a spacious bay of North America, lying in the states of Virginia and Maryland. The entrance, which is sixteen miles wide, is between Cape Charles and Cape Henry. The bay enters 190 miles into the land, dividing the states above named into two equal parts, called the eastern and western shores. It varies from seven to twenty miles in breadth, and the depth of water is generally about nine fathoms; it thus affords ample facilities for navigation, and for the erection of harbours. The Susquehanna, Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and James Rivers, which are large and navigable, discharge their waters into this bay.