Mr. “"ADE. There will be a connection through the public grounds, but it will do no injury to those grounds as we suppose. By this bill we agree to surrender to this company whatever rights the public have in that canal, provided they will clear it out in this manner, and we do surrender the canal to them with all its bridges and appurtenances for this purpose. They will have entire and full control of it, under such restrictions as we see fit now to impose upon them. Their In I think is very feasible. At Georgetown the old Baltimore and Ohio canal locked down to the river, I believe at. Rock creek, and so entered the Potomac. Coming down to that level at tide water. there was no current that could be precipitated through the banks of thislcanal to take out the sediment, and there it is deposited. This company propose to commence at those locks which lock down into that stream, and build an aqueduct there and carry the canal right across it to the high ground on this side and up toward the Observatory, so that they will have a fall, I believe, of some 35 feet or more, and thus they can have any amount of current in the canal that they deem necessary. The greatdifficultyin the old canal was, as I said before, looking down there into the stream, and then they could have no current whatever to carry this deposit away. They do not ask the Government to pay anything for this privilege. They want to have the privilege of navigating this canal with large boats as part and parcel of the canal that they intend to bring down from Annapolis, and the canal goes beyond that. Their intention is to make this a great coal depot. The company believe that that will be the great business of the canal, although it will do a great deal of other business undoubtedly. That we did not consider of much importance to us; that is their lookout. The corporation of the city of Washington claim that they have an interest in this canal. I do not know that they have not such an interest. The committee have thorou lily investigated that matter and traced upt c title so as to ascertain whether they really have any such interest or not. I find that a good man years ago there was a company that undertoo the construction of this canal, and they laid out a good deal of money upon it; but they did not lay out any mopey that I can find except what the Government appropriated. The legal title to this canal was conveyed over and vested in this city corporation I believe at a certain time, and they undertook to clear it out and keep it in proper condition, but they never did anything to it. All the debt that theyincurred the Government paid off. At one time the government paid $150,000; at another period I have not the paperbefore me and cannot exactly state the dates they paid $20,000 for keeping it cleared out; and at another time $20,000 more. I do not find upon the record that the corporation of the city ever paid one single dollar of their own for the construction of this canal. However, we do not pretend to divest the city of any part of the title they can make toit. The company themselves undertake to pay off the claim the city may have to this enna, if they have any. if they can make any title toit the company, ofcourse, will have to pay them whatever it is worth; butwc allow them to condemn the property along the line of the work in the usual way in making railroads and canals. If they cannot purchase and buy out the land from the Owners wherever they want to go with it. they have to do as railroad builders and canal projectors always do; they have to go before the courts, have a commission appointed, the lands appraised, &c. The provision of the bill on that subject, I believe, is in the usual form in which land is condemned in this country for public purposes. If the city can establish a claim to the canal it will have to be gotin that way, by commissioners appointed to appraise the value of it, and the company will have to buy it. I really suppose they have no substantial claim, for I do not think from all I have seen that they ever paid adollar toward it. I have heard the mayor himself say that they had a claim to it, and they may assert that claim. The committee understan that whatever claim the corporation of this city or anybody else can make to this property this corporation will have to ay 08. f they can agree upon the price, we 1 and end; if they cannot agree upon the price the bill provides in the usual way iow the value of it shall be ascertained and paid 05 by the company. No objection, I believe can arise item any such titles that may be made to it. I am not quite certain as to whether there is a sufficient restriction in the bill with regard to the passage of the canal over any portion of the public grounds, thoughIfeel very sure that it is safe enough in that regard; but if any gentleman supposes that the bill requires any further restriction on that subject, inas much as a canal passes over a little corner of the public groun s. so that it shall notinter fere with any public property of the U.S., either now erected or hereafter in contemplation of erection, or any such restriction, I have no objection to it. The design is to bring this canal into the Eastern branch oftho Potomac when the get down where the water is ten feet deep, which we are assured is very much above the navy yard.