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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Travels in Virginia in Revolutionary Times - -Author: Various - -Editor: Alfred James Morrison - -Release Date: September 17, 2020 [EBook #63221] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAVELS IN VIRGINIA--REVOLUTIONARY TIMES *** - - - - -Produced by David E. Brown and The Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/cover.jpg" width="50%" alt="" /></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="transnote"> -<p class="ph1">TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:</p> - -<p>The cover image for this eBook was created by the transcriber and is entered into the public domain.</p> - -<p>Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.</p> - -<p>Text of direct quotes has been retained from the original, with no correction of spelling or grammatical errors.</p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h1><i>Travels in Virginia in<br /> -Revolutionary Times</i></h1> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p class="center"> -COPYRIGHTED BY<br /> -J. P. BELL COMPANY, INC.<br /> -LYNCHBURG, VA.<br /> -1922</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i_title.jpg" alt="" /></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<p><span class="xxlarge">Travels <i>in</i> Virginia<br /> - -<i>in</i> Revolutionary<br /> -Times</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Edited by</span><br /> - -A. J. MORRISON</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_5"></a>[5]</span> -<h2 class="nobreak">ADVERTISEMENT</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This is a book of Travels in Virginia during a period that -may be called revolutionary, from the year 1769 to the year -1802, when the United States lay still to the east of France -and Spain, and the limit of Virginia to the west was the -river Ohio: it was a proud commonwealth, and with reason, -territorially, in the character of its ruling people, and in that -inexplicable inheritance which has made Virginia significant. -It is interesting to observe, among these travellers, how carefully -the best informed of them estimate the strength of Virginia, -whether justly or not regarded at home and here and -there abroad as the most influential of the new states. Those -were extraordinary years in the making of America, the fund -of the capital of the country, as it were, accumulating to the -point of application in surprising ways. It is well to look -back, through foreign eyes, and see a little of what the situation -was at that time in the State of the first dynasty.</p> - -<p>Of these travellers, one was in the country before the war -and his memoranda introduce the Revolution—very peaceful, -then disturbances, and then musquetry, the author shooting -for King George; another came with the good King’s -troops and saw Virginia on parole; one was a chaplain in -the army of the allies, one a general officer of that army, and -there was a surgeon to the enemies from Hesse, whose book -is excellent in a series of remarkable books. The others came -after the war, men of science, youngsters seeing the world, a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_6"></a>[6]</span> -missionary, a sad emigrant from France, and a sailor who -had quitted the sea and embarked in the novelist’s business. -A notable group of observers, and if, even where they are -most explicit, we could see but a small part of what they intend -us to see, what a picture. From year’s end to year’s -end, decade to decade, the century is out, and everything is -different; and to come at the truth of the matter as it was -before we should have to retrace every step of the way, and -that is impossible. As a makeshift we read novels and documented -histories.</p> - -<p>The method in the chapters following has been to let the -traveller tell his own story, interrupting him where he seems -least interesting, adding very little, making him responsible -for his version of the facts. It is not so much the itemized -account that is wanted as the proceeds of the whole, the general -balance as one impression. As many travellers, so many -roads and they may follow but one. The young man will be -apt to lose his temper and record disagreeable things. The -great man, treated with consideration, will, if his digestion -is good, be careful to be polite. The season will be a factor, -for earth roads are not the same winter and summer. However, -we should not be greatly deceived by the verdicts of -eleven intelligent men who traverse the greater part of a -given region during a space of thirty years.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_7"></a>[7]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" summary="table"> - - -<tr><td> </td><td> </td><td class="tdr"><span class="small">PAGE</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr" valign="top">I.</td><td> Narrative of John F. D. Smyth: 1769-1775</td><td class="tdr" valign="bottom"><a href="#Page_9"> 9</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr" valign="top">II.</td><td> Anburey, and the Convention Army in Virginia: -1779</td><td class="tdr" valign="bottom"><a href="#Page_23"> 23</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr" valign="top">III.</td><td> The Abbé Robin, One of the Chaplains to the -French Army in America: 1781</td><td class="tdr" valign="bottom"><a href="#Page_31"> 31</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr" valign="top">IV.</td><td> The Marquis of Chastellux, Major-General in the -French Army and Member of the French -Academy: 1782 </td><td class="tdr" valign="bottom"><a href="#Page_39"> 39</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr" valign="top">V.</td><td> Dr. Schoepf, Surgeon to the Hessian Troops -(Ansbach-Bayreuth Division): 1783</td><td class="tdr" valign="bottom"><a href="#Page_49"> 49</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr" valign="top">VI.</td><td> Count Castiglioni, Chevalier of the Order of St. -Stephen, P. M.: 1786</td><td class="tdr" valign="bottom"><a href="#Page_61"> 61</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr" valign="top">VII.</td><td> Missionary Journeys of Dr. Coke: 1785-1791</td><td class="tdr" valign="bottom"><a href="#Page_71"> 71</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr" valign="top">VIII.</td><td> A Summer at Bath—Captain Bayard: 1791</td><td class="tdr" valign="bottom"><a href="#Page_81"> 81</a><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_8"></a>[8]</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr" valign="top">IX.</td><td> What Isaac Weld Saw: 1796</td><td class="tdr" valign="bottom"><a href="#Page_91"> 91</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr" valign="top">X.</td><td> The Duke of La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt: 1796</td><td class="tdr" valign="bottom"><a href="#Page_111"> 111</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr" valign="top">XI.</td><td> John Davis of Salisbury: 1801-1802</td><td class="tdr" valign="bottom"><a href="#Page_123"> 123</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td> </td><td>List of Travels</td><td class="tdr" valign="bottom"><a href="#Page_137"> 137</a></td></tr> -</table> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_9"></a>[9]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="I"><i>I.</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class="ph1"><i>NARRATIVE OF JOHN F. D. SMYTH.</i></p> - -<p class="ph1"><i>1769-1775.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><i>Captain Smyth—The Capes and Jamestown—Williamsburg -and the Races—Richmond—Music of -the Bullfrog—Blandford—Petersburg—Swede’s -Bridge—Hicks’s Bridge—Mr. Willis—James -River Lowgrounds—Summer Routine of the -Planter. North Carolina—The Lower Sawra -Towns—Journey to Kentucky—Indian Braves—Fort -on Smith’s River—The Wart Mountain: -Amazing Perspective—Judge Henderson’s Settlement.</i></p></div></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">JOHN FERDINAND DALZIEL SMYTH, it appears, -changed his name in 1793 to Stuart. Smyth’s last published -work was a poem in folio called “Destiny and -Fortitude: An Heroic Poem on the Misfortunes of the House -of Stuart.” His father, Wentworth Smyth, was killed in -the Highlands of Scotland after being concerned in the attempt -to bring in the Stuarts in 1745. J. F. D. Smyth -studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He came -to America possibly about 1769, and settled at first near -Williamsburg as a physician. He was active in the Revolution, -and for a time drew a pension of £300 a year for his -losses sustained in America. He was killed accidentally in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_10"></a>[10]</span> -London in 1814. In this case there is nothing in a name, -because in tracing Smyth from the title page of his best -known work, his “Tour in the United States,” nothing can -be discovered about him. It is only by chance that in looking -up Smyth the eye falls upon Stuart. Although he was in -most of the English colonies, and saw the greater part of the -Spanish possessions in Louisiana and Florida, Captain -Smyth preferred the Potomac region, and lived there, both -peacefully and adventurously, until finally disturbed by the -war. He was not a Tory, because he was not strictly an -American. In 1778, his correspondence proves, he was a -captain in the Queen’s Rifles. Two years before he had been -ingeniously farming some six hundred acres of good land -on the Maryland side of the Potomac. Captain John Ferdinand -Dalziel Smyth, explorer, planter, fighter and author, -was (from his own account) not unlike the more famous -Smith, who, if he had chosen, could have spelled the name -with a y as well.</p> - -<p>John F. D. Smyth came in sight of land on the 4th day -of August (he neglects to give the year), “in the forenoon, -in a fine day, with a clear, serene sky. We soon sailed within -the capes of Virginia, Cape Henry and Cape Charles, which -last is an island named Smith’s. We past Lynhaven Bay -on our left, and the opening of the Chesapeak on the right, -and in the evening anchored in Hampton Road, which appears -to be very safe. The night being calm, we were assaulted -by great numbers of musketoes, a very noxious fly.” -After a day the ship proceeded to Jamestown, “passing a -great number of most charming situations on each side of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_11"></a>[11]</span> -this beautiful river.” Jamestown still sent a member to the -House of Burgesses, but there was only one voter, who was -the proprietor of the borough and also the Burgess, Champion -Travers, Esq. Making an excursion with a companion to -Williamsburg, with which town Captain Smyth was well -pleased, they “dined very agreeably at the Raleigh Tavern, -where we had exceeding good Maderia.” What with pocket -boroughs and good Maderia, the traveler must have felt as -if he had scarcely left home.</p> - -<p>The author describes Williamsburg, that capital city, but -being fond of sports, he gives most space to the races: “Very -capital horses are started here, such as would make no despicable -figure at Newmarket; nor is their speed, bottom or -blood inferior to their appearance. Their stock is from old -Cade, old Crab, old Partner, Regulus, Babraham, Bosphorus, -Devonshire Childers, the Cullen Arabian, the Cumberland -Arabian, &c., in England; and a horse from Arabia -named the Bellsize, which was imported into America and -is now in existence.” The quarter-racing of Southern Virginia -and North Carolina struck Smyth as being a strange -institution. Many early travelers devote a page or two to -the quarter-race, a match between two horses to run one-quarter -of a mile straight out. Smyth observes: “They have -a breed in Virginia that performs it with astonishing velocity, -beating every other for that distance with great ease; -but they have no bottom. However, I am confident that there -is not a horse in England, nor perhaps the whole world, that -can excel them in rapid speed; and these likewise make excellent -saddle horses for the road. The Virginians, of all<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_12"></a>[12]</span> -ranks and denominations, are excessively fond of horses, and -especially those of the race breed. Nobody walks on foot the -smallest distance, except when hunting; indeed, a man will -frequently go five miles to catch a horse, to ride only one -mile afterwards.”</p> - -<p>Returning from Williamsburg to Jamestown, Smyth -joined the ship again, which, on the 9th of August, got “under -weigh” for City Point. They passed many delightful situations -and charming seats, the names of which are still well -known either actually or historically. At City Point the -genial author hired a boat and four negroes for a dollar and -a half per day to continue up the river to Richmond. “I -slept on board the boat, and on the 11th, in the forenoon, -landed at the town of Shokoes, at the falls of James River. -There are three towns at this place. Richmond, the largest, -is below the falls, and is separated only by a creek, named -Shokoes, from the town of Shokoes. On the south side of -the river stands the town of Chesterfield, best known by the -name of Rocky Ridge.” In those days the river was the road -to town. Tobacco was boated down to Westham, seven miles -above the falls, and thence brought by land carriage to Shokoes, -or Richmond. Smyth speaks of a man who, bringing -a double load down to Westham, unconsciously kept on, -passed all the falls, and arrived not quite sobered at Shokoes. -“This is one of the most extraordinary accidents that has -occurred, or perhaps was ever heard of.”</p> - -<p>The great rivers of America, the great forests, the fierce -electrical storms, the strange methods of agriculture, the -lightning bugs, the mosquitoes and the bullfrogs astonished<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_13"></a>[13]</span> -the European. Of the bullfrog, Smyth remarks: “Their -note is harsh, sonorous and abrupt, frequently appearing to -pronounce articulate sounds, in striking resemblance to the -following words: Hogshead tobacco, knee deep, ancle deep, -deeper and deeper, Piankitank, and many others, but all -equally grating and dissonant. They surprise a man exceedingly, -as he will hear their hoarse, loud bellowing clamor -just by him, and sometimes all around him, yet he cannot -discover from whence it proceeds. They are of the size of -a man’s foot.” Bullfrogs by day and the falls by night: -“When a person arrives at Richmond his ears are continually -assailed with the prodigious noise and roaring of the -falls, which almost stuns him and prevents him from sleeping -for several nights.”</p> - -<p>Richmond was close to nature in those days. Captain -Smyth used to take walks among the rocks and solitary romantic -situations around the falls. His custom was to carry -a book in his pocket, and read in the shade until he “insensibly -dropt asleep. This was my daily recreation, which I -never neglected. But I was once extremely surprised at beholding, -as soon as I opened my eyes, a prodigious large -snake, within a few feet of me, basking himself in the sun. -He was jet black, with a copper-coloured belly, very fine, -sparkling eyes, and at least seven feet long.”</p> - -<p>August 28th Smyth set out for the South. Crossing the -James in a ferry-boat early in the morning, he rode through -the towns of Rocky Ridge and Warwick (about five miles -beyond), stopped at Osborne’s, eight miles from Warwick, -and reached Blandford in the afternoon, having crossed the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_14"></a>[14]</span> -Appomattox by a lofty wooden bridge at the town of Pocahontas, -one of the three towns at the falls of the Appomattox—Petersburg, -Blandford, Pocahontas. “In Blandford, -the charming, pretty town of Blandford, in a beautiful plain -on the river brink, on a very pleasant and delightful spot, I -found an excellent ordinary at Boyd’s.”</p> - -<p>Smyth purchased two horses at Petersburg. For the best -he gave £15 and the worst cost him £25. On the 4th of September -he left Blandford and rode fifteen miles to Hatton’s -Ordinary, and thence to the Nottoway River, at Swede’s -Bridge. “I arrived at Stewart’s Ordinary to breakfast, -which was toasted Indian hoecake and very excellent cyder. -Being always particularly careful of my horses, and they -having fared very indifferently the night before, I ordered -the hostler to give them plenty of meat.” The hostler understanding -meat to mean meat, put bacon before these Petersburg -horses. A crowd assembled, and this new balanced -ration became a great joke. The horses having been fed -corn, which, after all, is a form of bacon, the party proceeded -to Three Creeks, crossed them on three wooden bridges, and -then crossed the Meherrin at Hicks’s Bridge, “remarkably -lofty and built of timber, as all in the southern part of America -appear to be.” Near Hicks’s Bridge<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a> (and ford) lived -Mr. Willis, breeder of the original stock of triumphant quarter -racers. “We took some refreshment at Edwards’s Ordinary, -an exceedingly good building, with excellent accommodations, -lately erected at this place. At the distance of ten -miles we entered the province of North Carolina.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_15"></a>[15]</span>Smyth mentions that the James River lowgrounds produced -twenty-five, thirty, and sometimes thirty-five bushels -of wheat from one of seed; the high land from eight to fifteen -for one. “Much about the same quantity of Indian corn -is produced from an acre, according to the quality and excellence -of the soil, though it does not require more than a peck -of seed to plant it. The produce of an acre in the culture of -tobacco, in the best land, is about 1,660 pounds weight; on -the worst about 500 pounds weight. An acre always contains -nearly 1,250 hills of Indian corn, with two, three, and -sometimes in strong land, four stalks in each hill, or about -5,000 plants of tobacco.”</p> - -<p>In the summer-time, says Captain Smyth, the average -planter “rises in the morning about 6 o’clock [the very rich -men, he says, rose at 9]; he then drinks a julep, made of -rum, water and sugar, but very strong; then he walks, or -more generally rides, round his plantation, views all his stock -and all his crop, breakfasts about 10 o’clock on cold turkey, -cold meat, fried hominy, toast and cyder, ham, bread and -butter, tea, coffee or chocolate, which last, however, is seldom -tasted but by the women; the rest of the day he spends in -much the same manner before described [i. e., in trying to -keep cool]; he eats no supper; they never even think of it. -The women very seldom drink tea in the afternoon, the men -never.”</p> - -<p>Captain Smyth, as already described (following his tour -as he gives it), landed at Norfolk, saw Williamsburg, Richmond -and Petersburg, and from Petersburg set out for Halifax, -in North Carolina. From Halifax he took the Hillsborough<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_16"></a>[16]</span> -Road and thence passed to Camden, in South Carolina, -coming back to Hillsborough as a base from whence to -proceed to Kentucky, better known at that time as Henderson’s -Settlement. Smyth saw Judge Henderson<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[B]</a> in North -Carolina, and had much talk with him, thought him an extraordinary -man, and became curious to see the wonderful -country beyond the Holston and the Big Sandy, the proprietary -regions of Western Virginia. “From the conversation -I had with this very extraordinary person, Mr. Henderson, -I entertained a strong inclination to pay a visit to his domain; -which must certainly afford a large field for speculation -and enterprise, being situated in the very heart of the -continent of America, and in a great degree precluded from -the general intercourse of the rest of mankind, being likewise -several hundred miles from any other settlement.” This -was before the establishment of the county of Kentucky in -1776. After that year the number of emigrants from the -coast country was so large it is almost a matter of surprise -that anybody was left in Virginia east of the mountains.</p> - -<p>Smyth made a rather difficult journey from Hillsborough -to the North Carolina line. That was the back road in those -times, which the Southern Railway has done so much to develop -in recent years. In 1772 the road was scarcely a blazed -path through the woods. Near the North Carolina line Captain -Smyth stayed for about ten days at the upper and the -lower Sawra Towns, old Indian settlements south of Dan -River. “The whole settlement of the Lower Sawra Towns,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_17"></a>[17]</span> -being a vast body of excellent and most valuable land containing -33,000 acres, of which more than 9,000 are exceedingly -rich low grounds, is the property of Mr. Farley, of the -island of Antigua, in the West Indies. About the year 1761 -the whole of this extensive tract of land was sold to Mr. Maxwell, -who concluded the purchase without seeing it. In the -spring of the ensuing year he went out to view his new estate. -It happened just at that time that a prodigious flood -in the Dan had overspread the whole of the lowgrounds on -the river, of which near 10,000 acres were covered by the -inundation. This extraordinary circumstance and very awful -appearance astonished and intimidated Mr. Maxwell, who -on his return to Westover, expressing dissatisfaction with -his purchase, the £500 was returned to him. That same year -Mr. Farley, of Antigua, being on a visit in Virginia, immediately -offered £1,000 for the purchase, without ever having -seen it also; which offer was as readily accepted. In the year -1769 Mr. Farley’s son, James Farley, came into Virginia, -and ventured out that distance in the back country to view -the estate. After some difficulty in removing accidental -settlers, he divided the tract into numerous plantations and -farms which he rented out, keeping in his own hands a most -valuable, excellent tract, the choice of the whole. In short, -the value of this estate has augmented so exceedingly that in -the year 1772 Mr. Farley refused £28,000 for the purchase -of it.”</p> - -<p>This transaction is interesting enough, as showing what -the apparent opportunities were for land speculation in the -later colonial period, and yet how impossible it was for any<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_18"></a>[18]</span> -exclusive business of that sort to succeed on a large scale. -General Washington owned more than 500,000 acres of land -to the west, the proceeds of which to his estate were not very -considerable. Robert Morris, the shrewd financier, went -bankrupt in attempting to develop the western country as a -field for the operator in real estate. There was a continent -of land to be exploited, and it was very difficult to corner -even a small part of the market. The land could not be handled -as capital until a sufficient number of settlers had come -in, each contributing his accumulations to enhance the value -of the common stock. It was from the necessity of the case -a common stock at the first, and the pioneers were not long -in finding that out.</p> - -<p>In his journey to Kentucky, Captain Smyth happened -upon some of these pioneers. His observations confirm the -belief that the hero is a hero, but also a very fallible person. -“On the 15th day of May I took my leave of Mr. Bailey and -his family (at the Lower Sawra Towns), every one of whom -seemed to be really more concerned for my safety than I -could possibly have conceived, being all in tears and appearing -almost certain that I should be destroyed by the savages; -having used their most earnest persuasions and utmost endeavors -to change my resolution of proceeding on this journey. -The kind-hearted and truly amiable Miss Betsy Bailey -insisted on piloting me over the Dan herself, rather than any -of her brothers, although the ford at this place was exceedingly -rapid, rocky and dangerous. In a very few hours, by -pursuing the wrong path, I found myself in the woods without -any track whatever to direct my course, that in which I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_19"></a>[19]</span> -had been having terminated, being only made by the hogs, -which run wild almost all over America, and especially in -the Western frontiers. It is impossible for me to ascertain -how far I had traveled in this most disagreeable of all imaginable -situations, when all on a sudden, on the side of a -gentle ascent, I perceived a number of men sitting on the -ground, and such they were as I had never seen before, -painted black and red and all armed with firelocks and tomahawks.”</p> - -<p>These were Indians, and they were very hospitable to -Smyth. He gave them the stone buckle and gold lace from -the crown of his hat. “They seemed much pleased with the -present and made signs for me to sit down and eat with them. -This I readily complied with, and partook of a repast which -consisted of venison, kernels of hickory nuts and wallnuts, -all mixed together with wild honey, and every one eat with -his hands. Having a keen appetite I eat very heartily, which -seemed to afford a particular satisfaction to my hospitable -savage friends, for such indeed they were to me.” Smyth -spent the night with these warriors (they were really on the -war path), and the next morning one of them put him into -the way to Beaver Creek, upon Smith’s River, in what was -then Pittsylvania County.</p> - -<p>Along Leatherwood Creek, Captain Smyth, the bold tourist, -saw several fine plantations deserted of the owners. The -cattle and horses were wandering about and presented a very -mournful, melancholy appearance. Reports of the movements -of the Indians had driven the inhabitants to the fort -on Smith’s River. About eight miles beyond Leatherwood<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_20"></a>[20]</span> -Creek (Patrick Henry lived on that stream for a year or two -after the Revolution) a man appeared on horseback, whose -horse was covered with foam and sweat. He was astonished -beyond measure when Smyth told him he had come from the -Sawra Towns and had eaten and slept with a party of Indians. -“In riding about two or three miles further I at -length came to the fort itself, which contained all the inhabitants -of the country around. I was exceedingly happy at -the thought of being once more among inhabitants, but this -imaginary felicity was of very short duration, for when I -went to the gate of the fort expecting to go in, I was positively -refused admittance. They within insisted that I was -an enemy or a Frenchman because I had been in company -with the Indians and had escaped unmolested, and also as -my accent was different from theirs. This I found they were -informed of by the man I met on horseback, and who turned -back full speed as soon as I acquainted him of my having -been with the Indians. I continued to entreat for admittance -until they threatened to fire upon me if I did not retire, which -made me withdraw from the gate to consider what steps I -must pursue, for I never found myself in so singular and -unpleasant a predicament in my life. I wandered round and -round this fortress until night began to advance, and then -ventured to approach the gate once more. They again threatening -to shoot me, I assured them that I would as soon be -killed by them as by the Indians, and solemnly swore I would -set fire to the stockades. Upon this I was desired to wait a -few minutes, until they consulted together; at the conclusion<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_21"></a>[21]</span> -of which they agreed to admit me. The wicker gate was then -opened and I crept in.” The conditions inside, of necessity, -were not very agreeable.