out forty-eight hours; and unless a good breeze should favor us, we could not expect to reach our place of destination before the next day. Our water was gone; and there was none to be found on the beach. Seeing a small craft approaching from an opposite direction, we stood for her; and when within two hundred yards, our captain hailed her, and asked if they could spare us any water. The reply was in the affirmative; but when I expected we should pull for her, to my utter surprise, a sailor composedly stepped into the water, and, with a bucket on his arm, walked to the other boat, where he got it filled. The bay was less than three feet deep, although we were many miles from the shore, which was barely visible. Did one not know where he was, he might imagine himself at sea.

At the eastern end of the bay, the water was so shallow that the passengers were carried on the backs of the men to a small island near by, while the captain and sailors jumped into the water, and lifted and pushed the boat over. A little further we came to a "dug out"—that is, a passage cut or dug across a bar, about twenty yards through. Here the men got into the water again; and each of the passengers taking an oar, we managed to force the boat through. The shallowness of the water and the consequent difficulties of navigating these lagoons after a norther, may be judged of, when I state that our little craft drew less than fifteen inches.

January 7th. After a third night passed in the open boat, we emerged from these shallow waters soon after day-light; and crossing Paso Cavallo, with the town of that name on our right, we landed at 8 o'clock

at Decrow's Point. We breakfasted at a hotel, where we learned that the steamer Louisiana, from Indianola for New Orleans, would pass here to-morrow.

Decrow's Point forms the western termination of Matagorda Peninsula, a neck of land about sixty miles in length, and from one to two in width. Within this is Matagorda Bay, another shallow body of water, from six to ten miles wide. Paso Cavallo (Horse Pass) is the entrance to this bay from the Gulf of Mexico, and is always considered safe for vessels drawing from eight to nine feet of water. The principal and most accessible port within Matagorda Bay is Indianola, where steamers drawing eight feet of water enter. Many rivers empty into the bay; the largest of which, the Colorado, rises in the Guadalupe Mountains, and has a course of about eight hundred miles before it reaches the Gulf. Among the other streams, are the La Vaca and Navidad rivers. Within this bay is La Vaca, which is reached by small vessels. A railway is now in the course of construction from Saluria to San Antonio, which will render this the most important port on the Gulf, it being accessible for large vessels, and affording a safe harbor. An extensive commerce is now carried on between Indianola and New Orleans, with steamers of a large class; besides which, vessels run direct to New York and Boston. The number of passengers and the quantity of merchandise coming hither, are evidences of the thriving condition of this portion of the State.

January 8th. The steamer Louisiana came to, this morning, off the Point, when I took passage in her for New Orleans. Major Emory, Dr. Webb, Mr. Radzi

minski, and the other gentlemen who had taken the land route from Corpus Christi, were on board. We stood out to sea with a light wind, and soon after headed to the north-east for Galveston.

January 9th. Entered the port of Galveston this morning, where we remained until 4 o'clock, P. M. This city had greatly increased since August, 1850, when we stopped here. Its commerce, too, judging from the number of ships and steamers, must have augmented in proportion.

January 10th. Late in the afternoon we reached New Orleans, where I took up my quarters at the St. Louis Hotel.

January 11th. On my journey from Texas, I learned by a newspaper that the United States Senate had, on the assembling of Congress, removed the restriction which prevented the use of the appropriation under certain conditions; so that the survey might now be permitted to go on again. But the commission had been broken up; the injury had already been inflicted upon its members, who were now scattered and on their way to their homes; and it was too late to return to the field of operations. I, therefore, sent a telegraphic despatch to the Hon. Alex. H. H. Stuart, Secretary of the Interior, advising him of my arrival at New Orleans, with a portion of the officers of the Commission, and requesting information respecting the funds at my disposal, as well as instructions as to further proceedings.

January 14th. After waiting four days for an answer to my despatch, the necessity of my being in Washington as soon as possible required that I should delay no longer; particularly as I now learned that

the telegraph wires were broken, and the communication consequently interrupted. I therefore took passage on the steamer Chancellor, to sail this evening for Louisville, accompanied by Dr. Webb and Messrs. Jacobs and Force. Major Emory and the other officers of the Commission were to take the land route; but having caught a cold in my boat voyage along the Texan coast, from which I was suffering severely, I deemed it most prudent to take a more easy though longer route by the Mississippi River.

Our boat was deep and consequently slow, so that it was ten days before we reached Louisville: the day after, we took another steamer for Cincinnati, which we reached the following morning, and immediately took the railway cars for Cleveland, on Lake Erie, where we arrived the same evening. I felt keenly the change of temperature to-day, as the ground was covered with snow, and we found ourselves in the midst of a northern winter. After an hour's delay at Cleveland, we took the shore railroad for Buffalo, which should have arrived at that place the following morning in time to connect with the eastern train for Albany; but we got fast in a snow bank, which detained us for six hours. Our fire went out, and there

noon.

was no wood to supply it. At length the train from Buffalo opened the track, which enabled us to push our way through, so that we arrived in that city at Having missed all the morning trains, we were obliged to wait until five o'clock before we could start for Albany, when the ice and snow on the rails so retarded us that we arrived there too late for the morning cars. We had, therefore, to lie over a day; but

this was not unacceptable, as we had been out the two previous nights. The next morning we took the railway for Providence, (Dr. Webb leaving us at Worcester,) where we arrived the same evening, and where I had the happiness of again meeting my family and friends, from whom I had been separated two years and a half.

I remained with my family two days, and then left for Washington, and presented myself at the Department of the Interior.

RESULTS OF THE LABORS OF THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION.

BEFORE closing this narrative, it seems proper that I should speak of the work acomplished while the Boundary Commission was under my charge. This I do, not so much to lay claim to any merit for the same on my own account, as that the labors of the officers who performed these duties may be made known, and proper credit be given to them.

1. A reconnaissance and survey from Indianola, on the Gulf of Mexico, to El Paso del Norte.

The plan of this operation was based upon astronomical observations, for the latitude and longitude of points, by means of a sextant, chronometers, and a four-feet telescope for observing occultations of stars