that could be obtained was, that there was a number 
of beds of different areas lying in the Pay, on the eastern 
side of the ship channel, especially about and on the shoals 
off Smith’s Island and Kedge’s Straits. " 
The ground being so little known, and the accurate delinea- 
tion of the beds being so difficult when attempted with a sail- 
ing vessel, I considered it better to employ the limited time 
at my disposal in running tentative lines, oft* and on shore, 