</p> - -<p>How exactly truthful Captain Smyth is it is not possible -to say. By his account after a few days at the fort he procured -a guide and set out for the mountains, regardless of -the Indians. He had heard of the Wart Mountain<a id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[C]</a> and -climbed that eminence for the view which, as he describes it, -was an amazing prospect. Doubtless with a map before him -he was able to include in his description more than the eye -fell upon. “Language fails in attempting to describe this -most astonishing and almost unbounded perspective. On -the east you could perceive the deep and broken chasms, -where the rivers Dan, Mayo, Smith’s, Bannister’s and Stanton -direct their courses; some raging in vast torrents and -some gliding in silent, gentle meanders. On the north you -see the Black Water, a branch of the Stanton; and the break -in the mountains where the Fluvannah, a vast branch of the -James, passes through. On the northwest you will observe -with great astonishment and pleasure the tremendous and -abrupt break in the Alegany Mountains, through which the -mighty waters of the New River and the Great Kanhawah -pass. On the west you can very plainly discover the three -forks or branches of the Holston, where they break through -the Great Alegany Mountains, and still beyond them you -may observe Clinch’s River or Pelisippi. On the south you -can see the Dan, the Catawba, the Yadkin and the Haw,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_22"></a>[22]</span> -breaking through the mighty mountains that appear in confused -heaps and piled on each other in every direction.” It -is safe to say that Smyth did not see all this. But the description -is interesting. Many voyagers to the West must -have beheld scenes comparable, with thoughts more or less -defined that here was a land for the possessing and a new -world indeed.</p> - -<p>From the Wart Mountain Captain Smyth continued, by -way of New River, the branches of the Holston (Stahlnaker’s -Settlement on the middle fork), Clinch River and -the Warrior’s branch to the Kentucky River. “In five more -easy days’ journeys, the particulars of which are not worth -relating, we at length arrived at the famed settlement near -the mouth of the Kentucky on the 8th day of June, after -having traveled at least 490 miles, from the fort on Smith’s -River, in nineteen days. I was soon directed to the house of -Mr. Henderson, where I found a most hospitable and kind -reception.”</p> - -<p>From that outpost of Virginia Captain Smyth passed -down the Ohio to the territories of Spain, along the Gulf -coast by water to East Florida, and so to Charleston.<a id="FNanchor_4" href="#Footnote_4" class="fnanchor">[D]</a></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_23"></a>[23]</span> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="II"><i>II.</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class="ph1"><i>THOMAS ANBUREY, AND THE CONVENTION -ARMY IN VIRGINIA.</i></p> - -<p class="ph1"><i>1779.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><i>Lieutenant Anburey—Progress of the Convention -Army—Winter Roads—Charlottesville—Colonel -Harvey—The Piedmont Plantation—Roundabout -Directions—The Quarter-Race—Richmond—Forest -Fire—Barrack Cats.</i></p></div></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">GENERAL BURGOYNE, of amiable qualities but of -no great skill as a commander, having had the misfortune -to lose his army at Saratoga, in the month of -October, 1777, a convention was agreed upon, stipulating the -treatment to be accorded the defeated troops. Thereafter, -until exchanged, these Saratoga troops were known among -themselves as the Convention Army. The art of saving one’s -face is one of the most intricate yet in existence. Young -Thomas Anburey, who was perhaps a lieutenant in the Twenty-ninth -Regiment of Foot under General Burgoyne, surrendered -with his brother officers, and with them was sent -first to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and later to Virginia. Anburey, -a very cheerful young person, kept a sort of journal of -his military and other travels in America, and worked up his -notes into the form of letters to a friend. His observations<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_24"></a>[24]</span> -are not profound, but are marked by good sense and ingenuousness, -and make much better reading than more pretentious -narratives.<a id="FNanchor_5" href="#Footnote_5" class="fnanchor">[E]</a></p> - -<p>After being quartered for more than a year in Massachusetts, -Anburey and his friends were sent South, in order to -shift the incidence of taxation in the matter of subsistence -for so many able-bodied men, numbers of whom (the Hessians, -for instance) no doubt had in America their first opportunity -of getting at least one square meal a day. “Especially -the Germans,” says Anburey, “who seeing in what a comfortable -manner their countrymen live, left us in great numbers, -as we marched through New York, the Jerseys and Pennsylvania; -among the number of deserters is my servant, who, -as we left Lancaster, ran from me with my horse, portmanteau, -and everything he could take with him.” It was at -best a strange spectacle, this of an army of desirable citizens -marching captive through an abounding wilderness, and -merely on parole.</p> - -<p>From Lancaster the Convention Army moved to Frederick -Town, in Maryland, where they spent Christmas Day, 1778. -The commissary of provisions at Frederick, Mr. McMurdo, -was very polite to the officers quartered at his house. Anburey -says: “His attention was such that although for this -day (which is as much a day of festival as in England), he -had been engaged for some time past among his friends and -relations, he would stay at home and entertain us with an -excellent Christmas dinner, not even forgetting plum pudding. -I now experienced what had been often told me, that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_25"></a>[25]</span> -the further I went to the southward I should find the inhabitants -possess more liberality and hospitality.” Anburey’s -impressions of the North, of course, were formed rather precipitately -at Saratoga.</p> - -<p>Charlottesville, almost a frontier town then, was the destination -of the Convention Army. “After we left Frederick -Town we crossed the Potowmack River with imminent danger, -as the current was very rapid, large floats of ice swimming -down it; though the river was only half a mile wide, -the scow that I crossed over in had several narrow escapes. -At one time it was quite fastened in the ice, but by great exertions -of the men in breaking it, we made good our landing -on the opposite shore, near a mile lower than the ferry.” -And the river crossed, hardships only increased on the Virginia -side. The roads were bad from a late fall of snow not -sufficiently encrusted to bear a man’s weight. The troops -were continually sinking in mud up to their knees and cutting -their shins and ankles; and after a march of sixteen or -eighteen miles over such badly metalled roads, the men often -had to sleep in the woods and the officers in any cabin available.</p> - -<p>“But on our arrival at Charlottesville no pen can describe -the scene of misery and confusion that ensued. The officers -of the First and Second Brigade were in the town, and our -arrival added to their distress. This famous place we had -heard so much of consisted only of a courthouse, one tavern, -and about a dozen houses, all of which were crowded with -officers. Those of our brigade, therefore, were obliged to -ride about the country and entreat the inhabitants to take us -in.” The men fared very badly. Instead of sleeping on the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_26"></a>[26]</span> -snow, under the trees, they went into barracks, hastily covering -over a few cabins which had been begun but were left -unroofed, and half-filled with snow. The trouble was that -Colonel Harvey, to whom Congress had assigned the business -of getting quarters ready for the tourists, had in turn placed -his brother in charge. Colonel Harvey’s brother said that the -army was not expected until the spring. There was no whiskey -provided, the stock of provisions was scant, and the quarters -were as described of the fretwork description.</p> - -<p>“As to the officers, upon signing a parole they might go -to Richmond and other adjacent towns to procure themselves -quarters. Accordingly a parole was signed, which allowed a -circuit of near 100 miles. And after the officers had drawn -lots, as three were to remain in the barracks with the men, -or at Charlottesville, the principal part of them set off for -Richmond, and many of them are at plantations twenty or -thirty miles from the barracks. I was quartered, with four -other officers of our regiment, at Jones’s Plantation, about -twenty miles from the barracks. The face of the country -appears an immense forest, interspersed with various plantations, -four or five miles distant from each other. On these -there is a dwelling house in the centre, with kitchens, smoke-house -and outhouses detached, and from the various buildings -each plantation has the appearance of a small village. -At some little distance from the houses are peach and apple -orchards, and scattered over the plantation are the cabins -and tobacco houses.” The worm fence was an object of -wonder to every foreigner, and yet in a country of abundant -timber the most natural thing in the world. Anburey mentions<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_27"></a>[27]</span> -that in the New England settlements (where the holdings -were smaller and fences could be made with more particularity) -the inhabitants had a saying, “He is making Virginia -fences,” used of a man not sober, but able to walk, as -it were.</p> - -<p>Anburey was twice at Richmond, once in the winter and -once in the summer of 1779. The neighboring gentlemen -were very hospitable, and would not let him leave until he -had visited the whole circle. He speaks especially of Warwick -and “Tuckahoe.” The proprietor of “Tuckahoe” was -threatened with the burning of valuable mills because an -English officer had been made welcome. It was an idle threat. -On the way to Richmond, by the road through Goochland -Courthouse, Anburey met that perennial, the celebrated -roundabout directions: “If perchance you meet an inhabitant -and enquire your way, his directions are, if possible, more -perplexing than the roads themselves, for he tells you to keep -the right-hand path, then you’ll come to an old field; you are -to cross that, and then you’ll come to the fence of such a one’s -plantation; then keep that fence, and you’ll come to a road -that has three forks; keep the right-hand fork for about half -a mile, and then you’ll come to a creek; after you cross that -creek you must turn to the left, and there you’ll come to a -tobacco house; after you have passed that you’ll come to another -road that forks; keep the right-hand fork, and then -you’ll come to Mr. Such-a-One’s ordinary, and he will direct -you.” The fact of such directions as these, and the use made -of them, are to be explained when we remember that the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_28"></a>[28]</span> -backwoodsman carries a map in his head, whereas the cockney’s -brain is damaged by the use of maps.</p> - -<p>In the woods the Convention officer came upon a track for -quarter-racing. “Near most of the ordinaries there is a piece -of ground cleared in the woods for that purpose, where there -are two paths, about six or eight yards asunder, which the -horses run in. I think I can, without the slightest exaggeration, -assert that even the famous Eclipse could not excel them -in speed, for our horses are some time before they are able -to get into full speed; but these are trained to set out in that -manner the moment of starting. It is the most ridiculous -amusement imaginable, for if you happen to be looking another -way, the race is terminated before you can turn your -head; notwithstanding which, very considerable sums are -betted at these races. Only in the interior parts of this province -are these races held, for they are much laughed at and -ridiculed by the people in the lower parts, about Richmond -and other great towns. At Williamsburg is a very excellent -course for two, three or four-mile heats.”</p> - -<p>On his summer trip to Richmond, Anburey was struck by -the numbers of peach orchards in full fruit—“it is deemed -no trespass to stop and refresh yourself and your horse with -them”—and by the sight of a family leaving a most comfortable -house and good plantation to set out for Kentucky over -the mountains. The summer of 1779 apparently was a good -peach season, and a bad season in the item of forest fires. -“The town of Richmond, as well as the plantations around -for some miles, has been in imminent danger; as the woods -have been on fire, which for some time past has raged with<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_29"></a>[29]</span> -great fury, and that element seemed to threaten universal -destruction; but, providentially, before it had done any material -damage there fell a very heavy rain, which, nevertheless, -has not altogether extinguished it [July 14, 1779]. -During the summer months these fires are very frequent, -and at Charlottesville I have seen the mountains on a blaze -for three or four miles in length. They are occasioned by -the carelessness of waggoners.”</p> - -<p>During the winter of 1779 the Convention Army at Charlottesville -lost heavily by desertion. “I should observe that -this desertion is among the British troops. For what reason -it is impossible to say, the Americans shew more indulgence -to the Germans, permitting them to go round the country to -labor, and being for the most part expert handicraftsmen, -they realize a great deal of money exclusive of their pay.”</p> - -<p>The officers made themselves pretty comfortable. They -put up a coffee house, a theatre and a cold bath. Anburey -made, or had made, a drawing entitled “Encampment of the -Convention Army at Charlottes Ville, in Virginia, after they -had surrendered to the Americans.” In this interesting print -it is difficult to distinguish the theatre, but the coffee house -is easily found.</p> - -<p>September, 1780, when orders came to move to the North -again, the officers were loath to go. They had understood that -they were to remain at Charlottesville until exchanged. Several -of them “had laid out great sums in making themselves -comfortable habitations; for the barracks became a little -town, and there being more society, most of the officers had -resorted there. The great objection to residing at them on<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_30"></a>[30]</span> -our first arrival, was on account of the confined situation, -being not only surrounded, but even in the woods themselves. -The proprietor of the estate will reap great advantages, as -the army entirely cleared a space of six miles in circumference -around the barracks. After we quitted the barracks, -the inhabitants were near a week in destroying the cats that -were left behind, which impelled by hunger had gone into -the woods. There was reason to suppose they would become -extremely wild and ferocious and would be a great annoyance -to their poultry.”</p> - -<p>The Convention Army, crossing the “Pignet Ridge, or -more properly, the Blue Mountains,” at Wood’s Gap, moved -to Winchester, and thence, recrossing the Ridge at Williams’s -Gap, proceeded to Frederick Town, and so to New York to -take ship.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_31"></a>[31]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="III"><i>III.</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class="ph1"><i>THE ABBÉ ROBIN, ONE OF THE CHAPLAINS -TO THE FRENCH ARMY IN AMERICA.</i></p> - -<p class="ph1"><i>1781.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><i>‘New Travels in America’—From Rhode Island to -Maryland—Annapolis—The French Army in the -Chesapeake—M. de La Fayette—Williamsburg—Tobacco—Yorktown -after Siege—Billetting of -the French Troops.</i></p></div></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">THE FRENCH ARMY, after a voyage of eighty-five -days, landed at Boston June 24, 1781. With it came -the Abbé Robin, a philosopher who was more than -once in America and has left recorded descriptions of Louisiana -as well as of the Atlantic Coast. The Abbé Robin was -a genial, generalizing observer—his New Travels in America<a id="FNanchor_6" href="#Footnote_6" class="fnanchor">[F]</a> -is an interesting book, particularly in its passages with -a bearing upon the activities and the good behavior of the -Allies from France. We learn therein how the French introduced -among us the brass band and set on foot improvements -in the art of the dance: they also brought us to a -knowledge of the ancient diversion faro.</p> - -<p>The New Travels of the Abbé Robin, like so many other -travellers’ books of that period, are in the form of letters to -a friend. The author proceeded with the Army from Boston -to Providence, through Connecticut (where he was struck<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_32"></a>[32]</span> -with traces of the “active and inventive genius” of the inhabitants), -to the Camp at Philippsburg, down the Hudson -into the Jerseys, past Philadelphia and Baltimore. He -writes:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p class="right">Annapolis, September 21, 1781.</p> - -<p>The army was to prosecute the rest of the march to Virginia -by land, and with that view took the road leading to -Alexandria, a flourishing commercial town upon the Potomack; -but upon the news of the arrival of the <i>Romulus</i> ship -of war, with two frigates and a number of transports, we -turned off towards Annapolis, but the horses and carriages -continued their journey by land.</p> - -<p>As we advance towards the south we observe a sensible -difference in the manners and customs of the people. This -opulence was particularly observable at Annapolis. That -very inconsiderable town, standing at the mouth of the river -Severn, where it falls into the bay, out of the few buildings -it contains, has at least three-fourths such as may be styled -elegant and grand. The state-house is a very beautiful building, -I think the most so of any I have seen in America. The -peristyle is set off with pillars, and the edifice is topped with -a dome.</p> - -<p>We are embarking with the greatest expedition; the -weather is the finest you can conceive, and the wind fair: I -think the impatience of the French will soon be at an end.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="right">Williamsburgh, September 30, 1781.</p> - -<p>The army has had a very agreeable passage hither, except -the grenadiers, chasseurs, and the first American regiments<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_33"></a>[33]</span> -[these sailed from the Head of Elk], who were fourteen days -on the water. Judge how inconvenient this must have been -to troops crowded into a narrow space, and without any decks -over them; while even the officers had nothing but biscuit to -live upon. The shores of this Bay, which is formed by the -influx of so many great rivers, are far from being lofty, -neither are they much cleared of woods, and it is but rarely -that you discover any habitations; but the few we saw were -very agreeably situated. This country will be, in time, one -of the most beautiful in the world.</p> - -<p>When our little fleet had sailed up James River, celebrated -for the excellent tobacco which grows upon its shores, we -disembarked at James-Town, the place where the English -first established themselves in Virginia. The troops have -already joined the grenadiers, chasseurs, and the three thousand -men brought hither by Count de Grasse, consisting of -the regiments of Agenois, Gatinois and Touraine, under the -command of Mons. de St. Simon, Maréchal de Camp. This -General had a little before effected a junction with fifteen -hundred or two thousand Americans, commanded by M. le -Marquis de la Fayette, who, as you have heard, could never -be reduced, notwithstanding the forces of Cornwallis were -three or four times his number. I should have mentioned, -that M. de la Fayette, in quality of Major-General of an -American army, at the age of twenty-four years, found himself -at this time superior in command to a French general -officer, and continued so until the other detachments of the -army were collected into one body under General Washington.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_34"></a>[34]</span>Williamsburg does not contain above a hundred and fifty -houses, and is the only town we have yet seen in Virginia -worth mentioning not situated on the banks of any river. -What makes the situation of this place valuable, is the neighbourhood -of James and York rivers, between which grows -the best tobacco in the whole State, and for this reason it -seems to have been built where it is: I do not think, nevertheless, -that it will ever be a place of any great importance; the -towns of York, James, Norfolk, and Edenton, being more -favourably situated for trade, will undoubtedly eclipse it.</p> - -<p>With the most lively satisfaction I contemplated these -monuments of the real glory of men, the college and the -library; and while I contemplated them, they recalled to my -mind places and persons most intimately connected with my -heart. The tumult of arms has driven from hence those who -had the care of these philosophical instruments, for the -Muses, you know, take no pleasure but in the abodes of peace: -We could only meet with one solitary professor, of Italian -extraction; and I can not but say, his conversation and abilities -appeared to be such, that after what he had told us in -commendation of his brethren, we could not help regretting -their absence.</p> - -<p>About Williamsburg and the shores of the bay, the land is -covered with trees yielding rozin; the meadows and marshes -subsist great numbers of excellent horses, which far exceed -those of the other states in point of beauty: vast quantities -of hemp are raised here, as well as flax, Indian corn and -cotton: the cotton shrubs produce annually, and at the first -view we took them for beans in blossom. Silk worms succeed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_35"></a>[35]</span> -here very well, and it is not improbable but they may -at some future time form one of the most considerable -branches of trade in this State. The commodity most in -demand is tobacco; you well know the character it has, and -for common use it may be considered as the best in the world. -What the English imported yearly from this State, and from -Maryland, might have amounted to about ninety-six thousand -hogsheads; but among themselves they did not consume -one sixth part of that quantity, and either disposed of the -rest among us, or exported it to the north [of Europe]; judge -then how valuable this commerce was to that nation. They -purchased it here at the very lowest rate, taking it in exchange -for their broad-clothes, linen and hard wares, and -selling again for ready money what they did not want for -their own home consumption, and thus they increased their -capital every year to the amount of eight or nine millions. -No other of their possessions, not even those in India, ever -afforded them so clear a profit. Three hundred and thirty -vessels, and about four thousand sailors were constantly employed -in this trade: of these the city of Glasgow, in Scotland, -owned the greatest part, and by that means supported -its flourishing manufactures, which were perhaps more considerable -than those of any town in England.</p> - -<p>Since the war, the tobacco exportation has been only about -forty thousand hogsheads annually; what advantages then -would have accrued to the English, could they have sooner -made themselves masters of Chesapeake-bay. There are now -fifty or sixty vessels collected at York, under the cannon of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_36"></a>[36]</span> -Cornwallis, sent on purpose to load with this weed, which -three fourths and a half of the human race take such supreme -delight in chewing, snuffing or smoking.</p> - -<p>The army is at present before York. We hear the reports -of the cannon very distinctly; and I am now going to join -the troops, where I think I shall shortly have something very -interesting to impart to you.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="right">Camp at York, November 6, 1781.</p> - -<p>I have been through the unfortunate little town of York -since the siege, and saw many elegant houses shot through -and through in a thousand places, and ready to crumble to -pieces; rich household furniture crushed under their ruins, -or broken by the brutal English soldier; carcases of men and -horses half covered with dirt: books piled in heaps, and -scattered among the ruins of the buildings, served to give -me an idea of the tastes and morals of the inhabitants; these -were either treatises of religion or controversial divinity; -the <i>history</i> of the English nation, and their foreign settlements; -collections of charters and acts of parliament; the -works of the celebrated <i>Alexander Pope</i>; a translation of -<i>Montaigne’s Essays</i>; <i>Gil Blas de Santillane</i>, and the excellent -<i>Essay upon Women</i>, by <i>Mr. Thomas</i>.</p> - -<p>The plan of the fortifications for the defence of York and -Glocester has been entirely changed; they are drawing them -into a narrower compass than before, have destroyed the English -works, and are busy at constructing new ones. The travelling -artillery is partly at Williamsburg and partly at York;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_37"></a>[37]</span> -and the heavy cannon is at West Point (called <i>Delaware</i> in -the maps), a place situated between the two rivers that form -that of York.</p> - -<p>On the twenty-fourth [of October] the troops began to go -into winter quarters. The regiments of Bourbonnais and -Royal Deux Ponts are at Williamsburg, where our head -Quarters are fixed. The regiments of Soissonnais, and the -grenadier companies, and Chasseurs of Saintonge are at -York. The rest of the regiment of Saintonge is billetted -about in the country betwixt York and Hampton; and this -latter place, situated on James River, is occupied by the -Legion of Lauzun.