Mr. FTHOMAS., I am much indebted to the gentleman for his courtesy. I desire to explain why it happens thatI did not up ear before the Committee for the District ofCoihm bin and there unfold what I have said here to day. In March last I offered a resolution instructing the ComDistCol to inquire into the expediency of making an arrangement by which the Washington canal could e made a part of the Chesa peake and Ohio canal. And [asked the chuir man of that committee to give me a hearing whenever the matter came up before the committee for consideration. But I never received any intimation that my presence before that committee would be acceptable. AccidentallyI learned that commissioners had been appointed to examine into the condition of this Washington canal, with a view to making it. a sanitary institution and also with aview to its commercial capabilities. I had an interview with those commissioners, and they told me what their report would be as to theimprovementncccssary to prevent that canal giving out any noxious malaria. And [knew the city of Washington, through its corporate authorities, was engaged in carrying into effect the recommendation of these engineers. And I have been waiting for the other report of these engineers, setting forth in a scientific manner what should be done to make this Washington canal a contin nation of the Chesapeakeand Ohio canal. And while thus waiting, to my surprise this bill was thrown before this House for action. Now. that is the history of the whole affnir. But I did 0 before the ComDistCol Having aocidentally learned that this matter was before them for consideration, I made my appearance there, and made a very few comments; I felt very awkwardly situated there; I had not been invited to appear before them, and I went there very reluctantly, for I did not know but I might be regarded as an intruder there. Now. one word more. The gentleman does at injustice to Maryland and to one of her humble' Representatives here, in snpposin that we have any objection to a legitimate an fair application of capital from any quarter of the earth to the development of the valuable but latent resources of any part of our State. The very gentlemen who are seeking this grant from Congress. obtained from the State of Maryland, with m a robaiion, the right to make a canal from W asington city to the city of Annapolis if they thought proper to expend their capita for that purpose. Now, with this statement, I think the gentleman must be perfectly satisfied that I am utterly incapable of so narrow an idea as to resist an improvement merely on account of the source from whence the funds for it are to be derived.