The former citizen, who went out from us even a few years ago, on his return to his old home now, would find, among other changes, that the Weems Line of steamers from Fredericksburg to Baltimore, had transferred its business to another company, and the old familiar name of Weems, of more than a half century standing, whose line was so intimately interwoven with all the interests of Fredericksburg, was a name of the past. But he would also find a line--The Maryland, Delaware and Virginia railroad, not that their steam boats run upon railroad tracks--had taken its place, and, by its splendid steamers, so well adapted to the river trade, had brought us into rapid and easy communication with Norfolk and Baltimore, by the Rappahannock river and Chesapeake bay, and thence with the whole busy world beyond. A SPLENDID WATER POWER. Some one writing of our water-power some years ago said: "The water-power of the Rappahannock river at Fredericksburg, made available by the erection of a magnificent dam, has been harnessed for work to some extent, but not yet to its full capacity." That this is true is a pity, but that it will not long be true is a blessing. The old dam, which gave us only five thousand horse-power, is rapidly yielding to the touch of time, and already another is in course of construction that will be more substantial and give us more power than the present dam gives at its best. A gentleman, well informed as to the plans of the present company, says: "The dam now in process of construction will be built just below the present dam and will be of reinforced concrete. It will be about twenty-two feet above the present water level below the old dam, and will husband the entire plan of the river; or rather, will render the entire plan available for power purposes, but will not, strictly speaking, husband the entire plan, because the pond behind the dam will be rather limited in capacity owing to the closeness of the hills on either side of the river and the abrupt fall of the stream. This dam will afford about eight thousand horse-power, utilized in the city, and at a power-house of the company to be built near the silk mill, but to the east of the main Falmouth road. Just above Taylor's quarry it is planned to build another dam seventy-six feet high, or about one hundred and thirty-eight feet above the sea, with quite a large pond or storage reservoir behind it, reaching up the river some ten miles or more. And then above this reach, and at or about the junction of the two rivers, the large dam, about eighty-four feet high, or two hundred and twenty-two feet above sea level, will complete the development so far as the Fredericksburg Power Company is concerned. This last level reaches to about Germanna. The whole contemplated scheme will yield about thirty thousand horse-power." This will be such an enormous increase of power over what we now have that we cannot realize it. But the question is, what is to be done with this