</p> - -<p>This great and happy event, in which the French have had -so considerable a share, will soon give a new turn to American -affairs. The Southern States, so long harassed and -distrest, will now assume new spirit and activity. To what -a pitch of grandeur will not these new states shortly arise.</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Note.</span>—In his second letter the Abbé mentions M. de St. Simon. This -was the philosopher, whose plans for reorganizing society are still of -interest.</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_38"></a>[38]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_39"></a>[39]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="IV"><i>IV.</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class="ph1"><i>THE MARQUIS OF CHASTELLUX, MAJOR-GENERAL -IN THE FRENCH ARMY, AND -MEMBER OF THE FRENCH ACADEMY.</i></p> - -<p class="ph1"><i>1782.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><i>M. de Chastellux—Tour to the Natural Bridge—New -Kent Court House—Hanover Court House—Offley—Secretary -Nelson—Willis’ Ordinary—Monticello—New -London—Cumberland Court -House—Petersburg—Richmond—Formicola’s—Governor -Harrison—College of William and -Mary.</i></p></div></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">“FROM the moment the French troops were established -in the quarters they occupied in Virginia, I formed -the project of traveling into the upper parts of that -province, where I was assured that I should find objects worthy -of exciting the curiosity of a stranger; and faithful to -the principles, which from my youth I had laid down, never -to neglect seeing every country in my power, I burned with -impatience to set out. The season, however, was unfavorable, -and rendered traveling difficult and laborious; besides, -experience taught me that traveling in winter never offered -the greatest satisfaction we can enjoy—that of seeing Nature -as she ought to be, and of forming a just idea of the general -face of a country; for it is easier for the imagination to deprive<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_40"></a>[40]</span> -the landscape of the charms of spring than to clothe -with them the hideous skeleton of winter; as it is easier to -imagine what a beauty at eighteen may be at eighty, than to -conceive what eighty was at eighteen.”</p> - -<p>In these words, the Marquis of Chastellux, writing from -Williamsburg about the 1st of May, 1782, begins the chronicle -of his tour to the Valley of Virginia. He was in America -with the army perhaps two years, during which time he -sustained his reputation as a capable officer, an agreeable -man, and a philosopher of tolerant insight. M. de Chastellux -was a good traveler. In the country, if the bacon and -eggs were stale and the vintage was spring water of the -morning, he found something to admire in the landscape. -At Philadelphia he dined with members of the Congress, of -all parties, listened to political theories, drank tea with the -ladies, was easily amused and formed opinions which may be -discovered on a careful reading. Where is there a more sensible -man than the old campaigner? The Marquis of Chastellux -entered the army at fifteen, and was given command -of a regiment at twenty-one. He served with distinction in -the Seven Years’ War. His studies were never neglected, -and being a man of rank he was early adopted among the -scholars.</p> - -<p>On the 8th of April, 1782, M. de Chastellux set out from -Williamsburg for Rockbridge County. “On the 8th I set -out with Mr. Lynch, then my aid-de-camp and adjutant, Mr. -Frank Dillon, my second aid-de-camp, and M. le Chevalier -d’Oyré, of the Engineers. Six servants and a led horse composed -our train, so that our little caravan consisted of four<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_41"></a>[41]</span> -masters, six servants and eleven horses. I regulated my -journey by the spring, and gave it time sufficient to precede -us. The eighteen miles through which we passed before we -baited our horses at Bird’s Tavern were sufficiently known -to me, for it was the same road I traveled the year before in -coming from Williamsburg. The remaining sixteen, which -completed our day’s work and brought us to New Kent -Courthouse, offered nothing curious. All I learned by a -conversation with Mr. Bird was that he had been pillaged by -the English when they passed his house in their march to -Westover in pursuit of M. de la Fayette, and in returning -to Williamsburg after endeavoring in vain to come up with -him. Mr. Bird repeated with indignation that the refugee -camp followers had taken from him the very boots from off -his legs. As the next day’s journey was to be longer than -that of the preceding one, we left New Kent Courthouse before -8 o’clock, and rode twenty miles to Newcastle, where I -resolved to give our horses two hours repose. When the heat -was a little abated and our horses were somewhat reposed we -continued our journey that we might arrive before dark at -Hanover Courthouse, from which we were yet sixteen miles. -The country through which we passed is one of the finest of -lower Virginia. There are many well cultivated estates and -handsome houses. We arrived at Hanover Courthouse before -sunset, and alighted at a tolerable handsome inn—a very -large saloon and a covered portico to receive the company -who assemble every three months at the courthouse, either -on private or public affairs. This asylum is the more necessary, -as there are no other houses in the neighborhood.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_42"></a>[42]</span>From Hanover Courthouse, which, as well as New Kent, -had reason to remember the passage of the English, the party -proceeded at 9 the next morning towards Offley, the residence -for the time of General Nelson, recently Governor of the -State. “I had got acquainted with him during the expedition -to York, at which critical moment he was Governor, and -conducted himself with the courage of a brave soldier and -the zeal of a good citizen. I am sorry to add that the only -recompense of his labors was the hatred of a great part of his -fellow citizens, arising from the necessity under which he -had often labored of pressing their horses, carriages and -forage.”</p> - -<p>M. de Chastellux and his aids arrived at Offley at 1 o’clock -on the 10th of April, and spent two rainy days there. General -Nelson was absent, but Secretary Nelson was there, an -old man very gouty, who related with a serene countenance -what the effect had been of the French batteries in front of -Yorktown. “The tranquility which has succeeded these unhappy -times by giving him leisure to reflect upon his losses, -has not embittered the recollection; he lives happily on one -of his plantations, where in less than six hours he can assemble -seventy of his relations, children, grandchildren, nephews -and nieces. The rapid increase of his own family justifies -what he told me of the population of Virginia in general, of -which, from the offices he has held all his life, he must have -it in his power to form a very accurate judgment. In 1742 -the people subject to taxes in Virginia amounted only to the -number of 63,000; by his account they now exceed 160,000.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_43"></a>[43]</span>“After passing two days very agreeably with this interesting -family, we left there the 12th at 10 in the morning, accompanied -by the secretary and five or six of his young relations, -who conducted us to Little River Bridge, a small creek -on the road about five miles from Offley.”</p> - -<p>Eleven miles through woods brought them to Willis’s Ordinary, -a solitary place, but at the moment crowded. “As -soon as I alighted I inquired what might be the reason of this -numerous assembly, and was informed it was a cock fight. -This diversion is much in vogue in Virginia, where the English -customs are more prevalent than in the rest of America. -Whilst our horses were feeding we had an opportunity of -seeing a battle. The stakes were very considerable; the -money of the parties was deposited in the hands of one of -the principal persons, and I felt a secret pleasure in observing -that it was chiefly French. Whilst the interested parties -animated the cocks to battle, a child of fifteen, who was near -me, kept leaping for joy and crying, ‘Oh, it is a charming -diversion.’ We had yet seven or eight and twenty miles to -ride to the only inn where it was possible to stop before we -reached Mr. Jefferson’s.”</p> - -<p>Keeping on towards Monticello, the party passed an ordinary, -some sixteen miles from Willis’s, kept by an extremely -fat man. They found him contented in an arm chair, which -served him also for a bed. A stool supported his enormous -legs. “A large ham and a bowl of grog served him for company, -like a man resolved to die surrounded by his friends.”</p> - -<p>They spent the night twelve miles farther on at a house -where there were fourteen children, not one of them ten years<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_44"></a>[44]</span> -old; and set out at 8 o’clock the next morning through the -foothills of the Southwest Mountain. That day, the 13th -of April (an important day with Mr. Jefferson) they came -to Monticello. “The visit which I made Mr. Jefferson was -not unexpected, for he had long since invited me to come and -pass a few days with him; notwithstanding which I found -his first appearance serious, nay even cold; but before I had -been two hours with him we were as intimate as if we had -passed our whole lives together. Walking, books, but above -all a conversation always varied and interesting, made four -days pass away like so many minutes. I recollect with pleasure -that as we were conversing one evening over a bowl of -punch, after Mrs. Jefferson had retired, our conversation -turned on the poems of Ossian. In our enthusiasm the book -was sent for and placed near the bowl, where by their mutual -aid the night far advanced imperceptibly upon us. Sometimes -natural philosophy, at others politics or the arts, were -the topics of our conversation, for no object had escaped -Mr. Jefferson; and it seemed as if from his youth he had -placed his mind, as he had his house, on an elevated situation, -from which he might contemplate the universe.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Jefferson and M. de Chastellux rode over to Charlottesville, -“a rising town,” to see Colonel Armand,<a id="FNanchor_7" href="#Footnote_7" class="fnanchor">[G]</a> whose -legion was in quarters there. Colonel Armand had a pet -wolf which had been caught wild in the neighborhood. M. -de Chastellux left Monticello on the 17th, and on the 19th -arrived at the Natural Bridge, by way of Rockfish Gap and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_45"></a>[45]</span> -Steel’s Tavern. Returning by way of New London (Bedford), -“already a pretty considerable town, at least seventy -or eighty houses,” the party of tourists reached Cumberland -Courthouse on the 23d. “This is the chief manor house -of a very considerable country; it is situated in a plain of -about a mile diameter, sixteen miles from Hodnett’s, which -we had passed. Besides the courthouse and a large tavern, -its necessary appendage, there are seven or eight houses inhabited -by gentlemen of fortune. I found the tavern full of -people, and understood that the judges were assembled to -hold a court of claims—that is to say, to hear and register -the claims of sundry persons, who had furnished provisions -for the army. We know that in general, but particularly in -unexpected invasions, the American troops had no established -magazine, and as it was necessary to have subsistence for -them, provisions and forage were indiscriminately laid hold -of on giving the owners a receipt, which they call a certificate. -During the campaign, whilst the enemy was at hand, -little attention was given to this sort of loans, which accumulated -incessantly, without the sum total being known, or any -means taken to ascertain the proofs. Virginia being at length -loaded with these certificates, it became necessary, sooner or -later, to liquidate these accounts.</p> - -<p>“The last Assembly of the State of Virginia had accordingly -thought proper to pass a bill, authorizing the justices -of each county to take cognizance of these certificates, to authenticate -their validity, and to register them, specifying -the value of the provisions in money, according to the established -tariff. I had the curiosity to go to the courthouse to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_46"></a>[46]</span> -see how this affair was transacted, and saw it was performed -with great order and simplicity. The justices wore their -common clothes, but were seated on an elevated tribunal, as -at London in the court of King’s bench or common pleas. -We had rode forty-four miles, and night was closing fast -upon us when we arrived at Powhatan Courthouse, a more -recent settlement than that of Cumberland. We had a good -supper and good beds, but our horses were obliged to do -without forage.”</p> - -<p>Early in the morning of the 24th they left Powhatan, and -rode forty-four miles to Petersburg, passing Chesterfield -Courthouse, where were still to be seen the ruins of the barracks -occupied by the Baron Steuben and burned by the English. -At Petersburg M. de Chastellux called at ‘Battersea’ -and was entertained at ‘Bollingbrook.’ The town is described -as already flourishing, and destined to become more so every -day—the depot for a vast region to the south. “Five miles -from Petersburg we passed the small river of Randolph over -a stone bridge, and traveling through a rich and well peopled -country, arrived at a fork of roads, where we were unlucky -enough precisely to make choice of that which did not -lead to Richmond, the place of our destination. But we had -no reason to regret our error, as it was only two miles about -and we skirted James River to a charming place called Warwick, -where a group of handsome houses form a sort of village, -and there are several superb ones in the neighborhood. -As we had lost our way and traveled but slowly, it was near -3 o’clock when we reached Manchester, a sort of suburb to -Richmond, on the right bank of the river, where you pass<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_47"></a>[47]</span> -the ferry. The passage was short, there being two boats for -the accommodation of travelers. Richmond is divided into -three parts. I was conducted to that on the west, where I -found a good inn. Mr. Formicola, my landlord, is a Neapolitan, -who came to Virginia with Lord Dunmore, but had gone -rather roundabout, having been before in Russia. His only -error was the exalted idea he had formed of the manner in -which French general officers must be treated. After dinner -I went to pay a visit to Mr. Harrison, then Governor of the -State. He talked much of the first Congress in America, in -which he sat for two years. This subject led us naturally to -that which is the most favorite topic among the Americans—the -origin and commencement of the present revolution.”</p> - -<p>This conversation with Governor Harrison, other conversations, -and M. de Chastellux’s own careful observations led -him to form opinions about Virginia, then the most influential -of the States, which were correct enough. His analysis -was a forecast. There can be found no better summary of -conditions in Virginia at that time, the statement of a man -of great good sense and a wide experience of men and affairs. -He remarks: “One must be in the country itself, one must -be acquainted with the language, and take a pleasure in conversing -and in listening, to be qualified to form, and that -slowly, a proper opinion and a decisive judgment. After -this reflection the reader will not be surprised at the pleasure -I took in conversing with Mr. Harrison. He urged me to -dine with him next day, and to pass another day at Richmond. -We set out, however, on the 27th, at 8 in the morning -for Westover. We traveled six and twenty miles without<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_48"></a>[48]</span> -halting, in very hot weather, but by a very agreeable road, -with magnificent houses in view at every instant; for the -banks of James River form the garden of Virginia.</p> - -<p>“It is not by accident,” observes the Marquis of Chastellux, -writing at Williamsburg, May 1, 1782, “that I have -postponed the consideration of everything respecting the -progress of the arts and sciences in this country until the -conclusion of my reflections on Virginia; I have done it expressly -because the mind, after bestowing its attention on -the variety of human institutions, reposes itself with pleasure -on those which tend to the perfection of the understanding, -and the progress of information. The College of William -and Mary, whose founders are announced by the very -name, is a noble establishment which embellishes Williamsburg -and does honor to Virginia. I must add that the zeal -of the professors has been crowned with the most distinguished -success, and that they have already formed many -distinguished characters, ready to serve their country in the -various departments of government. After doing justice to -the exertions of the University of Williamsburgh, for such -is the College of William and Mary, if it be necessary for -its farther glory to cite miracles, I shall only observe that -they created me a doctor of laws.”</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_49"></a>[49]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="V"><i>V.</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class="ph1"><i>DR. JOHANN DAVID SCHOEPF, SURGEON -TO THE HESSIAN TROOPS.</i></p> - -<p class="ph1"><i>1783.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><i>Dr. Schoepf—Leesburg—Plantation Houses—The -Price of Land—Fredericksburg—Hunter’s Iron-Works—Richmond—The -General Assembly—The -Tavern Formicola—Manchester—Mr. Rubsamen—Williamsburg—Yorktown -or Little York—Surry -Court House—Smithfield—The Nation of -Virginia—Suffolk—The Trade in Salt.</i></p></div></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">DR. JOHANN DAVID SCHOEPF was born at Weinsiedel -in 1752 and died in the year 1800. He studied -medicine at Hof, Erlangen, Berlin and Vienna, then -traveled in Russia, Italy and Switzerland, and made his degree -in medicine at Erlangen in 1776. That year he came -to America as surgeon to the Hessian troops in the British -army. In 1784 he went to London and traveled through -England and in France, Spain and Italy. He published in -1787 a <i>Materia Medica Americana</i>. Dr. Schoepf was particularly -interested in scientific matters, was an accurate -observer of things and of people, and his book is one of the -best of the early travels in this country. These volumes have -now been translated, and the account given below is a modification. -Dr. Schoepf approached Virginia from the north, -coming through Western Maryland.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_50"></a>[50]</span>“By this road Leesburg is the first town on the Virginia -side, a place of few houses, small and wooden. On account -of the high, pleasant and healthful situation a Latin school -has been established here. An advertisement of this institution -was to be seen on the tavern door, recommending it in a -handsome style to the public, which should give it patronage, -since schools hitherto, except in the chief cities, are scarce -enough in America. It is not the universal custom in America -to hang shields before the inns, but inns may always be -identified by the great number of papers and notices with -which the walls and doors of these public houses are plastered—and -the best inns are in general the most papered. -From such announcements the traveler gets a many-sided -entertainment, and gains instruction as to where taxes are -heavy, where wives have eloped or horses been stolen, and -where the new doctor has settled.</p> - -<p>“Along the road from Leesburg towards Fredericksburg -there was not a little difference to be remarked between the -appearance of the country and the thickly settled regions of -Piedmont Maryland and Pennsylvania, through which we -had just passed. It was strange to see so much wild and -newly cleared ground, due not to any unfertility of the soil, -but to the large estates whose owners were unwilling to sell -and found it difficult to secure tenants where there is so much -land to be had almost for the asking. And the contrast in -the appearance of the plantations, after the Potomac is -crossed, is rather striking. In this part of Virginia, as in -lower Maryland, the farmer builds a small village about him. -In some cases, however, all of his buildings would scarcely<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_51"></a>[51]</span> -make one comfortable house. From the time of his first -clearing he is continually adding, and his plan may be not -a very good one. We passed Moore’s Tavern and the Red -House (30 miles from Goose Creek), and skirting the Bull -Run Mountains, approached the strictly tobacco country. -Fairly good tobacco is raised to the west along the foothills, -but the profit is trifling on account of the heavy expense of -carriage to warehouses whence it can be taken off by the European -ships. In this region the crop had been greatly damaged -by an August frost. The loss was the greater because -many of these planters raise only the Sweetscented, a tender -variety, but more profitable by 2½ shillings the hundred, or -25 shillings Virginia currency the hogshead.</p> - -<p>“We spent a night at a plantation where, although no tavern -is kept, the traveler is entertained for pay. There are disadvantages -about this sort of inn, but on the one hand the -proprietor escapes the payment of a liquor license and the -trouble of catering to a crowd of idlers, and on the other -hand the guest must answer only a few times the usual questions -as to where he is going, where he came from, and what -his business is. The captain had a large family, and wished -to sell some of his land, of which he owned 4,000 acres. Land -hereabouts can be bought for from 25 to 50 or 60 shillings -Virginia currency. The captain would sell his for 40 shillings -cash, and with the proceeds move to Kentucky. The -people throughout are bent on providing for their children. -This is difficult to do in the East, and hence the steady emigration -to Kentucky.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_52"></a>[52]</span>“Beyond this we got out of the right road, and meeting -only a few darkeys, whose horizon was not extensive, traveled -half a day before we were set right. We passed Cedar Run -at a dangerous ford, and came to a plantation where there is -a copper mine worked intermittently, a narrow vein. Following -the direction, “keep straight on” (nobody thinks the -stranger can be quite as ignorant as he says he is), we crossed -Acquia Creek, and reached Fredericksburg. The public -buildings of Fredericksburg—church, market house and -court house—we found in bad condition, not because they -had been damaged directly by the war, but simply because -during the war there had been no use made of them. Tobacco -was bringing a small price here, and at a sure profit -to the buyers. No ships were in and taxes were due; the -price had been knocked down to 25 shillings the hundred. -The same at Alexandria. Hunter’s Iron Works, near Fredericksburg, -at the falls above Falmouth, is one of the finest -and most extensive works of this sort in America. There is -a rolling and a slitting mill, both very ingeniously contrived, -and of this description of iron works there have been up to -this time only one or two established in all America. Under -the British rule such enterprises were forbidden. Past Fredericksburg, -we had the honor to breakfast with an American -general, whose attire was conspicuous—a large white chapeau, -a blue coat, a brown waistcoat and green breeches decorated -him, and he a short, fat man.</p> - -<p>“From this point on towards Richmond the country is open -and level, and adorned with many large and at times tasteful -dwellings. The rich Virginians do not prefer a town<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_53"></a>[53]</span> -life. Here and there we passed large wheat fields. Several -years before the war, owing to the heavy English import duties -on tobacco, the people had begun to raise wheat on a -more extensive scale. Here, as in other parts of America, -the cornfields are seeded to wheat without removing the -stalks. The weevil is bad, especially if the grain lies long in -the straw. After floating off the light seed the good, heavy -grain is broadcasted, mixed with shell lime. Between Fredericksburg -and Richmond we noticed a good many swampy -spots, which might easily be drained. We met on this road, -to our great surprise, two Alsatians traveling along on foot, -with their bundles slung behind. They had come into the -Chesapeake on a French ship, and were seeking their fortune -in Virginia. A foot passenger is a very unusual sight in -Virginia. Passing Hanover Courthouse (December 18, -1783) and Hanover Town, we came to Richmond. On this -road we were struck with the little provision made for the -winter feeding of cattle. How easy it would be to lay down -grass. Near Richmond we saw mules, the first pair. Mules, -being found well adapted to the country, are beginning to -be used a good deal.</p> - -<p>“Richmond, before 1779 not a very important town, is -built on two heights, separated by a creek called Shokoes. The -houses are in general of wood, and are irregularly scattered -about. A recent census gives the number as 280, and the -population about 2,000. The falls of the James engaged my -curiosity first. The total fall of the river from Westham to -Richmond (7 miles) is only seventy-one feet, and hence there -is no stupendous cataract. But the falls as a whole, over innumerable<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_54"></a>[54]</span> -boulders, between winding wooded banks, present -a great and striking appearance. The sound of the water, -particularly at night, is heard not only through the entire -town, but before the wind for several miles around. At the -falls innumerable herring and shad are caught early in -spring, and at times even in February. These appear in the -Delaware and the Hudson not before the middle of April or -the first of May. James River is one of the greatest and most -beautiful of American streams.</p> - -<p>“During my stay at Richmond the Assembly was in session. -A small frame building serves as House of Assembly, and -with a change of properties as ballroom and banquet room. -The term is used, ‘the Assembly sits.’ This does not seem -to me to be precisely descriptive. The members appeared to -me to be anywhere rather than in their seats, and to be discussing -anything except laws to be framed. The doorkeeper -was busy, and in the vestibule there was an uproar. The -vestments of the members are diverse—boots, trousers, Indian -leggings, great-coats, the usual coat, and short jackets. -In other words, each one wears what he pleases. The members -from the West are greatly inconvenienced in coming so -far. They even speak of establishing a separate government -for the West, as in the province of New York, where there is -a Governor at New York and another at Albany. If this is -done, the West will very likely become in a short time an independent -State. The pay of members has recently been -fixed at 18 Virginia shillings or 3 Spanish dollars per diem. -During the war they preferred tobacco (50 pounds) to currency. -At a vote, the Speaker calls for the Ayes and Noes,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_55"></a>[55]</span> -and judges with a critical ear which side has made the majority -of sounds. If the predominance is a matter of doubt -a division is called.</p> - -<p>“I stopped at the Tavern Formicola, which was naturally -much crowded at that season. Every evening there came -generals, colonels, captains, senators, delegates, judges, doctors, -clerks and gentlemen of every weight and calibre to sit -around the fire, drink, smoke, sing and swap anecdotes. Very -entertaining, but Formicola’s not being a spacious house, I -found the crowd embarrassing. There is only one newspaper -published at Richmond; this paper appears twice a week.</p> - -<p>“On the south side of James River, opposite Richmond, -lies a little town called Manchester. The rocks in the river -between the two places have been bought up, as well as a -narrow strip along each bank, and the owner proposes to -throw a fine bridge across, which, if built, will be the first -and only one of the kind in America. The project depends -upon whether the Assembly will license this bridge as a toll -bridge. At Manchester I visited Mr. Jacob Rubsamen, a -German, who was before the war engaged in mining in Jersey. -At the outbreak of the war he came to Virginia and set -up a powder mill, the first powder mill to be established in -this country. Rubsamen was able to find saltpetre in the -mountains; his sulphur he brought from Europe, on account -of the heavy expense of getting it out in this country. His -works were not very profitable, and were destroyed in the end -by the British. Mr. Rubsamen told me that lead ore is found -on New River and the Greenbrier, copper on the Roanoke -(Dan), and iron everywhere about, particularly in Buckingham<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_56"></a>[56]</span> -County. Coal was recently discovered twelve miles -from Richmond by the mere chance of the uprooting of a -tree by the wind. This coal brings 1 shilling a bushel (at the -wharf), Virginia currency. Its smell is disagreeable, as I -observed when at Richmond.</p> - -<p>“Leaving Richmond we reached Williamsburg in two days, -passing by Warwick (where the British had destroyed a considerable -plant for the working of iron), Osborne’s, a pleasant -place, though small, and Petersburg, a town of a thriving -trade and larger than Richmond. Cotton is raised in this -region on good new land or on heavily fertilized land, and -the favorite tobaccos are the Sweetscented, the Long Green, -the Varina, the Frederick, the Oroonoko, the Hudson, Thickjoint, -Thickset, Shoestring and other varieties.</p> - -<p>“Williamsburg is to be counted among the most beautiful -of American cities. The Capitol, or Statehouse, closes one -end of the High Street, a large and modern building. Because -no better use can be made of it now, a Latin school is -to be established where the government was once installed. -Doctors in all the faculties are graduated at the College of -William and Mary. Most of the students, however, complete -their studies at the English and Scottish universities. The -citizens of this town, as of all lower Virginia, greatly hope -that the seat of government will be brought back to Williamsburg. -At the tavern I found very good entertainment and -paid high for it. The black attendants, neatly and modishly -attired, make their bows with dignity and respectfulness. -They spoke with enthusiasm of the politeness of the French -officers lately quartered there.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_57"></a>[57]</span>“We made an excursion to Yorktown, called also Little -York, to see that famous place, and particularly to inspect -the great oyster banks there. The inhabitants have not yet -recovered from the disturbances of war, and many houses -are still in ruins or half repaired. The spars of the ships -sunk in the river to block the passage are yet to be seen. We -returned the same day to Williamsburg, to set out the next -morning for the South. Seven miles from Williamsburg, on -the Southern road, we came to James River, and after much -delay were obliged to turn back to Williamsburg because of -an unfavorable wind at the ferry. The next day at sunrise, -when the wind is generally still, we came again to the ferry -and were put across, but not without delay. Lord Cornwallis -was the excuse. They said he had ruined the wharf, and the -tide was not yet high enough to take off men and horses from -the bank, which is there low.</p> - -<p>“Not far below the ferry lies James Island, formerly only -a peninsula; in a fierce storm with high water the river broke -through the slender tongue of land. Jamestown appears in -several modern geographies as a place of eighty to a hundred -houses. In reality there are there but one or two, and they -ruinous. The most valuable land in this region is that along -the rivers and creeks, not so much from the superior fertility, -as because of the accessibility to water transportation. Such -land sells at four, five or six pounds, Virginia. If the corn -crop fails the planter is in straits, and if the price of tobacco -is high everything else—bacon, corn, etc.—is high in proportion.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_58"></a>[58]</span> -Desiring gain, and spending his time on tobacco, the -planter loses through not giving attention to those articles of -necessity which he might produce at home.</p> - -<p>“Five miles from James River we came to Surry Courthouse, -where there was a crowd, because it was court day. -Eleven miles farther on we passed Nelson’s Ordinary, and -after ten miles more reached Smithfield, or Isle of Wight -Courthouse. The road from Williamsburg is mainly through -woods, but we passed more churches (five, that is to say) -than during any other day’s journey in America.</p> - -<p>“Towards Smithfield the traveler passes beyond the tobacco -country. The chief exports here are tar, pitch, turpentine -and salted meat. A barrel of tar, thirty-one and one-half -gallons, costs from 8 to 9 Virginia shillings; a barrel of turpentine -18 shillings, and a barrel of salted pork (220 -pounds) 50 shillings. At Smithfield we spent the evening -with a party of gentlemen from the neighborhood. The conversation -was for the most part on the subject of Virginia, -what advantages that State has over every other State in the -world, and how the nation of Virginia is superior to every -other nation—in resources, manners, purity of speech and in -all respects.</p> - -<p>“The stranger notes deficiencies. For instance, a gentleman -of Petersburg remarked to me that he thought of sending -his son to Edinburgh to make a doctor of him, since he -would probably not marry and set up as a planter, being now past -the age of twenty-one. But it must be admitted that physically, -the Virginians are a comely race, and they show on all<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_59"></a>[59]</span> -subjects clear and strong understandings. It is to be regretted -that they do not give more attention to the exact sciences. -They read, but they do not study.</p> - -<p>“Christmas Eve we came to Everett’s Bridge, and the next -day to Suffolk, on another arm of Nansemond Creek. In -the month of May, 1779, a great part of Suffolk was burned -by the British. There are no stones at this place, and the -deep, fine sand of the streets is an inconvenience. Before the -houses they lay a sort of pavement, pitch and tar mixed with -the sand and allowed to harden. They drive a trade from -this place to the West Indies in small vessels, shallops of -twenty to fifty tons burthen. Salt is an especial article of -their traffic. When the vessels, which bring it from Tortola, -Turk’s Island and other of the West Indies, are delayed, the -price of salt is tripled and quadrupled. During the war the -people were greatly in want of salt, and the attempt was made -to get it from the sea by damming the water in ponds along -the coast. Little success attended this experiment south of -the thirty-seventh parallel, probably because of the frequent -rain-storms which freshened the ponded sea water.</p> - -<p>“From Suffolk to Cunningham’s we skirted the great Dismal -Swamp. Along the road from York, in Virginia, to this -point it is observable that the south bank of all the rivers and -creeks is steeper and rougher than the north bank. This may -be due to the weathering of the north and northeast storms.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_60"></a>[60]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_61"></a>[61]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="VI"><i>VI.</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class="ph1"><i>COUNT CASTIGLIONI, CHEVALIER OF THE -ORDER OF ST. STEPHEN, P. M.</i></p> - -<p class="ph1"><i>1786.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><i>Luigi Castiglioni—Alexandria—Mount Vernon—General -Washington—Fredericksburg—Peach -Trees and Persimmons—Richmond—Petersburg—Colonel -Banister—Dr. Greenway—Colonel -Coles—Staunton River—Buckingham Court -House—Eniscotty—Rockfish Gap—Staunton—Middle -River Ford—Winchester—Charlestown.</i></p></div></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">IN the diary of George Washington for the year 1785 appear -these entries: “Sunday, December 25.—Count Castiglioni -came here to dinner. December 29.—Count -Castiglioni went away after breakfast on his tour to the -southward.”</p> - -<p>This was Count Luigi Castiglioni, who had landed at -Boston in May, and after going through New England and -a part of Canada, had come to New York, whence, on the -27th of November, he had set out for the South, reaching -Alexandria December 24th, and spending Christmas at -Mount Vernon. Count Castiglioni was a man of science, -Chevalier of the Order of St. Stephen, P. M., member of the -Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, and also member of -the Patriotical Society of Milan, Patrician of Milan. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_62"></a>[62]</span> -book written by him, <i>Viaggio negli Stati Uniti</i>, is particularly -descriptive of the useful plants to be found in this -country, with a view to their introduction into Europe, either -for the farm and the kitchen garden or for practical inclusion -in the <i>materia medica</i>. This book and that of Dr. -Schoepf, 1783-1784, give an excellent statement as to the -natural history, the methods of agriculture, milling, mining, -etc., of that period in the history of the fourteen States.</p> - -<p>“Alexandria,” says Count Castiglioni, “numbers 300 -houses and possibly 3,000 inhabitants. At times, although -the latitude is only 38 degrees 45 minutes, the cold is so great -that the Potowmack may be ridden and driven over. Such -freezing weather is never of long duration, and many winters -the river is not frozen at all. This newly established town -has already received the name and the privileges of a city, -and as soon as the Potowmack is made navigable will become -one of the most flourishing of the trading towns of Virginia.</p> - -<p>“When I was there the plan for the improvement of the -navigation (suggested by General Washington) was beginning -to be put into effect. Near Alexandria brick and tiles -are made at a reasonable price, the soil thereabouts being a -soft, viscous clay. They make lime there from the oyster -shells, which are found in extraordinary banks. The people -have two theories about these great shell banks, one being -that they are due to successive inundations of the sea, the -other that the aborigines assembled them, either for burial -mounds or for some other religious purpose.</p> - -<p>“The morning of the 25th of December I left Alexandria -and went to Mount Vernon. There I spent four memorable<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_63"></a>[63]</span> -days. General Washington is perhaps fifty-seven years of -age, a man large and strong of build, of a majestic but kindly -bearing, and, notwithstanding the fatigues of war, appears -not yet to be aging. This celebrated man, who began and so -happily carried through the American war, seems, as it were, -to have been formed by nature to free this country of European -rule and to inaugurate an epoch in the history of mankind. -Bred to arms, he has not neglected the study of politics, -and there is probably no one in America who has a better -knowledge of the present condition of the United States -or more sincerely desires their welfare. May Heaven spare -him many years for the good of his country, for an example -to it and to Europe.</p> - -<p>“Leaving Mount Vernon December 29th, in the morning, -I went by Colchester, a little place on the River Ochoquan, -Dumfries, where there are several warehouses for tobacco; -Aquaja (only a few houses), and fourteen miles beyond came -to Falmouth, on the Rappahannock, whence it is the custom -to ferry down to Fredericksburg, on the opposite bank. Fredericksburg, -like Alexandria, is by law styled a city, and carries -on a heavy trade in tobacco. From Fredericksburg -many plantations are seen, larger and smaller. The large -houses are generally built with a porch, and the outbuildings -ranged at either side. The tobacco exhausts a cleared field -in three years, and no attempt is made to manure, the cattle -being kept at large in the woods. Two acres in tobacco bring -about two hogsheads, or maybe 3,000 pounds. One thousand -pounds (a hogshead) fetches from 27 to 39 shillings Virginia -money the hundred.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_64"></a>[64]</span>“The following day I traveled thirty miles through a district -where much tobacco is raised, and much peach brandy -and persimmon beer is made. The peach flourishes so in -Virginia that often when a tract of land is cleared the peach -trees take possession of the whole area, nothing being done -for the propagation of them except letting in the sun on the -ground. The persimmon is gathered from a sort of Guayakana -in the woods. The fruit would be very good to eat but -for the skin, which has an unpleasantness in the taste. In -the evening I came to Richmond, now the capital of Virginia, -a town which has grown rapidly, and numbers some 4,000 -inhabitants, and 400 houses. The town is built on two hills, -separated by a brook, over which is thrown a wooden bridge, -with side ways for foot passengers. The trade of the place -consists largely in tobacco, and there is much competition -from the other markets at Alexandria and Petersburg. When -I was there a well had just been dug to the depth of seventy -feet on one of the hills, which rise one above another from -the James, here a river foaming among great rocks. I visited -the spot. The earth removed smelled of sulphur, and -had the look of rotted wood, ash gray, but turning white on -exposure to the air. There were found at the bottom of this -well, bedded in the earth described, many bones, some larger -than the bones of cattle, and also remains of the aboriginal -Indians, stone implements, etc., proof that these tribes had -been in possession of the land many centuries before.</p> - -<p>“January 6th [1786] I passed on to Petersburg, through -Osborne’s. Blandford, Pocahontas and Petersburg are now -incorporated under the name Petersburg. Great quantity<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_65"></a>[65]</span> -of tobacco is brought to Petersburg, even from the North -Carolina country, and is there exported to Europe as James -River tobacco, which is the best sort.</p> - -<p>“A mile from the town lives Colonel Banister, a nephew<a id="FNanchor_8" href="#Footnote_8" class="fnanchor">[H]</a> -of the famous John Banister, who gave up his place as professor -of botany and librarian at the University of Oxford, -and settling in this part of Virginia, at great pains and with -rare judgment collected and described a number of the scarcest -plants. From Colonel Banister’s I went, on the 9th, to -Kingston, a rich plantation belonging to Captain Walker, in -the county of Dinwiddie. The following day I visited Dr. -Greenway, by birth an Englishman, and an amateur of botany.<a id="FNanchor_9" href="#Footnote_9" class="fnanchor">[I]</a> -I examined his collection with true pleasure, and the -next day came again, since Dr. Greenway had given me leave -to transscribe from his notes; I have included this material -in my descriptions of American plants, relative to the medicinal -practices of the aborigines. Five miles from Kingston -the traveler passes the River Nottoway. The few Indians -remaining of the tribe of that name live near Southampton -Courthouse, forty miles distant.</p> - -<p>“Having come from Kingston along this road, by the Nottoway -and Hiksford (a wooden bridge leads over the Meherrin), -thirteen miles beyond the Meherrin, I entered the -State of North Carolina on the parallel thirty-six degrees -thirty minutes. In this and other parts of Virginia, as also -in both the Carolinas, there is found a very noxious serpent -called by the inhabitants the Moquisson.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_66"></a>[66]</span>“Returning from Georgia and the Carolinas, after I had -passed the River Dan [May 11, 1786] three miles from the -North Carolina line, I came to the plantation of Mr. W——. -In the evening prayers were read, but after the first verse the -announcement was made that it was bed time, and we had -better disperse. The next day I reached Colonel Coles’s, -having come forty miles through Paintonborough -and by a bridge over Banister River. I had met Colonel -Coles at Richmond, and was received by him with great -cordiality. When he heard that I was on my way to Philadelphia -he gave me a letter to his brother, Colonel John -Coles, who has a place on that road, near Charlottesville. I -examined with pleasure, at Colonel Coles’s (on Staunton -River) several artificial meadows of clover and rye grass, or -wild rye, and also the Colonel’s stud.</p> - -<p>“I crossed the Staunton in a boat the morning of the 14th. -Here I left the main road and traveled twenty miles through -a rough country. The next day, after passing Johns’ Ordinary, -I came to Buckingham Courthouse, situated on a high -hill, at the foot of which runs the Appomattox.</p> - -<p>“I spent the night at Mr. Patteson’s, who has a fine plantation -near, and the following day reached James River, -twenty miles beyond. A mile from the river a high wind -began to blow and the sky was suddenly covered with black -clouds.</p> - -<p>“Thunder and lightning followed, and the rain and hail -came down in streams. The horses were frightened and -would not go on. When we reached the bank the storm had -almost passed. We called to the ferryman, who was standing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_67"></a>[67]</span> -in his door on the other side, but he moved not a foot until -the rain had entirely ceased, and then gave as excuse that he -had not seen us. While we were waiting a large serpent -came out of the river onto the banks. I killed it, and found -it to be not unlike what they call in Lombardy the smiroldo. -On the other side of the river, in a group of houses, stands -the building in which the court of Albemarle County was -formerly held. I dried my clothes here, ate dinner, and kept -on four miles to Eniscotty, the residence of Colonel John -Coles, who received me hospitably as his brother. The situation, -at the top of a hill, is such that the leaves fall later -there, and appear earlier in the spring, than in the country -adjacent. The calicanthus grows well, with such an exposure; -the hill is called in the neighborhood the Green Hill, -which, indeed, in situation and fertility may be compared -with the foothills of Monte di Brianza. The mulberry and -the vine should flourish here.</p> - -<p>“May 18th I left Eniscotty. I crossed the Blue Ridge by -the road through Rockfish Gap, which is not comparable, -either in steepness or in length, to the roads over the Apennines, -much less those over the Alps. Thick fog, followed -by rain, compelled me to spend the day at a house on the -divide, the proprietor of which told me much regarding the -fertility of the lands in that region and the customs of the -inhabitants. He informed me that many people from the -lower country stayed at his house on their way to the springs -in the Alleghany Mountains. Having crossed the Blue -Mountains and the South River, I came to Stantown the -morning of the 23d. Here I was enabled to see a mocking-bird.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_68"></a>[68]</span> -These birds are often kept in cages, and are bought -by the English at extravagant prices. They are very scarce -to the north, and have many times fetched three to four -guineas at Boston. About Stantown tobacco is only beginning -to be cultivated. They raise wheat, Turkish corn [Indian -corn] and hemp. Heavy rains kept me at Stantown -until the 27th, and prevented me seeing the extraordinary -Natural Bridge.</p> - -<p>“At Middle River, a small stream usually fordable the -year through, I found several travelers waiting for an opportunity -to cross. I put up at a house nearby, and as often -as the rain permitted went out, like the Egyptians, to measure -with a rod the rise or fall of the waters.</p> - -<p>“The morning of the 29th the good man of the house advised -me that I might now cross. A crowd of people were -at the bank to see us make the attempt. My servant stripped -himself and ventured in (on horseback) with the carriage. -He had hardly left the bank when the force of the stream -swept him down and overturned the calesche. I called to him -from where I was standing that his only hope was to let the -horse go, and swim; he kept by the horse, and managed to -save both it and himself. I resolved never again, in the matter -of ferrying a swollen stream, to trust to the advice of these -wild pioneers. The next morning I was able to cross, and at -the North River was taken over in a flat canoe, the horses -swimming at the side.</p> - -<p>“The following day, having passed Smith Creek, a dangerous -stream, I came into a new road, full of roots and bad -from the rain besides. The wheels of the calesche, which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_69"></a>[69]</span> -had already been many times repaired, broke into a hundred -pieces, and at the first smithy I determined to abandon the -vehicle and continue the journey on horseback. Beyond the -Shenadore, which we crossed in a canoe, the horses swimming -behind, we fell into a marshy and rocky road, which -leads over Mill Creek and Stony Creek. Keeping on, through -a country of many delightful prospects, between the Blue -and the Alleghany Mountains, we passed through Millerstown, -the county seat of the county of Shenadore, Stowerstown, -Newtown, and arrived at Winchester.</p> - -<p>“Winchester, for commerce, is one of the most important -towns of Virginia. The number of the houses is about 200. -The traffic is in wheat, flour and hemp, sold at Baltimore and -Philadelphia, whence European manufactures are brought -and expedited further beyond the mountains. The water at -Winchester—limestone—has a strong effect on first being -used. The 18th of June I left Winchester and spent that -night at Weathers-don-Marsh, called also Charletown, and -from there, on the following day, passed the Blue Ridge for -the second time at Harper’s Ferry.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_70"></a>[70]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_71"></a>[71]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="VII"><i>VII.</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class="ph1"><i>DR. COKE IN VIRGINIA.</i></p> - -<p class="ph1"><i>1785-1791.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><i>Dr. Thomas Coke—The Eastern Shore—Alexandria—Swollen -Creeks—The Pies of Mecklenburg—A -Retired Dancing-Master—Halifax County—Following -the Spring—Petersburg—Dan River -Landscapes—Richmond—Port Royal.</i></p></div></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">IT would be an interesting book that should give the history -of missions in this country. That godly man, Nicholas -Ferrar, who was so active in the affairs of the London -Company; the good minister of Jamestown, who came -with the first supply; the pastors of the congregations that -settled in Massachusetts; the Jesuit fathers; the emissaries -of the Society of Friends; the Presbyterians from the north -of Ireland and from Scotland; Whitefield, Asbury, Coke—how -large was the share of these men in the making of America. -Among them, Dr. Thomas Coke was not the least. He -was nine times in this country and covered a great part of it -as then known, including the islands of the British and several -of the French Indies.</p> - -<p>Dr. Coke was born in 1747, and was graduated B. A. at -Oxford in 1768. In 1775 he was made D. C. L., and had -considerable prospects of church preferment, but was reckoned -a Methodist after 1776. His bishop reproved him, but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_72"></a>[72]</span> -declined to remove him. His rector dismissed him. Wesley -employed him for a time to assist in answering his voluminous -correspondence. In 1782 he was the first president of -the Irish Conference, and held the office for the rest of his -life, with a few intermissions. In 1784 he drew up a plan -for missions, and was appointed superintendent, with episcopal -functions, in America. That year he came to this -country and ordained Asbury, at Baltimore, as deacon, elder -and superintendent. Wesley was very indignant at the -change of the title superintendent to bishop, and the confirmation -of the change led in 1792 to the O’Kellyan schism. -Dr. Coke possessed a private fortune of £1,200 a year. He -died in 1813 on a voyage to India. His work in the field -of missions was cosmopolitan, and to him more than to any -other the creation of the vast network of the Methodist foreign -missions is due.</p> - -<p>September, 1784, Dr. Coke sailed from King Road, Bristol, -for New York. In November he was on the Eastern -Shore. Returning to Philadelphia and Baltimore, he was -at Alexandria March 9, 1785. This great man was able to -enjoy the country. He was born in Wales. But he does not -seem to have been skilled in the art of cross-country horsemanship -in all weathers. He writes (March 9th): “In my -ride this morning to Alexandria through the woods, I have -had one of the most romantic scenes that ever I beheld. Yesterday -there was a very heavy fall of snow and hail and -sleet. The fall of sleet was so great that the trees seemed to -be trees of ice. So beautiful a sight of the kind I never -saw before.