thence through the counties of McDowell and Burke, and forms the boundary-line of seven others, viz, Caldwell, Alexander, Iredell, and Mecklenburgh, lying north or east of it, and Catawba, Lincoln, and Gaston, to the south or west. After passing the State line the Catawba becomes the Wateree, then the Santee, and terminates its tortuous course in the Atlantic between Georgetown and Charleston, S. C.

The present report is limited by the act of appropriation to the part of the river lying between Old Fort and the South Carolina line.

At Old Fort the river has reached the base of the so-called Piedmont region, at an altitude of 1,274 feet above mean tide. From thence its course is north of west to the great bend between Morganton and Statesville, where, 75 miles east of Old Fort, it turns southward, and continues its course to the State line, a distance of 75 miles farther, or 145 miles in all.

From Old Fort to the great bend the fall, according to Professor Kerr, is a little over 500 feet, and from there to the State line 300 feet, or a total of 800 feet. According to the levels of Hamilton Fulton, the difference of elevation between Old Fort and the State line is 789 feet. Besides the great bend already mentioned, another and smaller bend occurs between Rozzel's Ferry and Abernethy's Island. This bend has the shape of the letter A, and is 73 miles around and 1 across. Throughout the bend the river is characterized by deep natural pools or reaches, extending along the convex sides of the bends. The greatest low-water depth occurs at these places, and is 18 feet at Tuckasegee Shoals. Fulton's profile represents the depth of water on the shoals and bar as greater than might be expected, on account of the large average fall per mile. Four of these shoals have but 6 inches of depth at low-water, several not more than 3. The greatest descent is at Lookout Shoal, where the fall is 3.51 feet in 111 feet, or at the rate of 167 feet per mile. At other points the rate per mile is 82 feet, 78 feet, 61 feet; two rapids have 40 feet each, others have 34 feet, 33 feet, and two have 30 feet; the rest vary from 6 to 26 feet per mile.

Hamilton Fulton, an intelligent engineer, made, in 1824, under the authority of the State of North Carolina, a survey from Moore's Shoals, 10 miles below Morgantown, to the State line. Unfortunately Mr. Fulton's report is not to be found in the archives of the capitol at Raleigh. A portion of his map and profile are, however, extant, and to these data I am indebted for the material which has been condensed in the following tabular statement. Mr. Fulton's map-so much of it as can now be found-extends from Sherrill's Ford to the State line, a distance of 483 miles; the profile extends from Moore's Shoal to the State line, a distance of 923 miles. Following the order of the columns, the infor mation is condensed under the heads of "Names of localities at time of survey;" "Distance from Moore's Shoals;" "Length of each shoal or reach;""Difference of level referred to Moore's Shoals;" under the head of "Descent of the river" are given the total fall and average fall per mile of each pool and shoal, and the maximum fall in the shortest distance observed, and the corresponding rate per mile; the next column gives the ranges of low-water depths between named points; the tenth column gives the height above mean tide, computed from railroad surveys; and under the column of "Remarks" are stated the dimensions of the mill-wheels existing at time of the survey. The names belong to the period of survey, (about 1824.)

Before making any comments on the natural features mentioned in the foregoing table, the description of the physical character of the river will, as far as my information extends, be completed by the following statement of the geological formations through which it has cut its way.

GEOLOGY.

From its source to the southern boundary of the State, the river flows through the Upper and Lower Lawrentian rocks, affording good building stone of gneiss and granite. East of the Catawba, and near Salisbury, a fine white granite is found, which has been employed in building the United States post-office at Raleigh; but its whiteness has been tarnished and its value as a building stone has been impaired by iron stains, which appear on the surface of the stone after exposure to the atmosphere.

The characteristic rocks of the Lawrentian series are trachyte, porphyry, syenite, greenstone, and granite, mica being absent in a marked degree. The Huronian formation intersects the Catawba in the great bend, where the strata have a width of from 4 to 5 miles. Its characteristic rocks are quartzite, mica-chist, and clay-slates. Its trend is southwest, broadening toward the south, and it is further characterized by workable deposits of specular and magnetic iron-ore and limonite. In Gaston, Lincoln, and Catawba Counties the iron belt is found in two beds, the thickness varying from 2 to 12 feet. The ore generally occurs in lenticular masses, in beds, at intervals of 1 to 2 miles along the outcrop, and has been reduced at the furnaces to a good quality of charcoal-iron.

Parallel to this bed is another, which is heavy, black, and magnetic, and produces a very tough, malleable iron. According to Professor Kerr's statement, several thousand tons of this ore were mined during the war, and "all the blooms which could be procured at the naval works in Charlotte were used (by the confederate government) for the manufacture of shafts of iron-clads and bolts for the cannon of the coastforts."

TRADE AND STATISTICS.

The natural obstructions of the river between Old Fort and the State line are so formidable, that it cannot be navigated in its present unimproved condition. Its trade is consequently nothing, and any future. trade which is contingent on its improvement must be confined to timber, iron-ore, and agricultural products.

On its head-waters are found fine forests of oak, white and black wal nut, chestnut, and locust, and the mountain-tops are covered in the proper season with the bloom of the different-colored rhododendrons and the fruit of the wild gooseberry. Although the beauty of the region has attracted tourists and artists, its inaccessibility has restricted the use of its timber, and only a small portion of the timber-land can be influenced by the improvement of the river.

The following table, compiled from the last census-report, will give the amount of the agricultural product of the contiguous counties, portions of which will be affected by the improvement: