The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-11-02


maize, blue and sncculent in its luxuriant
growth-the haudsomest crop which Il
farmer gaze caA rest on: yonder Il herd
OF lazy cattle knce-deep amid the purple
bloom of the Glove or a broad expause Of
flesh orchard foliage giving promise of
IITeucd sweetness under tie glowing kisses
of the sun. The farm house one or more
Of which will always be in sight. have an
ait of thrift and OF substantial comfort, the
large barns giving evidence of the rxpecta-
tI"n. AT least. Of full crops. and the sleek
pigs and fat poultry bearing testimony to
the realization of such hopes. Few Of
these houses are of modern style. while
many Of them are he long. small indowed
pnrchless brick dwelling of 4 century ago.
should We turn aside To- follow some we'll
worn road To- 4 landing where the whistle
has notified rs that one Of the many bay.
steamers Is about To cast oil, We find a
scene Of hustle and confusion which tells
lis own story. Long ,o"rs of ducks and
NOISY geese afc pied about the gaugway;
hlratIuE crowds OF sheep and lambs are
budding toward the bows to make room
FOR the half dozen OF more Of fat calves
which are being forced over the gang plank,
while two or three shouting negroes are
twisting the tails ard b-llhuJiu. the horns
of the refractory steers which seem to scent
the city shlmhles IN the salt air from the
bay. Resumlng our journey, we note the
absence "f the forest growth. few trees
being visible except the road side cedars
and she dead oaks which bear the inevitable
Smail grove left standing to accommodate
the summer camp meetings. In these
upper counties the axe has been used rc.
ientiessly to make room for cultivation
and the penalty is beginning 10 make itself
ie.t IN the more frequent and protrac,ed
droughts. As we pass southwark the
country grows Halter. the roads more level.
until, when we reach the lower counties.
all j. 'nw and sandy. Wood becomes more
and NOR. plentiful, AID the thin look of the
cereals warns us that we are in tie small
fruit reg ION.
To see all this We have avoided the rail.
roads. When these were projected :. fatal
blunder was committed in the failure to
construct line as direct as possible from
Elkton To Crislicld, with short branches
penetrating To the larger towns ON either
side. such a main trunk would have de-
veloped the resources of the country
and pad handsome dividends; and, cost
what it may, such a line must eventually
he built. But ia place of il there is now a
system of none paying short local lines,
each independent of all others, aud al!
serving as feeders to the Delaware road. tn
the great Inconvenience of the whole
country. To go by rail from any town To
any other town in Eastern MARYLAND one
must go through Delaware. The advan.-
ages of rapid over cheap transportation Crr
all pcrishable produce thus tell in favor If
the ne"Iest mark 10y rail, aud Philadelphia,
instead OF Baltimore gets the briter nor.
tion Of the trade-a benefit of no mean
vau. when we consider the immense food
supply thus opened to the fnrmcr city aid
the Increasing mercantile business Of the
thriving towns along the route \ grow
ing sPiiit "f cnteTp! Use is manifestiug itsc.f
among the people, especially in the idea of
opening new arteries through which the
mighty heart beats of the outer world
may force fresh viEor iato the life current
OF the Eastern shore. The shortest route
10 New urk Is the problem which is puZ-
zling tn. public brain from one end of TIN.
peninsula To the other. The bay steamer
pcnctrateS hundred narrow aud togtunus
channels. but while the various head, ni
uayIglriuu" lie 50 near To- each other that the
shrek of The steam whistle often sounds
from one II the other, the bay can Hr
reached only 10y long and circuitnus routes.
and the ocean only through the bay. The
natural remedies FOR this are cauals-if
strictly artificial remedies may be called
uatural-aui nowhere are the facilities
greater for such works. Thus. from E,>-
ton here are Two routes to Baltimore, the
whaivcs IT the head Of Miles and Third
Haven rivers being about two and a half
miles apart 10y land and over fifty 10y water.
\ steamboat canal is now proposed to unit.
these two head water points, while
channel has already been dredgcd ont from
the Easter Bay to the mouth Of the Chester.
the two together shortening the route t.
Baltimore by over fifty miles. A still
Grander project, however, is the proposed
shIp-canal between the upper waters of
Chesapeake and Of Delaware bays. through
which ocean steamers may pass To the
Atlantic with their rich western frrichts
with saving of at least two DAYS of the
voyage. When this plan was agitated
year or two ago, very able engineering
argument against II was widely publ shed.
Efforts, it is said. II sink artcsian wells in
various places had revealed the as;onish
ing and alarming fact that the entire
peninsula tests upon Il mar>hy deposit,
which is free salt .rItsr. The tongue of
land which thus projects into the ocean
like the snout of an enormous glacier is
firmly held III place by the substantial
rocky neck which forms lis extreme north
crn portion. This connection would in
evi,ably be saved by the great ship canal,
and then-terrijiie dic'u'-Cape Charles
would become Cape Flyaway, and the
whn'c peninsula would settle into the abyss.
or ilpat away. a veritahle No Mans Land.
t. seek and clf-r safe harbor To the Flying
nutchman. For while the population OF
the impcriled district was considerably
disturbed, and even after the hoax became
patent decided falling of was observable
in popular Interest in the great inter. ,iuic
canal.
In such 4 trip as We have been makin
one meets chiefly plain farmer class
which has no representatives in the more
Southern States; but from the deck Of the
river steamer on tine Elk the Chester the
Wye. the thortauk and other streams may
hr seen the ancient home sicads OF some OF
the wealthcst and most cultured families
among the landed gentry of old Mary land