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_73"></a>[73]</span>There was no one to pilot Dr. Coke from Alexandria, and -his servant had overstayed his time on a visit to the Eastern -Shore. Between Alexandria and Colchester there were two -runs to be crossed, both greatly swollen from the sudden -thaw. “A friend who lives in Alexandria came with me -over the first run, and everybody informed me I could easily -cross the second if I crossed the first. When I came to the -second (which was perhaps two hours after I crossed the -first) I found that I had two streams to pass. The first I -went over without much danger; but in crossing the second, -which was very strong and very deep, I did not observe that -a tree, brought down by the flood, lay across the landing -place. I endeavored, but in vain, to drive my horse against -the stream and go around the tree. I was afraid to turn my -horse’s head to the stream and afraid to go back. In this -dilemma I thought it most prudent for me to lay hold on -the tree, and go over it, the water being shallow on the other -side. No sooner did I execute my purpose so far as to lay -hold of the tree (and that instant the horse was carried from -under me) but the motion that I gave it loosened it, and -down the stream it instantly carried me.” The tree, with -passenger, lodged below at a little island, and then there -floated down another tree. The doctor, besides being thoroughly -wetted, was near losing his life. After more than a -hundred years the suggestion may be offered that the first -tree should never have been laid hold of. “I was now obliged -to walk,” continues Dr. Coke, “about a mile, shivering, before -I came to a house. The master and mistress were from -home, and were not expected to return that night. But the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_74"></a>[74]</span> -principal negro lent me an old ragged shirt, coat, waistcoat, -breeches, etc., and the negroes made a large fire and hung -my clothes up to dry all night.” Before bedtime the horse, -having got around the tree, was recovered and brought in by -a neighbor, who supposed the rider to be drowned. “As he -seemed to be a poor man, I gave him half a guinea. I trust -I shall never forget so awful but very instructive a scene.”</p> - -<p>After this March welcome to Virginia, Dr. Coke passed -through the State into North Carolina, and returned to Alexandria -May 23d. He was at Fredericksburg and Williamsburg -(where inquiring for a Methodist he was told there was -one in the town, who proved to be “a good old Presbyterian” -and hospitable), at Smithfield and Portsmouth, in Mecklenburg -County, at New Glasgow, towards the mountains, and -in Culpeper County. These sojournings are specified. There -was a bad season in May that year, and near Alexandria the -creeks were again difficult at the crossings. It was observed -on this, the first tour, that in Mecklenburg County “they -have a great variety of fruit pies—peach, apple, pear and -cranberry, and puddings—very often.” About New Glasgow -(on Buffalo River, just north of Amherst Courthouse) -Dr. Coke remarks: “The wolves, I find, frequently come to -the fences at night, howling in an awful manner; and sometimes -they seize upon a straying sheep. At a distance was -the Blue Ridge, an amazing chain of mountains. I prefer -this country to any other part of America—it is so like -Wales, my native country. And it is far more populous -than I expected.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_75"></a>[75]</span>In April, 1787, Dr. Coke was a second time in Virginia, -scarcely a fortnight. He had come from England to the -Island of Antigua, and sailed from St. Eustatia in a large -Dutch ship, February 10th, for Charleston. “In the course -of our journey through North Carolina I preached at the -house of a gentleman near Salisbury, who was formerly a -dancing-master, and has amassed a considerable fortune, -with which he has purchased a large estate. In traveling -through Virginia our rides were so long that we were frequently -on horseback till midnight after preaching in the -middle of the day. Since I left Charleston I have got into -my old romantic way of life, of preaching in the midst of -great forests, with scores and sometimes hundreds of horses -tied to the trees, which adds much solemnity to the scene.</p> - -<p>“In the course of my journey through this State I visited -the county of Halifax, where I met with a little persecution -on my former visit. I am now informed that soon after I -left the county on my former tour a bill was presented against -me as a seditious person before the grand jury, and was -found by the jury, and ninety persons had engaged to pursue -me and bring me back again. Another bill was also presented -in one of the neighboring counties, but was thrown -out. Many of the people, I find, imagined that I would not -venture amongst them again. However, when I came they -all received me with perfect peace and quietness. Indeed, I -now acknowledge that however just my sentiments may be -concerning slavery, it was ill-judged of me to deliver them -from the pulpit. Many of the inhabitants at Richmond, I -was informed, said that I would not dare to venture into that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_76"></a>[76]</span> -town. But they did not know me, for I am a plain, blunt -man, that goes directly on. However, instead of opposition, -the Governor of the State, who resides there, ordered the -Capitol to be opened to me, and a very respectable and very -attentive congregation I was favored with.” On the way -from Richmond to Alexandria there was a plot laid for Dr. -Coke by a company of agreeable men at one of the inns. “In -the first dish of tea there was a little rum; in the second a -little more, but the third was so strong that on our complaining -of a conspiracy, it seemed as if the rum had sprung into -our tea of itself, for both company and waiters solemnly protested -they were innocent. On the last day of April Mr. -Asbury and I arrived at Baltimore.”</p> - -<p>The following year, 1788 (the Atlantic seems to have been -but a ferry even then), Dr. Coke was in Virginia again for -a few days, coming, as in 1787, from the West Indies by -Charleston. “In traveling from North Carolina to Virginia -we were favored with one of the most beautiful prospects I -ever beheld. The country, as far as we could see from the -top of a hill, was ornamented with a great number of peach -orchards, the peach trees being all in full bloom, and displaying -a diversity of most beautiful colors—blue, purple and -violet. On the opposite side of a beautiful vale which lay -at the foot of a hill, ran the River Yeadkin, reflecting the -rays of the sun from its broad, placid stream; and the mountains -which bounded the view formed a very fine background -for the completing of the prospect. The two days following -we rode on the ridge of a long hill, with a large vale on each -side, and mountains rising above mountains for twenty, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_77"></a>[77]</span> -sometimes, I suppose, for forty miles on each hand. In Halifax -County, Virginia, where I met with much persecution -four years ago, almost all the great people of the county came -in their chariots and other carriages to hear me, and behaved -with great propriety: there were not less than five colonels -in the congregation. On the 18th of April we opened our -first Virginia Conference for the State of Virginia in the -town of Petersburgh. From Petersburgh we set off for our -second Virginia Conference, which we held in the town of -Leesburgh, visiting Richmond by the way.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Coke’s fourth and last journey in Virginia (the last, -that is, recorded in his book, published 1793) was again in -April, year 1791. As in 1787 and 1788, the approach -was from the south. “On Monday, the 11th of April, we -arrived at Dickes’s Ferry, in Virginia. Our ride on that day -was remarkably pleasing. The variety arising from the intermixture -of woods and plantations along the sides of the -broad, rocky river Dan, near which we rode most part of the -time, could not but be a source of great pleasure to an admirer -of the beauties of nature. Hitherto (April 15th) I -might be said to have traveled with the spring. As I moved -from South to North the spring was, I think, as far advanced -when I was in Georgia as when I came into Virginia. But -now it has evidently got the start of me. The oaks have -spread out their leaves, and the dogwood, whose bark is very -medicinal, and whose innumerable white flowers form one of -the finest ornaments of the forest, is in full bloom. The deep -green of the pines, the bright transparent green of the oaks, -and the fine white of the flowers of the dogwood, with other<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_78"></a>[78]</span> -trees and shrubs, form such a complication of beauties as are -indescribable to those who have only lived in countries that -are almost entirely cultivated.</p> - -<p>“For about 800 miles which I have rode since I landed in -South Carolina, we have had hardly any rain. But this day, -the 16th, we were wetted to the skin. However, we at last -happily found our way to the house of a friend by the preachers’ -mark—the split bush.” This circumstance may appear -to many immaterial; however, as it may convey some idea -of the mode in which the preachers are obliged to travel in -this country, I will just enlarge upon it. The method was -to split two or three bushes, at the junction of several roads, -along the road that should be followed; very useful to the -itinerant at the formation of new circuits in the forest. Dr. -Coke observes: “In one of the circuits the wicked discovered -the secret, and split bushes in wrong places on purpose to -deceive the preachers.”</p> - -<p>The character of this great man appears in his book, written -without artifice. The people were glad to see him. “On -the 20th of April we opened our conference at Petersburgh. -April 24th I preached in Richmond, in the Capitol where the -Assembly sits, to the most dressy congregation I ever saw in -America. However, they gave great attention. In the afternoon -I rode to Colonel Clayton’s, about twenty-five miles -from Richmond. April 20th I came among the cedar trees. -This evening we arrived at Port Royal, where a numerous -and very dressy congregation had been waiting for us about -two hours with wonderful patience. A gentleman of the -name of Hipkins, a capital merchant of the town, sent us a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_79"></a>[79]</span> -genteel invitation to sup with him, and lodge at his house. I -accepted of it. Soon after I came in he observed that the -Philadelphia paper had informed the public of the death of -Mr. Wesley.<a id="FNanchor_10" href="#Footnote_10" class="fnanchor">[J]</a> I gave no credit to the account, but, however, -intreated the favour of seeing the paper. He sent immediately -to a neighboring merchant who took in that paper, and -about 10 o’clock the melancholy record arrived. I evidently -saw by the account that it was too true.</p> - -<p>“The next morning I set off for New York, in order to be -in time for the British packet. At Alexandria the news was -confirmed by a letter from London. On the 29th I crossed -the run of water called Akatenke, down which I was carried -by the flood. We were now come into a country abounding -with singing birds. But alas! I could take no pleasure in -them, the death of my venerable friend had cast such a shade -of melancholy over my heart. The night being very dark, it -was with great difficulty that my friend, who traveled with -me, and myself found our way from Alexandria to Blaidensburg.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_80"></a>[80]</span></p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_81"></a>[81]</span> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="VIII"><i>VIII.</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class="ph1"><i>A SUMMER AT BATH.</i></p> - -<p class="ph1"><i>1791.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><i>Captain Bayard, of the Artillery—From Baltimore -to Bath—Bath described—Tea at Bath—Irish -Comedians—Valley Lands—Winchester—Colonel -P.—The Sabbath in America—Land Merchants.</i></p></div></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">IN the year VI (1798) there was published at Paris a book -written by a retired captain of artillery, Ferdinand Marie -Bayard, described on the title page, “A Journey Into the -Interior of the United States, to Bath, Winchester, the Shenandoah -Valley, etc., etc., During the Summer of 1791.” It -is strange that this book has not been translated. It is interesting -as a sort of sentimental journey of a very intelligent -man (member of the Society of Sciences Letters and Arts at -Paris), who visited a spot not often mentioned by the early -traveler in this country. Captain Bayard was born at Moulins -la Marche in 1768, and was living in 1836. He was in -his twenty-third year the summer of 1791. He had already -retired from the army and become a traveler in various parts -of the world.</p> - -<p>Captain Bayard seems to have landed at Baltimore, with -his wife and small boy. He remarks, “The months of June, -July and August are bad for children if kept in town in this<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_82"></a>[82]</span> -country. Bath, situated 120 miles from Baltimore, and near -the Valley of the Shenandoah, offered a stopping place in the -country and a point of departure from which to visit that fertile -region, where, beneath skies almost always serene, the inhabitants -cultivate a generous soil, which rewards liberally -the slightest efforts of human industry. I wished to see this -promised land, from the bosom of which an innumerable population -is beginning to arise, prosperous and content, and -already passing the limits of the Valley to occupy the vast -spaces beyond. Besides, before returning home, I desired to -gain a knowledge of the American people, and this I could -better compass in the country than in the towns. For the trip -I hired a carriage at Baltimore, at 41 francs the passenger, -baggage included. The owner was the driver, and a very -skilful one, as we learned on the road, which is often abominable -and extremely dangerous.</p> - -<p>“Four miles south of the Potomac [by way of Ellicott’s -Lower Mill, Ellicott’s Upper Mill, the Red House, the Monocacy -River, Fredericktown, and Middletown] we arrived at -Bath, in Virginia. The town is situated in a triangular and -very narrow gorge. The mountain to the west is high and -steep, and in the month of March snow and earth become -loosened from the declivity and descend in avalanches. The -houses built next to this dangerous mountain are protected -by heavy palisades. Several people, having neglected the precaution, -have had their houses engulfed. The residents boast -of the climate—the winter not too cold, and the heat of summer -moderate. Bath has two public buildings—the theatre -and the bathhouse. The first is a log edifice, and the second<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_83"></a>[83]</span> -a framed barrack, partitioned into eight cells, in each of -which there are steps arranged for the convenience of the -bathers. The spring is hard by. The water is dispensed in -a goblet by the man in charge. The water is clear, lukewarm, -and insipid, but very efficacious.</p> - -<p>“I have seen many come to Bath fearfully rheumatic, who -had to be carried to the spring at first, and in three weeks -were able to walk with a crutch. Bath was formerly called -Warm Springs. The name was changed in deference to the -English resort. This imitative mania is a bad symptom, and -augurs ill for that nation, whose name is dear to lovers of -liberty everywhere. At Bath the young women ride about a -great deal, and are excellent horsewomen. It is to be remarked -that their physiognomy is distinct among American -women. During the fall, boats come up the river from Alexandria -and Georgetown, and return laden with grain. After -that season there is no more traffic by water until the spring, -and if any one has neglected to provide himself he must make -a trip to Winchester for supplies, thirty-nine miles off. The -inhabitants of this region are very fond of the English boxing -match. Generally a bruiser (breaker of bones) is in -charge of these combats, who sees to the strict carrying out -of all the regulations.</p> - -<p>“At our boarding house (excellent fare) there were about -forty people, among them two Virginians—Madame B. and -Madame A.—who spoke French tolerably well. Madame B. -had read the works of Swedenborg, and entertained us with -descriptions drawn from those mystical books. There were -several very pious people at our boarding house, one of whom<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_84"></a>[84]</span> -had a theory that eating was not to satisfy the appetite. I -noticed that he ate a great deal. At Bath it is the custom to -drink tea at 5 o’clock. Everything is very ceremonious. At -the right of the lady dispensing tea are ranged in a half circle -all the other ladies. A profound silence follows the entrance -of each invited guest; all the ladies as grave as judges -on the bench. A small acajou table is placed before the dispenser -of tea. Silver pots contain the coffee and the hot -water, which serves to weaken the tea or to receive the cups. -A domestic brings on a silver waiter the cup, the sugar dish, -the cream pot, the butter balls, the thin slices of ham. A -Frenchman is embarrassed at the necessity of watching his -cup and saucer in one hand, and with the other receiving a -tart or a slice of very thin ham.</p> - -<p>“In sending back the cup the spoon must be placed in a -manner to indicate whether you will begin again, or have finished -drinking. A Frenchman on one occasion, unfamiliar -with English and ignorant of this polite sign language, was -overcome at seeing the sixteenth cup arrive, which, having -emptied, he hit upon the device of stowing it in his pocket, -dreading a seventeenth. The tea dispensed and consumed, -there are songs. Mademoiselle L. was the accomplished artist -at Bath. Her favorite song was one of a certain Patrick, -who, absent, was still to be remembered.</p> - -<p>“We had at Bath a troupe of Irish comedians, alternately -emperors, shepherds, clowns, and no doubt very badly fed. -The young man who played the lover found great difficulty -in pronouncing his consonants. A tall, thin man played the -tragic role of enamored prince. A blonde soubrette was solemnly<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_85"></a>[85]</span> -coquettish. The others of the troupe are scarcely to -be recalled. We had tragedy, comedy, comic opera, and farce. -Every week there was a dance. Billiards was an amusement, -and there was play at the taverns, particularly after the arrival -of a gentleman who kept a Pharaoh bank. He was -treated with great courtesy, and I heard nothing said against -his probity. Nevertheless, it happens that the planter who -arrives at Bath with equipage and attendants goes home with -nothing but a horse, and a very mean horse.</p> - -<p>“I hired a horse to go to Winchester. For more than half -of the way the country is wild. As you draw nearer the town -in the Valley, many well-stocked farms appear, the land being -very fertile. On the slope there range strong, long-wooled -sheep, not afraid of wolves during the summer. Such war -is made upon the wolves that even in this heavily timbered -country there is little danger from them except when the snow -lies deep upon the ground. It is a magnificent country about -Winchester. The men are tall, well-made, of strong constitutions, -and ruddy. The horses and cattle have the eye and -the gait of health. I stopped at a tavern kept by a German, -who has made a fortune in the business. I was treated with -consideration, for having lived at Strasbourg and for having -crossed the Rhine. At this tavern there is a good cook, the -meat is excellent, there is game and fresh-water fish; the -house is well furnished, wines of every country, good linen, -good beds, the rooms well lighted, and the whole at a reasonable -price. The day after I arrived there came to the tavern -an old gentleman limping from the gout. I mentioned -Thomas Payne to him and the ‘Rights of Man.’ He fixed me<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_86"></a>[86]</span> -with his eye, out the air with his stick, and said vehemently -that he wished Thomas Payne was hanged. He left me, and -at the same time I got up, whistling the air of ‘Ca Ira.’ I -learned the cause of his behavior: he had held a lucrative -office before the war, and was an incurable Tory.</p> - -<p>“A Mr. Smith, who lives a mile from Winchester, asked -me to dine. I spent the time very agreeably there. From the -liberality of his opinions I was led to discuss the political situation -of America with considerable frankness. Mr. Smith -and his brother-in-law accompanied me back to Winchester, -discoursing by the way of their fortunate lot, of the progress -of agriculture, and of the richness of the inexhaustible soil, -which yields an abundance to the inhabitants of this beautiful -Valley.</p> - -<p>“I had a letter of introduction to Colonel P., formerly aid -de camp to General Washington. Colonel P. lives some sixteen -miles from Winchester, greatly esteemed for his public -and private virtues. On the way to his house I passed through -a country of abundant harvests, fat pastures and well peopled; -where there was forest the trees were of a magnificent -growth, and in the intervals a deep green turf invited the -traveler to repose. It was hot. I dismounted beneath a poplar -tree, the white flower of which offered its corolla to the -bee and the humming bird. The coolness of the place, the -delicious perfumes exhaled by the acacias, the ivy, and the -flowers springing from the sod, all gave to the senses that -calm which is the precursor of sleep; but ideas of the happiness -prepared for generations to come in this land of peace<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_87"></a>[87]</span> -and plenty, thoughts of the future greatness of the American -people, supplied a reverie sweeter than that of dreams.</p> - -<p>“Not far from the house of Colonel P., I met a large man -on horseback, whose open countenance was an invitation to -talk. He was dressed like a farmer during the busy season. -I asked him the way. He showed me the road, and continued -his path without adding a word to the precise answer he had -given me. Arrived at the house, I found the overseer near -the barn directing some negroes who were shelling corn. I -had not been long in the house, a structure of logs, and very -comfortable, when there entered the same man I had met in -the road, none other than Colonel P. himself. I presented -my letter, which he quickly read, and receiving me in the -most friendly manner, offered me refreshments. We talked -of the war, and he sketched for me in brief its causes. At -dinner I drank old whiskey distilled on the place. The Colonel -spoke with pleasure of his farm operations: he makes -everything at home. He showed me the plan of his 1,000 -acres, at the centre of which he will build a large and commodious -house. At the present time his outbuildings are more -carefully constructed than his mansion. I quitted Colonel -P. at sunset, much pleased with him, and grateful for his -kind attentions.<a id="FNanchor_11" href="#Footnote_11" class="fnanchor">[K]</a> Shortly after, the moon appeared over the -mountains to the south, and cast a light over the valley. The -whippoorwill commenced its plaints, almost extinguished by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_88"></a>[88]</span> -the various song of the melodious mocking-bird. The blacks -were coming in from the fields singing behind the slow horses -fatigued with the day’s work.</p> - -<p>“The next day at Winchester I went to church, a frame -building, and hitched around it horses of price well caparisoned. -The negroes sat in the gallery, dressed in their Sunday -clothes. Below were their masters and mistresses, whose -appearance proclaimed them alive to the sanctity of the place -and to the solemnity of the ceremony.</p> - -<p>“The minister, a Presbyterian, was the grandson of a -Frenchman. Coming back from church I observed that the -doors of all the houses were closed. They remained so -throughout the day. Mrs. B. and her daughters retired after -dinner to read chapters of the Old and the New Testament. -Throughout the United States this is the manner of observing -Sunday.</p> - -<p>“The Valley of the Shenandoah is a most prosperous and -healthful region. Tobacco, corn, flax and wheat are the principal -crops. Twelve miles from Winchester I could have -bought land for 50 shillings the acre, but nearer the town the -price of cleared land is from three to four pounds. Several -Europeans who have settled hereabouts have not succeeded -well, and for the reason that they failed to discard European -customs. It should not be overlooked that the price of labor -and that of produce is in reverse proportion to what prevails -in Europe. Here labor is high and market values, net, are -low. An especial error of foreigners is the attempt to improve -too fast. A Frenchman who has bought 300 acres of -land thinks he has a ‘property,’ and goes to work on the grand<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_89"></a>[89]</span> -scale. What with building and embellishments he is very apt -to go bankrupt. There are men in this region who have made -fortunes in land speculations. There is not a tavern at Winchester -where land merchants may not be found. They are -as enthusiastic in their offers as the women who sell toothpicks -at the doors of Paris restaurants and cafés. An especially -pleasing feature of their preliminaries is that they -assure you their only motive is to make your fortune. I met -one of these merchants who desired to enrich me, <i>nolens -volens</i>, by selling me land at an excessively high price.</p> - -<p>“Winchester is destined to be a manufacturing town, and -to a degree incalculable as soon as communication with the -Atlantic coast shall have been established by means of the -rivers or by canal. Already there is a famous carriage works -at Winchester; and boots, shoes, and saddles are made there, -which, for use and for style of workmanship, equal the -product of the older cities.