Old FORT ST. MAkT'S.
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TThe following Letter which did not reach
our hands until Saturday, gives more partic-
nlar and distinct account of the recovery from
the river of the first guns planted i'll the State |
of MARYLAND a notice of which by a cores
pondcnt was published in our last.


MAJ. Iatei


Mcssrs. GALES & SEAToN: BY reference to
the early history of our country it will be
found, that in the year 1855, Leonard CAL
vert, the brother of Crcilias Calvert Lord
Baltimore, landed with his colonists on St
Mary's River, and commenced the settle
mcnt of Maryland under a charter from
King Charles the 1st. One OF the first meas
ures of Mr.. Calvert, was to provide an am
pie security against the numerous tribes of In
dans that then inhabited the country;
fort was accordingly erected On a point near
the mouth of the river, and well supplied with
cannon, of large size. As the colony adj
vanced aud the savagcs retired before the
axe and the plough of civilization, the fort
became of less Importance to the colony, till
it was totally neglected and suffered to sink
into rain.-By the washing Of the bank, the
very spot on which it once stood, now forms a
part of the bed of the river; so that the near
.,st lne Of the fort is about one hundred and
fifty Yards below the usual mark Of tho tide.
Many attempts have been made Of late wears
10 get up these cannon but without any sue
cess While on a visit to ST. Mary's about
three years ago, l advised a plan by which
/ Twas confident that the guns could be got up
with great ease and without the expense OF 4
dollar, but in consequence of the inclemcncy
Of the weather (last Deccmbcr,) | did moi
make the attempt at that time. Having
visited St. Mary's during the present montl
| determined so try the experiment, ans
have succeeded i'll raising every gun q il
number) | removed them about two miles
and have deposited them at the house on 81
Ingco's farm They were nearly buried
one of them could only be found by sounding
and probing the mud. Having been eXpose'
TO the weather and the action Of the salt wa
ter for one hundred and ninety-onc years tn
guns are, as you may suppose, much corrod
ed; but, even now, they are larger and hea
vicr for the size of the calibcr, than any me
dcrn cannon that l have seen. There az
stones, from a small size to some of six G
eight pound weight, that have become so II
corporatcd with the iron, that they can scarce
ly be knocked off with an axe. On one
the guns we opened 602 oysters, OF toerab
size, and on neither Of them were there LEI
than 100. have left the stones, andthe bo
toms of the oyster shells Oh the guns, as the
principal value consists in their antiquity ar
antique appea rance. 1t was in the Fort tn