</p> - -<p>“I set out from Winchester for Bath at 4 o’clock in the -morning, in order to be on the mountain before the sun was -too high. A light fog covered the Valley, resembling transparent -gauze, through which appeared the tops of trees, -houses and cabins, the cabin chimneys already smoking. I -observed that the squirrels were early awake. Coming to -Bath, I found the great subject of talk was a duel lately -fought and announced in the <i>Gazette</i>.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_90"></a>[90]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_91"></a>[91]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="IX"><i>IX.</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class="ph1"><i>ISAAC WELD.</i></p> - -<p class="ph1"><i>1796.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><i>Hoe’s Ferry—Freshwater Oysters—Vicissitudes of -Ferriage—By-Ways and Hospitality—The -Northern Neck—Tappahannock—A Forest Fire—From -Urbanna to Gloucester—Norfolk—Richmond—The -Mocking-Bird—Frogs—Columbia—The -Green Springs—The Southwest Mountain—Monticello—Lynchburgh—New -London—Botetourt -County—The Lower Valley—Lexington, -Staunton, Winchester.</i></p></div></div> - - -<h3>1.</h3> - -<p class="drop-cap">THE following are the observations of young Isaac Weld, -of Dublin. He was on his way from Philadelphia, -and stopped at the Falls of the Potomac:</p> - -<p>“From hence I followed the course of the river downwards -as far as George Town, where I again crossed it, and after -passing through the Federal city, proceeded along the Maryland -shore of the river to Piscatoway, and afterwards to Port -Tobacco. In the neighborhood of Piscatoway there are several -very fine views of the Virginian shore; Mount Vernon -in particular appears to great advantage. From Port Tobacco -to Hoe’s Ferry on the Potowmac River, the country is -flat and sandy and wears a most dreary aspect. Nothing is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_92"></a>[92]</span> -to be seen here for miles together but extensive plains that -have been worn out by the culture of tobacco, overgrown with -yellow sedge and interspersed with groves of pine and cedar -trees, the dark green colour of which forms a curious contrast -with the yellow of the sedge. In the midst of these -plains are the remains of several good houses.</p> - -<p>“Such a number of roads in different directions cross over -these flats, upon none of which is there anything like a direction -post, and the face of a human being is so rarely met with -that it is scarcely possible for a traveler to find out the direct -way at once. Instead of twelve miles, the distance by the -straight road from Port Tobacco to the ferry, my horse had -certainly traveled twice the number before we got there. After -having waited for two hours and a half for my breakfast, the -most I could procure was two eggs, a pint of milk and a bit -of cake bread, scarcely as big as my hand.</p> - -<p>“After having got into the ferry-boat the man of the house, -as if conscious that he had given me very bad fare, told me -that there was a bank of oysters in the river, close to which it -was necessary to pass, and that if I chose to stop the men -would procure abundance of them for me. The curiosity of -getting oysters in fresh water tempted me to stop, and the -men got near a bushel of them in a very few minutes. These -oysters are extremely good when cooked, but very disagreeable -eaten raw; indeed all the oysters found in America are, -in the opinion of most Europeans, very indifferent and tasteless -when raw. The Americans, on their part, find still -greater fault with our oysters, which, they say, are not fit to -be eaten in any shape, because they taste of copper.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_93"></a>[93]</span>“The river at the ferry is about three miles wide, and with -particular winds the waves rise very high; in these cases they -always tie the horses, for fear of accidents, before they set -out; indeed with the small open boats which they make use -of it is what ought always to be done, for in this country gusts -of wind rise suddenly. Having omitted this precaution, the -boat was on the point of being overset two or three different -times as I crossed over. On the Virginian shore, opposite to -the ferry house from whence I sailed, there are several large -creeks, which fall into the Potowmac. As I wished to go -beyond these creeks I therefore hired the boatman to carry -me ten miles down the Potowmac River in the ferry-boat, -past the mouths of them all; this he accordingly did, and -in the afternoon I landed on the beach, not a little pleased -at finding that I had reached the shore without having been -under the necessity of swimming any part of the way.</p> - -<p>“The part of the country where I landed appeared to be a -perfect wilderness. Taking a road, however, as nearly as I -could guess, in a direct line from the river up the country, -at the end of an hour I came upon a narrow road, which led -to a large old brick house, somewhat similar to those I had -met with on the Maryland shore. On inquiring here from -two blacks for a tavern, I was told there was no such thing in -this part of the country. In the course of five or six miles I -saw several more of the same sort of old brick houses, and -the evening now drawing toward a close, I began to feel the -necessity of going to some one of them. I was considering -within myself which house I should visit, when a lively old -negro, mounted on a little horse, came galloping after me. On<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_94"></a>[94]</span> -applying to him for information on the subject, he took great -pains to assure me that I should be well received at any of -the houses I might stop at, and strongly recommended me to -proceed under his guidance to his master’s house, which was -but a mile farther on.</p> - -<p>“‘Masser will be so glad to see you,’ added he; ‘nothing -can be like.’</p> - -<p>“I accordingly took the negro’s advice and rode to the -dwelling of his master, made him acquainted with my situation, -and begged I might be allowed to put my horse in his -stable for the night. The reception, however, which this gentleman -gave me differed so materially from what I had been -led to expect, that I was happy at hearing from him that there -was a good tavern at the distance of two miles. I apologized -for the liberty I had taken, and made the best of my way to it. -Instead of two miles, however, this tavern proved to be about -three times as far off. The next day I arrived at Stratford, -the residence of a gentleman, who, when at Philadelphia, -had invited me to pass some time with him whenever I visited -Virginia. Some of the neighbouring gentlemen dined -here together, and having related to them my adventures on -arriving in Virginia, the whole company expressed the greatest -astonishment. Every one seemed eager to know the name -of the person who had given me such a reception, and begged -me to tell it. I did so, and the Virginians were satisfied, for -the person was a Scotsman, and had, it seems, removed but a -short time before from some town or other to the plantation -on which I found him.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_95"></a>[95]</span>“This part of Virginia is called the Northern Neck, and -is remarkable for having been the birthplace of many of the -principal characters which distinguished themselves in America, -during the war, by their great talents.</p> - -<p>“Though many of the houses in the Northern Neck are -built of brick and stone, in the style of the old English manor -houses, yet the greater number there and throughout Virginia -are of wood, amongst which are all those that have been built -of late years. This is chiefly owing to a prevailing, though -absurd, opinion, that wooden houses are the healthiest, because -the inside walls never appear damp. Tobacco is not -near so much cultivated now as it was formerly, the great -demand for wheat having induced most of the planters to -raise that grain in preference. Those who raise tobacco and -Indian corn are called planters, and those who cultivate small -grain, farmers.</p> - -<p>“Towards the end of April I crossed the Rappahannock -River, which bounds the Northern Neck on one side, to a -small town called Tappahannock, or Hobb’s Hole, containing -about 100 houses. Before the war this town was in a much -more flourishing state than at present; that unfortunate contest -ruined the trade of this little place, as it did that of most -of the seaport towns in Virginia. The Rappahannock is -about three-quarters of a mile wide opposite the town. Sharks -are very often seen in this river. What is very remarkable, -the fish are all found on the side of the river next to the town.</p> - -<p>“As I passed through this part of the country, from Tappahannock -to Urbanna, I observed many traces of fires in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_96"></a>[96]</span> -woods, which are frequent, it seems in the spring of the year. -I was a witness myself to one of these fires, that happened in -the Northern Neck.</p> - -<p>“The day had been remarkably serene; in the afternoon, -however, it became sultry, and streams of hot air were perceptible -now and then, the usual tokens of a gust. About 5 -o’clock the horizon towards the north became dark, and a -terrible whirlwind arose. I was standing with some gentlemen -on an eminence at the time, and perceived it gradually -advancing. As it came along it leveled the fence rails, and -unroofed the sheds for the cattle. We made every endeavor, -but in vain, to get to a place of shelter; in the course of two -minutes the whirlwind overtook us; the shock was violent; it -was hardly possible to stand, and difficult to breathe. The -whirlwind passed over in about three minutes, but a storm, -accompanied by heavy thunder and lightning, succeeded. On -looking round immediately after the whirlwind had passed a -prodigious column of fire now appeared in a part of the wood -where some brushwood had been burning; in many places -the flames rose considerably above the summit of the trees, -which were of a large growth. It was a tremendous, and at -the same time sublime sight. The negroes in the surrounding -plantations were all assembled with their hoes, and -watches were stationed at every corner to give the alarm if -the fire appeared elsewhere.</p> - -<p>“The country between Urbanna and Gloucester is neither so -flat nor so sandy as that bordering upon the Rappahannock. -The trees, chiefly pines, are of very large size, and afford -abundance of turpentine, which is extracted from them in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_97"></a>[97]</span> -large quantities by the inhabitants, principally, however, for -home consumption. Gloucester contains only ten or twelve -houses. There are remains here of one or two redoubts -thrown up during the war. The town of York consists of -about seventy houses, an Episcopalian church, and a gaol. -Great quantities of tobacco were formerly inspected here; -very little, however, is now raised in the neighborhood. The -little that is sent for inspection is reckoned to be of the very -best quality, and is all engaged for the London market. In -the town the houses bear evident marks of the siege; and the -inhabitants will not, on any account, suffer the holes perforated -by the cannon balls to be repaired on the outside. Till -within a year or two the broken shells themselves remained; -but the New England men that traded to York, finding they -would sell well as old iron, dug them up and carried them -away in their ships. Twelve miles from York, to the westward, -stands Williamsburg. The town consists of about -1,200 inhabitants, and the society in it is thought to be more -extensive and more genteel at the same time than what is to -be met with in any other place of its size in America. No -manufactures are carried on here, and scarcely any trade.</p> - -<p>“From Williamsburgh to Hampton the country is flat and -uninteresting. From this town there is a regular ferry to -Norfolk, across Hampton Roads, eighteen miles over. Norfolk -would be a place of much greater trade than it is at -present were it not for the impolicy of some laws which have -existed in the State of Virginia. One of these laws, so injurious -to commerce, was passed during the war. It was -enacted that all merchants and planters in Virginia, who<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_98"></a>[98]</span> -owed money to British merchants, should be exonerated from -their debts if they paid the money due into the public treasury -instead of sending it to Great Britain. The treasury at -first did not become much richer in consequence of this law. -However, when the continental paper money became so much -depreciated many of the people began to look upon the measure -in a different point of view. In vain did the British merchant -sue for his money when hostilities were terminated; he -could obtain no redress.</p> - -<p>“Another law, baneful in the highest degree to the trading -interest, is one which renders all landed property inviolable. -Owing to this law they have not yet been enabled to get a -bank established at Norfolk. Repeated attempts have been -made in the State Assembly to get this last mentioned law -repealed, but they have all proved ineffectual. The debates -have been very warm on the business.</p> - -<p>“The houses in Norfolk are about 500 in number. These -have all been erected since the year 1776, when the town was -totally destroyed by fire. The losses suffered on that occasion -were estimated at £300,000. Amongst the inhabitants are -great numbers of Scotch and French. The latter are almost -entirely from the West Indies, and principally from St. Domingo.</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of fodder was to be had on the whole road from -Norfolk to Richmond, excepting at two places. Oats were -not to be had on any terms. Great crowds were assembled at -Petersburgh, as I passed through, attracted to it by the horse -races, which take place four or five times in the year. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_99"></a>[99]</span> -only particular circumstance in their mode of carrying on -their races in Virginia is that they always run to the left.</p> - -<p>“Richmond is situated immediately below the falls of -James River, on the north side. The river opposite to the -town is crossed by the means of two bridges, which are separated -by an island. The bridge, leading from the south shore -to the island, is built upon fifteen large flat-bottomed boats, -kept stationary in the river by strong chains and anchors. The -bows of them, which are very sharp, are put against the -stream, and fore and aft there is a strong beam, upon which -the piers of the bridge rest. The bridges thrown across this -river, opposite the town, have repeatedly been carried away; -it is thought idle, therefore, to go to the expense of a better -one. The strongest stone bridge could hardly resist the bodies -of ice that are hurried down the falls by the floods on the -breaking up of a severe winter.</p> - -<p>“Though the houses in Richmond are not more than 700 -in number, yet they extend nearly one mile and a half along -the banks of the river. The lower part of the town is built -close to the water, and opposite to it lies the shipping. This -is connected with the upper town by a long street, which runs -parallel to the course of the river, about fifty yards removed -from the banks. The situation of the upper town is very -pleasing; it stands on an elevated spot, and commands a fine -prospect of the falls of the river and of the adjacent country -on the opposite side. The best houses stand here, and also -the Capitol, or State house. From the opposite side of the -river this building appears extremely well.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_100"></a>[100]</span>“A canal is completed at the north side of the falls, which -renders the navigation complete from Richmond to the Blue -Mountains, and at particular times of the year boats with -light burthens can proceed still higher up. In the river, opposite -the town, are no more than seven feet of water, but -ten miles lower down about twelve feet. Most of the vessels -trading to Richmond unload the greatest part of their cargoes -at this place into river craft, and then proceed up to the town. -Trade is carried on here chiefly by foreigners.”</p> - - -<h3>2.</h3> - -<p>Isaac Weld, who spent about two years in this country, -from 1795 to 1797, returned to Ireland “without entertaining -the slightest wish to revisit the American continent.” -During his visit he saw a great deal, wrote a very good book -after going home (an extraordinary book as the work of a -very young man), and it is a matter of congratulation that he -came. Weld was a little past twenty-one when he landed at -Philadelphia. He was born in Dublin, of influential family -connections, and had the advantage in his youth of an acquaintance -with the Martineaus, those exceptionally intelligent -people. Isaac Weld died in 1856. He had been for -years vice-president of the Royal Dublin Society, and was -famous as a topographer. Some account has already been -given of his tour through the Northern Neck to Richmond. -The observations continue:</p> - -<p>“Having stayed at Richmond somewhat longer than a week, -which I found absolutely necessary, if it had only been to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_101"></a>[101]</span> -recruit the strength of my horses, I proceeded in a north-westerly -direction towards the Southwest or Green Mountains.</p> - -<p>“The first week in May had arrived; the trees had obtained -a considerable part of their foliage, and the air in the woods -was perfumed with the fragrant smell of numberless flowers -and flowering shrubs. The music of the birds was also delightful. -It is thought that in Virginia the singing birds are -finer than what are to be met with on any other part of the -continent, as the climate is more congenial to them. The -notes of the mocking-bird, or Virginian nightingale, are in -particular most melodious. It is a remark, however, made by -Catesby, and which appears to be a very just one, that the -birds in America are much inferior to those in Europe in -the melody of their notes, but that they are superior in point -of plumage. I know of no American bird that has the rich, -mellow note of our blackbird, the sprightly note of the skylark, -or the sweet and plaintive one of the nightingale. After -having listened to the mocking-bird, there is no novelty in -hearing the song of any other bird in the country; and indeed, -their songs are, for the most part, but very simple in themselves, -though combined they are pleasing.</p> - -<p>“The frogs in America, it must here be observed, make a -most singular noise, some of them absolutely whistling, whilst -others croak so loudly that it is difficult at times to tell -whether the sound proceeds from a calf or a frog; I have -more than once been deceived by the noise when walking in -a meadow. These last frogs are called bullfrogs; they mostly -keep in pairs, and are never found but where there is good<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_102"></a>[102]</span> -water; their bodies are from four to seven inches long, and -their legs are in proportion; they are extremely active, and -take prodigious leaps.</p> - -<p>“The first town I reached on going towards the mountains -was Columbia, or Point of Fork, as it is called in the neighborhood. -It is situated about sixty miles above Richmond, -at the confluence of Rivanna and Fluvanna Rivers, which -united form James River. This is a flourishing little place, -containing about forty houses, and a warehouse for the inspection -of tobacco. On the neck of land between the two -rivers, just opposite to the town, is the magazine of the State, -in which are kept 12,000 stand of arms, and about thirty tons -of powder. The low lands bordering upon the river in this -neighborhood are extremely valuable.</p> - -<p>“From Columbia to the Green Springs, about twenty miles -farther on, the road runs almost wholly through a pine forest, -and is very lonely. Night came on before I got to the end of -it, and, as very commonly happens with travelers in this part -of the world, I soon lost my way. A light, seen through the -trees, seemed to indicate that a house was not far off. My -servant eagerly rode up to it, but the poor fellow’s consternation -was great indeed when he observed it moving from him, -presently coming back, and then with swiftness departing -again into the woods. I was at a loss for a time myself to -account for the appearance. I found it proceeded from the -firefly. As the summer came on these flies appeared every -night. After a light shower in the afternoon I have seen the -woods sparkling with them in every quarter.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_103"></a>[103]</span>“After wandering about till it was near 11 o’clock, a plantation -at last appeared, and having got fresh information respecting -the road from the negroes in the quarter, who generally -sit up half the night, and over a fire in all seasons, I -again set out for the Green Springs. With some difficulty I -at last found the way, and arrived there about midnight. The -hour was so unseasonable that the people at the tavern were -very unwilling to open their doors. Besides the tavern and -the quarters of the slaves, there is but one more building at -this place. This is a large farmhouse, where people that resort -to the springs are accommodated with lodgings about as -good as those at the tavern. The springs are just on the margin -of the wood at the bottom of a slope which begins at the -houses, and are covered with a few boards merely to keep the -leaves from falling in. The waters are chalybeate, and are -drank chiefly by persons from the low country, whose constitutions -have been relaxed by the heats of summer.</p> - -<p>“Having breakfasted in the morning at this place, I proceeded -on my journey up the Southwest Mountain. In the -course of the day’s ride I observed a great number of snakes, -which were now beginning to come forth from their holes. I -killed a black one that I found sleeping, stretched across the -road; it was five feet in length. The black snake is more -commonly met with than any other in this part of America. -It is wonderfully fond of milk, and is frequently found in -the dairies, which in Virginia are for the most part in low -situations like cellars.</p> - -<p>“The Southwest Mountains run nearly parallel to the Blue -Ridge, and are the first which you come to on going up the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_104"></a>[104]</span> -country from the sea coast in Virginia. The soil here changes -to a deep argilaceous earth, particularly well suited to the -culture of small grain and clover, and produces abundant -crops. As this earth, however, does not absorb the water very -quickly the farmer is exposed to great losses from heavy falls -of rain. On the sides of the mountain, where the ground has -been worn out with the culture of tobacco, and the water has -been suffered to run in the same channel for a length of time, -it is surprising to see the depth of the ravines, or gullies, as -they are called. However, the country in the neighborhood -of these mountains is far more populous than that which lies -towards Richmond; and there are many persons that even -consider it to be the garden of the United States. The salubrity -of the climate is equal also to that of any part of the -United States; and the inhabitants have in consequence a -healthy, ruddy appearance. The people appeared to me to -be of a more frank and open disposition, more inclined to -hospitality, and to live more contentedly on what they possessed -than the people of the same class in any other part of -the United States I passed through.</p> - -<p>“Along these mountains live several gentlemen of large -landed property, who farm their own estates, as in the lower -parts of Virginia; among the number is Mr. Jefferson. His -house is at present in an unfinished state, but if carried on -according to the plan laid down, it will be one of the most -elegant private habitations on the United States. Several -attempts have been made in this neighborhood to bring the -manufacture of wine to perfection; none of them, however, -have succeeded to the wish of the parties. A set of gentlemen<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_105"></a>[105]</span> -once went to the expense even of getting six Italians over for -the purpose. We must not, however, conclude that good wine -can never be manufactured upon these mountains. It will -require some time, and different experiments, to ascertain -the particular kind of wine, and the mode of cultivating it -best adapted to the soil of these mountains.</p> - -<p>“Having crossed the Southwest Mountains I passed along -to Lynchburgh, a town situated on the south side of Fluvanna -River. This town contains about 100 houses, and a warehouse -for the inspection of tobacco, where about 2,000 hogsheads -are annually inspected. It has been built entirely -within the last fifteen years, and is rapidly increasing, from -its advantageous situation for carrying on trade with the -adjacent country. The boats, in which the produce is conveyed -down the river, are from forty-eight to fifty-four feet -long, but very narrow in proportion to their length. Three -men are sufficient to navigate one of these boats, and they can -go to Richmond and back again in ten days. They fall down -with the stream, but work their way back again with poles. -The cargo carried in these boats is always proportioned to -the depth of water in the river, which varies very much. -Along the banks I observed great quantities of weeds hanging -upon the trees considerably above my head, though on -horseback. A few miles from Lynchburgh, towards the Blue -Mountains, is a small town called New London, in which -there is a magazine and also an armory, erected during the -war. About fifteen men were here employed, as I passed -through, repairing old arms and furbishing up others. At -one end of the room lay the musquets, to the amount of about<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_106"></a>[106]</span> -5,000, all together in a large heap, and at the opposite end -lay a pile of leathern accoutrements, absolutely rotting for -want of common attention. All the armories throughout the -United States are kept much in the same style.</p> - -<p>“Between this place and the Blue Mountains the country -is rough and hilly, and but very thinly inhabited. The few -inhabitants, however, met with here are uncommonly robust -and tall; it is rare to see a man amongst them who is not six -feet high. These people entertain a high opinion of their own -superiority in point of bodily strength over the inhabitants -of the low country. A similar race of men is found all along -the Blue Mountains.</p> - -<p>“Beyond the Blue Ridge, after crossing by this route near -the Peaks of Otter, I met with but very few settlements till -I drew near to Fincastle, in Bottetourt County. This town -was only begun about the year 1790, yet it already contains -sixty houses, and is most rapidly increasing. The improvement -of the adjacent country has likewise been very rapid, -and land now bears nearly the same price that it does in the -neighborhood of York and Lancaster, in Pennsylvania. The -inhabitants consist principally of Germans, who have extended -their settlements from Pennsylvania along the whole -of that rich tract of land which runs through the upper part -of Maryland, and from thence behind the Blue Mountains -to the most southern part of Virginia. They have many -times, I am told, crossed the Blue Ridge to examine the land, -but the red soil which they found there was different from -what they had been accustomed to.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_107"></a>[107]</span>“The difference indeed between the country on the eastern -and on the western side of the Blue Ridge, in Bottetourt -County, is astonishing, when it is considered that both are -under the same latitude, and that this difference is perceptible -within the short distance of thirty miles. On the eastern side -of the Ridge, cotton grows extremely well; and in winter -snow scarcely ever remains upon the ground more than a day -or two at a time. On the other side cotton never comes to -perfection, and in every farmyard you see sleighs or sledges. -On the eastern side of the Blue Ridge, in Virginia, not one -of these carriages is to be met with.</p> - -<p>“Another circumstance may also be mentioned (besides the -contrast in the soils) as making a material difference between -the country on one side of the Blue Ridge and that on the -other, namely, that behind the mountains the weevil is unknown. -In the lower parts of Virginia, and the other states -where the weevil is common, they always thresh out the grain -as soon as the crops are brought in, and leave it in the chaff, -which creates a degree of heat sufficient to destroy the insect. -According to the general opinion, the weevil originated on -the eastern shore of Maryland, where a person, in expectation -of a great rise in the price of wheat, kept over all his crops -for the space of six years, when they were found full of these -insects. For a considerable time the Potowmac River formed -a barrier to their progress. The Blue Mountains at present -serve as a barrier, and secure the country to the westward -from their depredations.</p> - -<p>“Bottetourt County is entirely surrounded by mountains. -The climate is particularly agreeable. It appears to me that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_108"></a>[108]</span> -there is no part of America where the climate would be more -congenial to the constitution of a native of Great Britain or -Ireland. In the western part of the county are several medicinal -springs, whereto numbers of people resort towards the -latter end of summer. Those most frequented are called the -Sweet Springs. A set of gentlemen from South Carolina -have, I understand, since I was there, purchased the place -and are going to erect several commodious dwellings in the -neighborhood.</p> - -<p>“The country immediately behind the Blue Mountains, -between Bottetourt County and the Potowmack River, is -agreeably diversified with hill and dale, and abounds with -extensive tracts of rich land. The natural herbage is not so -fine here as in Bottetourt County, but when clover is once -sown it grows most luxuriously; wheat also is produced in as -plentiful crops as in any part of the United States. Tobacco -is not raised excepting for private use, and but little Indian -corn is sown, as it is liable to be injured by the nightly frosts, -which are common in the spring. The whole of this country -to the west of the mountains is increasing most rapidly in -population. In the neighborhood of Winchester it is so -thickly settled that wood is now beginning to be thought valuable.</p> - -<p>“As I passed along the road from Fincastle to the Potowmack, -which is the high road from the Northern States to -Kentucky, I met with great numbers of people from Kentucky -and the new State of Tennessee going towards Philadelphia -and Baltimore, and with many others going in a -contrary direction ‘to explore,’ as they call it, that is to search<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_109"></a>[109]</span> -for lands conveniently situated for new settlements in the -western country. These people all travel on horseback, with -pistols or swords, and a large blanket folded up under their -saddle. There are now houses scattered along nearly the -whole way from Fincastle to Lexington, in Kentucky. It -would be still dangerous for any person to venture singly; -but if five or six travel together they are perfectly secure. -Formerly travelers were always obliged to go forty or fifty in -a party.</p> - -<p>“The first town you come to, going northward from Bottetourt -County, is Lexington, a neat little place that did contain -about 100 houses, a courthouse and gaol, but the greater -part of it was destroyed by fire just before I got there. Thirty -miles farther on stands Staunton. This town carries on a -considerable trade with the back country, and contains nearly -200 dwellings, mostly built of stone, together with a church. -Winchester stands 100 miles to the northward of Staunton, -and is the largest town in the United States on the western -side of the Blue Mountains. The houses are estimated at -350.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_110"></a>[110]</span></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_111"></a>[111]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="X"><i>X.</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class="ph1"><i>THE DUKE OF LA ROCHEFOUCAULD-LIANCOURT.</i></p> - -<p class="ph1"><i>1796.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><i>The Duke of La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt—The -Status of Norfolk—From Yorktown to Richmond—The -Business of Richmond—Tobacco Inspection—Administration -of Virginia—The Dover Mines—Goochland -Court House—Monticello—Staunton—Winchester—Alexandria—Roads -and Inns.</i></p></div></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">THE Duke of La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt was born -January 11, 1747, and died in 1827. He was in this -country, of which he made a thorough investigation, -during the years 1795, 1796 and 1797, having been obliged -to quit France in 1792 by reason of the insanities of the -Revolution. It is stated that his education was neglected. -He was early in the army, and was in England in 1769. On -his return from England he made a practical application of -the methods of agriculture he had studied in that country. -He set up a model farm on his estate, and established a school -of arts and trades for the sons of soldiers, which, in 1788, -numbered 130 students. It was he who made the answer to -Louis XVI, “No, sire, it is Revolution,” when the King observed, -“This seems to be a revolt.” He turned over a part -of his fortune to the King. From 1792 to 1795, and after<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_112"></a>[112]</span> -his return from America, he was in England, being much -with Arthur Young, the famous agriculturist. Returning -to France in 1799, he continued his scientific and philanthropic -works, and (as much as was possible) was active in -public affairs. He was the organizer of the first savings bank.</p> - -<p>The two large volumes of travels in this country by the -Duke of La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt were translated, and -published at London in 1799. These volumes are a record, -and a summary of statistics for that period of the history of -this country such as are not to be found elsewhere, the work -of a man who had an eye for both the intimate and the exterior -concerns of the State. France was a volcano in those -years, and the observer was glad to give an undivided attention -to the facts of the new country across the seas. Below -are a few statements bearing on Virginia, taken from the -second volume of this remarkable book. The traveler came -by ship, three days from Charleston to Norfolk, landing May -29th [1796].</p> - -<p>“Norfolk is built on Elizabeth River, at nine miles from -the spot where it discharges its waters into the bay. In the -intervening space there are few houses. An almost uninterrupted -succession of pines are the only object which meets -the traveler’s eye. Erancy Island lies nearly in the middle -of the river at a short distance above its mouth. Two points -of land, which approach within a quarter of a mile of each -other in front of Norfolk, are strengthened with forts which -are capable of successfully defending the entrance. Portsmouth, -a small assemblage of houses on the opposite side of -the river, did not share in the conflagration of Norfolk. From<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_113"></a>[113]</span> -its situation it seemed entitled to expect all the commerce of -Elizabeth River; at its quays the greatest depth of water is -found. But at the conclusion of the peace, the inhabitants, -being incensed against the English, refused to admit any -merchant of that nation, or any newcomer whose political -principles were liable to suspicion. The consequence has -been that the inhabitants have removed to the opposite side; -that Norfolk has been rebuilt, and that its trade is twenty -times more considerable than that of Portsmouth.</p> - -<p>“At the close of the year eighty-three there were not yet -twelve houses rebuilt at Norfolk. At present the number is -between 700 and 800. Last year the yellow fever is said to -have carried off 500 persons from a population of 4,000. The -inhabitants of Norfolk, even those among them who are the -most opulent, fancy that the use of wine and strong liquors -furnishes them with a preservative. Previous to the war the -town is said to have contained 8,000 inhabitants. Norfolk -carries on a considerable trade with Europe, the Antilles, -and the Northern States. Her exports are wheat, flour, Indian -corn, timber of every kind, particularly planks, staves -and shingles; salt meat and fish, iron, lead, flaxseed, tobacco, -tar, turpentine, hemp. All these articles are the produce of -Virginia, or of North Carolina, which latter State, having -no seaports, or none that are good, makes her exportations -principally through those of Virginia. This port almost -singly carries on all the commerce of that part of Virginia -which lies south of the Rappahannoc, and of North Carolina -far beyond the Roanoke. They are at present forming a -canal which, passing through the Dismal Swamp, is to unite<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_114"></a>[114]</span> -the waters of the south branch of Elizabeth River, or rather -of Deep Creek, with Albemarle Sound. What must appear -very surprising is that for this canal, which already seems -in such a state of forwardness, no levels have been taken. It -is thus almost all the public works are carried on in America, -where there is a total want of men of talents in the arts, and -where so many able men, who are perhaps at this moment -unemployed in Europe, might to a certainty make their fortunes -at the same time that they were rendering essential -service to the country.</p> - -<p>“The European demand has within four years more than -doubled the value of the exports from Norfolk. A barrel of -flour, whose medium value in 1791 was $5.55, rose in 1795 -to $9.35; and Indian corn was at 37 cents the bushel in 1791, -at 54 in 1792, and at 66 in 1795. Exclusive of the flour exported -from Norfolk, there is drawn from the State, through -that and other ports, a great quantity of wheat, which is taken -by the merchants of Philadelphia and New York, or the -millers of Brandywine, who manufacture it into flour, which -they export to Europe. Good mills are not very common in -Virginia. The exportation of tobacco from Norfolk has by -the diminution of the culture of that article in Virginia, been -reduced above one-third within the last five years. The medium -rate of house rent at Norfolk is $230. Many English -commercial houses are established at Norfolk. This year -England procured from Virginia a number of horses to -mount the cavalry, which she proposes to send to the French -islands. Of 400 horses already shipped off, only 150 lived -to reach the place of their destination.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_115"></a>[115]</span>“Agriculture can hardly be said to exist in Norfolk County -or in that of Princess Ann. The landed property is much -divided, and the inhabitants devote themselves rather to the -selling of timber than to the cultivation of the soil. In all -these parts land is sold at from $6 to $7 per acre; and often -the value of the timber, which it offers for the axe, amounts -to four or five times the price of the original purchase. From -eighty to ninety vessels of different dimensions are annually -built at Norfolk. The price of building is, for the hull on -coming from the hands of the carpenter, $24 per ton for those -above 120 tons. Ready for sea, they cost from $47 to $50 -per ton. It was intended that Norfolk should build one of -the six frigates of which the United States had determined -to compose their marine. That which was to have been built -at Norfolk was among the number countermanded: it was -begun at Gosport, where there are dock yards for the construction -of the largest vessels. The communication between -Norfolk and Portsmouth is continual: it is carried on by six -rowboats belonging to a company, and by three scows, in -which horses and carriages are conveniently ferried over. The -fare for each passenger is one-sixteenth of a dollar; but on -paying $6 a person may become free of the passage for twelve -months. To the port of Norfolk, above any other in the -United States, came the greatest number of colonists escaped -from Saint Domingo. Private subscriptions raised in all the -towns of Virginia, together with further sums voted by the -State Legislature and by Congress, afforded the unfortunate -French incontestable proofs of the benevolence and generosity -of the Americans. Major William Lindsey, commissioner of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_116"></a>[116]</span> -the Custom House, is, of all the inhabitants of Norfolk, the -individual with whom I have the most particular reason to be -satisfied. He is a man recommended by simplicity of manners -and goodness of heart, and is held in universal esteem. -I am profoundly indebted to him for information on a variety -of subjects.</p> - -<p>“A wherry, employed in transporting the mail from Norfolk -to Hampton, whence it is forwarded by land to Richmond, -is the usual conveyance for passengers who intend to -pursue that route. In good weather the passage is performed -in two hours: we were ten hours in crossing for want of wind. -The Richmond mail arrives at Hampton, an inconsiderable -village, three times a week. Formerly there was a custom -house established here. In 1795 this was united with that of -Norfolk. The monument voted by Congress for erection at -York Town is not even yet begun. Such negligence is inconceivable, -shameful and unaccountable. On the opposite side -of the river from York Town, in Gloucester County, are annually -built a considerable number of vessels. The highest -rents at York Town are from $80 to $100. Flour, an article -which it is difficult to procure, costs at present $15. From -York Town to Williamsburg land is sold at $4 or $5 the acre. -The students at the college in Williamsburg pay $14 to each -professor whose course of lessons they attend. Their board -and lodging cost them from $100 to $120. The lands about -Williamsburg yield from eight to twelve bushels of wheat -per acre, or from twelve to fourteen of Indian corn. Those -few spots that are manured with dung produce double that -quantity. Crowded in the stage by ten passengers and their<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_117"></a>[117]</span> -baggage, we did not arrive at Richmond before 11 o’clock at -night, though we had set out from Williamsburg at 8 in the -morning; the rain, which has been abundant during the -last two days, having rendered the roads very bad.</p> - -<p>“The position of Richmond is truly agreeable. On the -opposite side of the river the country rises in a gentle aclivity; -and the little, but well-built town of Manchester, environed -by cultivated fields, which are ornamented by an infinite -number of trees and dotted with scattered houses, embellishes -the sweet, variegated, agreeable and romantic perspective. -This town has prodigiously increased, but within -the last two or three years it has remained stationary. A few -years back a conflagration consumed almost all the lower part -of the town. At present there are few wooden houses at Richmond. -The trade of this town consists in the purchase of the -country productions, and in selling at second-hand the articles -of domestic consumption, which are generally procured from -England. The number of merchants who carry on a direct -commerce with Europe is inconsiderable. They keep their -ships at Norfolk, and send down the produce of the country -in smaller vessels. The commission trade may be considered -as the real business of the place. It is from the merchants of -Richmond or Petersburg that those of Norfolk most commonly -purchase the grain, flour and tobacco which the latter -export. The country produce is paid for by the merchants -in ready money or at short credit; they even frequently obtain -it on cheaper terms by furnishing the planters with an -advance of money on their crop. The Richmond merchants<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_118"></a>[118]</span> -supply all the stores through an extensive tract of back country. -As they have a very long credit from England, they can -allow a similar indulgence of six, nine or twelve months to -the shop-keepers whom they supply. All the merchants deal -in bills of exchange on Europe.</p> - -<p>“The falls of James River, which obstructed its navigation -from the distance of seven miles above Richmond, heretofore -imposed the necessity of employing land carriage for that -space. At present a canal, running parallel with the course -of the river for those seven miles, connects the communication -by water, and opens a navigation which extends without -interruption 200 miles above Richmond. I have seen one of -the two mills at Richmond. It stands below the falls of the -river, receives a great power of water, and turns six pair of -stones. It is a fine mill, and unites the advantages of all the -new inventions: the cogs of the wheels are clumsily executed. -It costs a yearly rent of near $6,000 to Monsieur Chevalier, -a Frenchman from Rochefort, heretofore director of the -French paquets to America, and now settled in Virginia. -Flour mills are more numerous at Petersburg than at Richmond, -and the mills there are also upon a good construction. -The exportations of Petersburg are more considerable than -those of Richmond, although generally speaking, the produce -it receives is inferior in quality. Tobacco, for instance, which -sells at Richmond for $6 or $7 the hundred weight, does not -fetch quite $5 at Petersburg. City Point, or Bermuda Hundred, -is the spot where the custom house is established for -these two places. At half a mile from the custom house<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_119"></a>[119]</span> -stands the habitation of Mr. D. Randolph, who is fully entitled -to the reputation which he enjoys of being the best farmer -in the whole country.</p> - -<p>“The inspection of tobacco in Virginia, and especially on -James River, is esteemed to be conducted with a degree of -exactness and severity, which contributes as much as the real -superiority of the article itself to keep up its price in the -market. The hogsheads are broken at the warehouse, and -examined in every direction and in every part. The tobacco -is then repacked in its hogshead, which is branded with a -hot iron, marking the place of inspection and the quality of -the contents. The planter receives a certificate of the particulars. -It is by selling this ‘tobacconote’ to the merchant that -the planter sells his tobacco. The civil laws of Virginia have -struck me as wisely ordained. The State of Virginia has no -public debt, except $100,000, in which she was found debtor -to the Union on the settlement of the accounts of the States -with the general government; and a claim made on the part -of France for arms and military stores furnished during the -war. From the condition of the finances of the State of Virginia -it follows that the taxes are by no means heavy. The -counties impose no taxes, unless when they have bridges, -prisons or courthouses to build. The slave laws are much -milder here than in any of the other countries through which -I have hitherto traveled.</p> - -<p>“On the 20th of June Mr. Guillemard and myself set out -for the mountains; Monticello, the habitation of Mr. Jefferson, -was the object of this part of our journey. Messrs. Graham -& Havens, merchants of Richmond, and owners of a coal<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_120"></a>[120]</span> -mine at Dover, near by, were so kind as to conduct us thither. -This mine is scarcely wrought. There is not one person -throughout America versed in the art of working mines. The -country between Dover and Goochland Courthouse, where we -stopped at night, is more variegated than before; you find -there more heights, and some fine prospects, especially on -Mount Pleasant, which commands a wide extensive vale entirely -cleared, and full of houses and clumps of trees. This -day was a court day at Goochland. It was near 9 o’clock at -night when I arrived. At the inn the company easily discerned -that I was a Frenchman. There arrived a large bowl -of grog, and we drank one after another, toasting the French, -France, America, Virginia, and M. de la Fayette, whose -name they mentioned with enthusiasm. In spite of my little -disposition for drinking, I was obliged two or three times to -drink in my turn, for it was absolutely necessary to empty -the bowl. It was with great difficulty I prevented the arrival -of a second. The road grows duller after you leave Goochland -Courthouse. The plantations become constantly less -frequent and less extensive. Inns are very scarce on this -road; the next is nearly seventeen miles distant from that -where we passed the night. I went a mile farther on, to stop -at one which I knew was kept by a Frenchman. After having -spent nearly the whole day there, we went ten miles farther -on to an ordinary, where we stopped for the night, and -the next day proceeded to Monticello.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Jefferson’s house commands one of the most extensive -prospects you can meet with; when finished by his new plan, -it will certainly deserve to be ranked with the most pleasant<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_121"></a>[121]</span> -mansions in France or England. He has divided all his land -under culture into four farms, and every farm into seven -fields of forty acres. His system of rotation embraces seven -years. Mr. Jefferson possesses one of those excellent threshing -machines, which a few years since were invented in Scotland. -He has a drilling machine, invented in his own neighborhood. -Mr. Jefferson, in common with all landholders in -America, imagines that his habitation is more healthy than -any other; that it is as healthful as any in the finest parts of -France. In private life Mr. Jefferson displays a mild, easy, -and obliging manner, though somewhat cold and reserved; -he possesses a stock of information not inferior to that of any -other man. His daughters have been educated in France, -where they became acquainted with my family. Fifteen -hundred leagues from our native country, in another world, -and frequently given up to melancholy, we fancy ourselves -restored to existence when we hear our family and our friends -mentioned by persons who have known them.</p> - -<p>“We arrived at Staunton by the road through Rockfish -Gap. The most frequented road to the Sweet, Warm and -Hot Springs at Greenbriar, and from thence to Kentucky, -passes through Staunton. Eight inns are established there, -three of which are large. Hemp, which grows very fine, is -cultivated throughout the whole of this country. Wheat in -this region is mowed with the sickle, as in Europe, and is infected -with the rot. On the other side of the Blue Mountains -they mow with the scythe. From Staunton we passed by -Keyssel Town, Newmarket, Strasburgh (formerly called -Stover’s Town), and Newtown, to Winchester. Winchester<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_122"></a>[122]</span> -sends to Alexandria the whole produce of the upper country, -and draws from Baltimore, but especially from Philadelphia, -all sorts of dry goods. Upwards of thirty well-stocked stores, -or shops, have been opened at Winchester. The town contains -ten or twelve inns, large and small, which are often full. -In the course of last year upwards of 4,000 persons passed -through the place, going to settle in Tennessee or Kentucky. -Landed property in the vicinity of Charlestown is more divided, -perhaps, than in any other part of Virginia. Very -few of the planters possess more than 2,000 acres of land, and -few even so much. Alexandria is, beyond all comparison, the -handsomest town in Virginia, and, indeed, is among the finest -in the United States. Alexandria carries on a constant trade -with the West India Islands, and also some with Europe. -There is a bank at Alexandria, the only one in Virginia. The -establishment of a bank at Richmond was authorized by the -Legislature of Virginia in December, 1792, but the subscriptions -not filling it does not exist.<a id="FNanchor_12" href="#Footnote_12" class="fnanchor">[L]</a></p> - -<p>“The roads are in general good throughout this State; and -although the inns are sometimes bad, yet upon the whole they -are better than in the other States. Those in the back country, -where I have traveled, are preferable to the inns in many -of the most inhabited parts of New England.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_123"></a>[123]</span> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="XI"><i>XI.</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class="ph1"><i>JOHN DAVIS OF SALISBURY.</i></p> - -<p class="ph1"><i>1801-1802.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><i>The Sailor Turned Author—Vice-President Burr—Washington -in 1801—Cherokees—Gadesby’s—Colchester—Occoquan—Romantic -Situation—Tavern -Luxuries—Eloquence and a War-Dance—Parson -Weems—Scholarship Per Se—Frying -Pan—Newgate—Mr. Ball—‘To Virginia.’</i></p></div></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">IN the year 1798 John Davis came to America. He had -been very much of a traveler, had lived in the East Indies, -had crossed the equator several times and doubled -the Cape of Good Hope more than once. Davis came from -Salisbury, in England. He deserves a place in the biographical -dictionaries, but is not found there. Having been a sailor -before the mast for eleven years, he became a desultory man -of letters, of considerable literature, who paid his way while -in this country by potboiling for New York and Philadelphia -booksellers and by teaching in South Carolina and Virginia.<a id="FNanchor_13" href="#Footnote_13" class="fnanchor">[M]</a> -He brought with him across the Atlantic a library of 300 -volumes, French, Latin and English. These books he read. -For statistics, commerce, land speculations, Davis cared<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_124"></a>[124]</span> -nothing whatever. He was an impressionist and not to be -disregarded as a poet. His work, therefore, is distinct among -these early travels which are usually records of fact as fact, -and as such are extremely valuable. However a man sees, -let him write.</p> - -<p>Thomas Jefferson, who was pleased to accept the dedication -to him of this volume, supposed that it would be of a statistical -sort. “Should you in your journeyings have been led to -remark on the same objects on which I gave crude notes some -years ago, I shall be happy to see them confirmed or corrected -by a more accurate observer,” wrote President Jefferson from -Monticello.</p> - -<p>Davis accepted the acceptance and published a book as -little like the “Notes on Virginia” as any book could well be. -The author had read Horace and believed as that poet did -that his work was going to last. “That this volume will regale -curiosity while man continues to be influenced by his -senses and affections, I have little doubt,” was the statement -of John Davis in his preface. “It will be recurred to with -equal interest on the banks of the Thames and those of the -Ohio. There is no man who is not pleased in being told by -another what he thought of the world and what the world -thought of him.” There is a good deal of truth in both the -particular and the general observation. We have not yet -taken the time to review our history with much care. Whenever -that is done, John Davis, of Salisbury, citizen of the -world, more or less, should find readers again after a hundred -years.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_125"></a>[125]</span>Having translated for bookseller Caritat, in New York -(at Aaron Burr’s suggestion), “The Campaign in Italy of -General Buonaparte,” and afterwards having spent a winter -as tutor in the family of Mr. Drayton, of South Carolina, -Davis came back to the North, wrote a novel called the “Wanderings -of William,” for Thompson, of Philadelphia, and, -nevertheless, being in want of ready money, applied to Mr. -Burr, now Vice-President, for a recommendation that might -lead to government employment. The Vice-President very -obligingly promised the indigent author a place in the Treasury -Department. Davis set out for Washington, which at -that time had only begun to emerge. The village of 1801 is -thus described, as if by Goldsmith: “Washington, on my second -journey to it wore a very dreary aspect. The multitude -had gone to their homes, and the inhabitants of the place were -few. There were no objects to catch the eye but a forlorn -pilgrim forcing his way through the grass that overruns the -streets, or a cow ruminating on a bank, from whose neck depended -a bell, that the animal might be found the more readily -in the woods. I obtained accommodations at the Washington -Tavern, which stands opposite the Treasury. There -I found seven Cherokee chiefs. They came to be instructed -in the mode of European agriculture.” Presenting himself -to Secretary Gallatin immediately after the Cherokee chiefs -had descended the Treasury stairs, Davis was told by the Secretary -that the Vice-President had made a mistake, and that -there was no consulship or any other office to be had. Another -instance of the startling difference between promise and fulfilment.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_126"></a>[126]</span>“Finding a schooner at Georgetown ready to sail for Alexandria, -I put my trunk on board of her, and left without regret -the Imperial City. The wind being contrary, we had -to work down the Potomac. The river here is very beautiful. -Mason’s Island forms one continued garden; but what particularly -catches the eye is the Capitol, rising with sacred -majesty above the woods. It was easier landing at Alexandria -in America than Alexandria in Egypt; and I found -elegant accommodations at Gadesby’s hotel. It is observable -that Gadesby keeps the best house of entertainment in the -United States. The splendour of Gadesby’s hotel not suiting -my finances, I removed to a public-house kept by a Dutchman.</p> - -<p>“To what slight causes does a man owe some of the principal -events of his life. I had been a fortnight at Alexandria, -when, in consequence of the short advertisement I had put -in the <i>Gazette</i>, a gentleman was deputed to wait on me from -a Quaker, on the banks of the Occoquan, who wanted a Tutor -for his children. The following evening I left Alexandria -on horseback to visit the abode of Mr. Ellicott. Having -crossed the bridge [at Colchester], which is built over the -Occoquan, I alighted at the door of the tavern.</p> - -<p>“Having ordered supper, I gazed with rapture on the Occoquan -River, which ran close to the house, and, gradually enlarging, -emptied itself into the capacious bosom of the Potomac. -The fishermen on the shore were hawling their seine, -and the sails of a little bark, stemming the waves, were distended -by the breeze of night. The seaboy was lolling over -the bow, and the helmsman was warbling a song to his absent -fair.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_127"></a>[127]</span>“The next day I proceeded to Occoquan; but so steep and -craggy was the road that I found it almost inaccessible. On -descending the last hill, I was nearly stunned by the noise of -two huge mills, whose roar, without any hyperbolical aggravation, -is scarcely inferior to that of the great falls of the -Potomac, or the cataract of Niagara. My horse would not -advance; and I was myself lost in astonishment.</p> - -<p>“Friend Ellicott and his wife received me with an unaffected -simplicity of manners, whom I was happy to catch -just as they were going to dinner. An exquisite Virginia -ham smoked on the board, and two damsels supplied the -guests with boiled Indian corn, which they had gathered with -their own hands. Friend Ellicott, uncorrupted by the refinement -of modern manners, had put his hat to its right use, -for it covered his head.</p> - -<p>“Our agreement was soon made. Quakers are men of few -words. Friend Ellicott engaged me to educate his children -for a quarter of a year. He wanted them taught reading, -writing, and arithmetic. Delightful task! As to Latin or -French, he considered the study of either language an abuse -of time; and very calmly desired me not to say another word -about it.</p> - -<p>“No place can be more romantic than the view of Occoquan -to a stranger, after crossing the rustic bridge, which -has been constructed by the inhabitants across its stream. -He contemplates a river urging its course along mountains -that lose themselves among the clouds; he beholds vessels -taking on board flour under the foam of the mills, and others -deeply laden expanding their sails to the breeze; while every<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_128"></a>[128]</span> -face wears contentment, every gale wafts health, and echo -from the rocks multiplies the voices of the waggoners calling -to their teams.</p> - -<p>“No walk could be more delightful than that from Occoquan -to Colchester, when the moon was above the mountains. -You traverse the bank of a placid stream over which impend -rocks, in some cases bare, but more frequently covered with -an odoriferous plant that regales the traveller with its fragrance. -So serpentine is the course of the river that the -mountains, which rise from its bank, may be said to form an -amphitheatre; and nature seems to have designed the spot -for the haunt only of fairies; for here grow flowers of purple -dye, and here the snake throws her enamelled skin.</p> - -<p>“After clambering over mountains, almost inaccessible to -human toil, you come to the junction of the Occoquan with -the noble river of the Potomac, and behold a bridge, whose -semi-elliptical arches are scarcely inferior to those of princely -London. And on the side of this bridge stands a tavern, -where every luxury that money can purchase is to be obtained -at a first summons; where the richest viands cover the table, -and where ice cools the Madeira that has been thrice across -the ocean.<a id="FNanchor_14" href="#Footnote_14" class="fnanchor">[N]</a> The apartments are numerous and at the same -time spacious; carpets of delicate texture cover the floors; -and glasses are suspended from the walls in which a Goliah -might survey himself. No man can be more complaisant than -the landlord. Enter but his house with money in your pocket,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129"></a>[129]</span> -and his features will soften into the blandishments of delight; -call and your mandate is obeyed; extend your leg and the -boot-jack is brought you.</p> - -<p>“On the north bank of the Occoquan is a pile of stones, -which indicates that an Indian warrior is interred underneath. -The Indians from the back settlements, in traveling -to the northward, never fail to leave the main road, and visit -the grave of their departed hero. If a stone be thrown down, -they religiously restore it to the pile; and, sitting round the -rude monument, they meditate profoundly; catching, perhaps, -a local emotion from the place.</p> - -<p>“A party of Indians, while I was at Occoquan, turned -from the common road into the woods to visit this grave on -the bank of the river. The party was composed of an elderly -Chief, twelve young War Captains, and a couple of Squaws. -Of the women, the youngest was an interesting girl of seventeen; -remarkably well shaped, and possessed of a profusion of -hair, which in colour was raven black. She appeared such -another object as the mind images Pocahontas to have been.</p> - -<p>“The Indians being assembled round the grave, the old -Chief rose with a solemn mien, and, knocking his war-club -against the ground, pronounced an oration to the memory of -the departed warrior. No orator of antiquity ever exceeded -this savage chief in the force of his emphasis, and the propriety -of his gesture. Indeed, the whole scene was highly dignified. -The fierceness of his countenance, the flowing robe, -elevated tone, naked arm, and erect stature, with a circle of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130"></a>[130]</span> -auditors seated on the ground, and in the open air, could not -but impress upon the mind a lively idea of the celebrated -speakers of ancient Greece and Rome.</p> - -<p>“Having ended his oration, the Indian struck his war-club -with fury against the ground, and the whole party -obeyed the signal by joining in a war-dance—leaping and -brandishing their knives at the throats of each other, and -accompanying their menacing attitudes with a whoop and a -yell, which echoed with ten-fold horror from the banks of the -river. The dance took place by moonlight, and it was scarcely -finished, when the Chief produced a keg of whiskey, and having -taken a draught, passed it round among his brethren. -The squaws now moved the tomahawks into the woods, and a -scene of riot ensued. The keg was soon emptied. The effects -of the liquor began to display itself in the looks and motions -of the Indians. To complete the scene, the old warrior was -uttering the most mournful lamentations over the keg he had -emptied; inhaling its flavour with his lips, holding it out -with his hands in a supplicating attitude, and vociferating -to the bye-standers, ‘Scuttawawbah! Scuttawawbah! More -strong drink! More strong drink!’</p> - -<p>“About eight miles from the Occoquan mills is a house of -worship, called Powheek Church; a name it derives from a -Run that flows near its walls. Hither I rode on Sundays -and joined the congregation of Parson Weems. I was confounded -on first entering the church-yard at Powheek to hear</p> - -<p class="center">‘<i>Steed threaten steed with high and boastful neigh.</i>’</p> - -<p>Nor was I less stunned with the rattling of carriage-wheels, -the cracking of whips, and the vociferations of the gentlemen<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131"></a>[131]</span> -to the negroes who accompanied them. But the discourse of -Parson Weems calmed every perturbation.</p> - -<p>“After church I made my salutations to Parson Weems, -and having turned the discourse to divine worship, I asked -him his opinion of the piety of the blacks. ‘Sir,’ said he, ‘no -people in this country prize the Sabbath more seriously than -the trampled-upon negroes. They are swift to hear; they -seem to hear as for their lives.—How, sir, did you like my -preaching?’ ‘Sir,’ cried I, ‘it was a sermon to pull down the -proud and humble the haughty.’</p> - -<p>“I had been three months at Occoquan. My condition was -growing irksome. I, therefore, resigned my place to an old -drunken Irishman, who was traveling the country on foot in -search of an Academy. I remonstrated with Friend Ellicott -on the impropriety of employing a sot to educate his children. -‘Friend,’ said he, ‘of all the schoolmasters I ever employed, -none taught my children to write so good a hand, as a man -who was constantly in a state that bordered on intoxication. -They learned more of him in one month than of any other -in a quarter. I will make trial of Burbridge.’”</p> - -<p>Davis returned to New York, collecting a few dollars at -Philadelphia, due him from sales of “The Wanderings of -William.” In April, 1802, he was at Washington again, -where Congress was in session. “I watched an opportunity -to make the Vice-President my salutations as he came out of -the Capitol. He demonstrated no little pleasure to see me; -and his chariot being at the steps, he took me home with him -to dine.” The House of Representatives was then sitting in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132"></a>[132]</span> -a detached temporary building. Davis thought John Randolph -the most eloquent in debate. After a few days in -Washington, the itinerant passed on to Prince William -County, where he had been engaged as tutor by Mr. Ball at -twenty-five pounds the quarter. At Frying Pan, in Prince -William County, Davis inquired the way. “How far, my -boy,” said I, “is it to Frying Pan?” “You be in the Pan -now,” replied the boy.</p> - -<p>“Frying Pan is composed of four log huts and a meeting-house. -It took its name from a curious circumstance. Some -Indians, having encamped on the run, missed their frying -pan in the morning, and hence the name was conferred on -the place. I did not stop at Frying Pan, but prosecuted my -walk to Newgate, where in the piazza of the tavern I found a -party of gentlemen from the neighboring plantations carousing -over a bowl of toddy and smoking segars. No people -could exceed these men in politeness. On my ascending the -steps to the piazza every countenance seemed to say: This -man has a double claim to our attention because he is a stranger. -In a moment there was room made for me to sit down; -a new bowl was called for, and every one who addressed me -did so with a smile of conciliation. The higher Virginians -seem to venerate themselves as men. Whatever may be advanced -against Virginians, their good qualities will ever outweigh -their defects; and when the effervescence of youth has -abated, when reason asserts her empire, there is no man on -earth who discovers more exalted sentiments, more contempt -for baseness, more love of justice, more sensibility of feeling,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133"></a>[133]</span> -than a Virginian. At Newgate my pilgrimage was nearly at -an end, for Mr. Ball’s plantation was only distant eight -miles.”</p> - -<p>Beyond Newgate, Bull Run was to be crossed. Having -passed that famous stream, the pedagogue and peripatetic, -after a mile or two, came to the Ball plantation. An old negro -showed him the way, who related, among many other -things, that when he was a young buck he made as much as -fifteen dollars one winter as capitation money—“Master, I -don’t tell you a word of a lie”—levied on the wolves of the -region. At Mr. Ball’s: “In my way through the garden I -passed two young ladies gathering roses, who, however immured -in the woods, were clad with not less elegance than the -most fashionable females of Europe. I asked them whether -Mr. Ball was at home. They replied that their papa was in -the parlour, and with much sweetness of manner directed -me by the shortest path to the house. Mr. Ball<a id="FNanchor_15" href="#Footnote_15" class="fnanchor">[O]</a> received me -with undissembled accents of joy. He said he had long expected -my coming and was gratified at last. I was not a little -delighted with the suavity of his manners and the elegance -of his conversation. I now opened what some called an -Academy and others an Old Field School; and, however it -may be thought that content was never felt within the walls -of a seminary, I for my part experienced an exemption from -care and was not such a fool as to measure the happiness of -my condition by what others thought of it. Of the boys I -can not speak in very encomiastic terms. Of my female students<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134"></a>[134]</span> -there was none equal in capacity to Virginia. Geography -was one of our favorite studies. I often addressed the -rose of May in an appropriate ode—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="center"><i>TO VIRGINIA, LOOKING OVER A MAP</i></div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="first">“Powerful as the magic wand,</div> -<div class="verse">Displaying far each distant land,</div> -<div class="verse">Is that angel hand to me,</div> -<div class="verse">When it points each realm and sea.</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="first">“Plac’d in geographic mood,</div> -<div class="verse">Smiling, shew the pictur’d flood,</div> -<div class="verse">Where along the Red Sea coast</div> -<div class="verse">Waves o’erwhelm’d the Egyptian host.</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="first">“Again the imag’d scene survey,</div> -<div class="verse">The rolling Hellespontic Sea,</div> -<div class="verse">Whence the Persian from the shore</div> -<div class="verse">Proudly pass’d his millions o’er.</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="first">“And behold to nearer view,</div> -<div class="verse">Here thy own lov’d country too—</div> -<div class="verse">Virginia! which produc’d to me</div> -<div class="verse">A pupil fair and bright like thee.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>What with a horse, the artisanry of verse, a mild philosophy, -and the business of his office, John Davis spent three -months very agreeably on Bull Run, within sight of the Blue -Ridge. Then a New Jersey farmer of the neighborhood discovered<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135"></a>[135]</span> -that his eldest boy wrote a better hand than the -teacher. Davis resigned the academy to the carpenter of the -plantation. “I now once more seized my staff and walked -towards Baltimore. It was a killing circumstance to separate -from Virginia (the student of geography), but who shall -persume to contend against fate? <i>Phyllida amo ante alias, -nam me discedere flevit.</i> I embarked August, 1802, in the -good ship Olive, Captain Norman, lying at Baltimore, for -Cowes, in the Isle of Wight.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_136"></a>[136]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_137"></a>[137]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">LIST OF TRAVELS</h2> -</div> - -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p>1. A Tour in the United States. Containing an Account of the -Present Situation of that Country, the Population, Agriculture, -Commerce, Customs & Manners of the Inhabitants, &c., &c. By -John Ferdinand D. Smyth. Two Volumes. London, 1784.</p> - -<p>2. Travels through the Interior Parts of America. In a Series of -Letters. By an Officer. [Thomas Anburey.] Two Volumes. London, -1789.</p> - -<p>3. New Travels through North America. In a Series of Letters, exhibiting -the History of the Victorious Campaign of the Allied -Armies, under his Excellency General Washington and the Count -de Rochambeau in the Year 1781. Translated from the Original -of the Abbé Robin. Philadelphia. Robert Bell: Third Street. 1783.</p> - -<p>4. Travels in North America in the Years 1780-81-82 by the Marquis -de Chastellux, one of the forty members of the French Academy & -Major General in the French Army, serving under Count de Rochambeau. -Translated from the French by an English Gentleman -[George Grieve] who resided in America at that period. With -Notes by the Translator. New York. 1828. [From the English -edition of 1787.]</p> - -<p>5. Reise durch einige der mittlern und südlichen vereinigten Nordamerikanischen -Staaten, nach Ost-Florida und den Bahama-Inseln, -unternommen in den Jahren 1783 und 1784. Von Johann David -Schoepf. 2 Bde. Erlangen. 1788.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>[Translated and edited by A. J. Morrison. Two Volumes. William J. Campbell. -Philadelphia. 1911.]</p></div> - -<p>6. Viaggio negli Stati Uniti dell’ America settentrionale, fatto negli -anni 1785, 1786, e 1787, da Luigi Castiglioni, &c., &c. 2 Tome. -Milano. 1790.</p> - -<p>7. Extracts of the Journals of the Rev. Dr. Coke’s Five Visits to -America. London. 1793.</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_138"></a>[138]</span></p> - -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p>8. Voyage dans l’Intéreur des États Unis, à Bath, Winchester, dans la -Vallé de Shenandoha, etc., etc., etc., pendant l’été de 1791. Par -Ferdinand M. Bayard. Paris. 1797.</p> - -<p>9. Travels through the States of North America and the Provinces of -Upper and Lower Canada, during the Years 1795, 1796, and 1797. -By Isaac Weld, Junior. 3rd Edition. Illustrated and embellished -with sixteen plates. Two Volumes. London. 1800.</p> - -<p>10. Travels through the United States of North America, the Country -of the Iroquois, and Upper Canada. In the Years 1795, 1796, and -1797, &c., &c. By the Duke de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt. [Translated -by H. Neuman.] Two Volumes. London. 1799.</p> - -<p>11. Travels of Four Years and a Half in the United States of America. -During 1798, 1799, 1800, 1801, and 1802. Dedicated by permission -to Thomas Jefferson, Esq., President of the United States. By -John Davis. London. 1803.</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>[Edited by A. J. Morrison. Henry Holt & Co. New York. 1909.]</p></div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="FOOTNOTES">FOOTNOTES:</h2> -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">[A]</a> Or Hicksford, now Emporia.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="label">[B]</a> Richard Henderson, one of the Colonial Judges of North Carolina, -b. Hanover County, Va., 1735.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="label">[C]</a> In Pittsylvania County, near the North Carolina line, and northwest -of the Little Sawra Towns. cf. Map, Jefferson’s <i>Notes</i>, Ed. 1787.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_4" href="#FNanchor_4" class="label">[D]</a> Smyth’s entire book, two volumes, is one of the most interesting of -that period. It is possible he exaggerates, and he may be a compiler -here and there when he professes to be giving his own adventures. He is -readable always. Chapters of his book offer puzzles which are yet to be -elucidated. Some one must carefully check up the adventures of John -Rowzee Peyton with those of Smyth. (See John L. Peyton, <i>Adventures -of My Grandfather</i>.)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_5" href="#FNanchor_5" class="label">[E]</a> And it is not at all impossible that the work was wholly a compilation, -done skilfully at London.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_6" href="#FNanchor_6" class="label">[F]</a> Translated by Philip Freneau. Philadelphia, 1783: Price ‘two thirds -of a dollar.’</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_7" href="#FNanchor_7" class="label">[G]</a> The Marquis Armand de la Rouërie, called in America Colonel -Armand.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_8" href="#FNanchor_8" class="label">[H]</a> Colonel Banister was the son of the botanist. cf. Campbell, p. 725.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_9" href="#FNanchor_9" class="label">[I]</a> Dr. Greenway was a connection of Gen. Winfield Scott. cf. Scott’s -<i>Autobiography</i>, I, pp. 3-5.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_10" href="#FNanchor_10" class="label">[J]</a> John Wesley, d. in London, March 2, 1791. In Georgia and the -Carolinas Dr. Coke had been on ground familiar to Wesley. cf. <i>Rev. J. -Wesley’s Journal</i>, 1st American edition, New York, 1837. Vol. I, pp. -1-52 (1735-1738).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_11" href="#FNanchor_11" class="label">[K]</a> From the description of the plantation, acreage, equipment, etc., and -the character of the proprietor, Col. P. might have been Col. Richard -Kidder Meade, father of Bishop Meade, to whom Washington’s farewell -advice was, “Friend Dick, you must go to a plantation in Virginia.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_12" href="#FNanchor_12" class="label">[L]</a> New York at that time, according to this traveler, had but two -banks; and there were but three at Philadelphia, the commercial centre -of the country.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_13" href="#FNanchor_13" class="label">[M]</a> Davis wrote in 1806 a historical novel, <i>The First Settlers of Virginia</i>, -largely the story of Pocahontas. In the modern romantic way, -Davis discovered the Princess Pocahontas.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_14" href="#FNanchor_14" class="label">[N]</a> During the war in Europe the United States were a sort of temporary -depot of the produce of all countries. Commodities over and above -consumption were re-exported. Madeira might come back a second time. -cf. La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt, Vol. II, p. 588.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_15" href="#FNanchor_15" class="label">[O]</a> Spencer Ball, m. a daughter of Robert Carter of ‘Nomini.’ cf. -<i>Journal and Letters of Philip Vickers Fithian</i>, p. 70.</p></div> - - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Travels in Virginia in Revolutionary -Times, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAVELS IN VIRGINIA--REVOLUTIONARY TIMES *** - -***** This file should be named 63221-h.htm or 63221-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/2/2/63221/ - -Produced by David E. 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