chiefly adapted for the saddle; some of them are handsome, but they are
for the most part spoiled by the false gaits which they are taught. The
Virginians are wretched horsemen, as indeed are all the Americans I ever
met with, excepting some few in the neighbourhood of New York. They sit
with their toes just under the horse’s nose, their stirrups being left
extremely long, and the saddle put about three or four inches forward on
the mane. As for the management of the reins, it is what they have no
conception of. A trot is odious to them, and they express the utmost
astonishment at a person who can like that uneasy gait, as they call it.
The favourite gaits which all their horses are taught, are a pace and a
_wrack_. In the first, the animal moves his two feet on one side at the
same time, and gets on with a sort of shuffling motion, being unable to
spring from the ground on these two feet as in a trot. We should call
this an unnatural gait, as none of our horses would ever move in that
manner without a rider; but the Americans insist upon it that it is
otherwise, because many of their foals pace as soon as born. These kind
of horses are called “natural pacers,” and it is a matter of the utmost
difficulty to make them move in any other manner but it is not one horse
in five hundred that would pace without being taught. In the wrack, the
horse gallops with his fore feet, and trots with those behind. This is a
gait equally devoid of grace with the other, and equally contrary to
nature; it is very fatiguing also to the horse; but the Virginian finds
it more conducive to his ease than a fair gallop, and this circumstance
banishes every other consideration.
The people in this part of the country, bordering upon James River, are
extremely fond of an entertainment which they call a barbacue. It
consists in a large party meeting together, either under some trees, or
in a house, to partake of a sturgeon or pig roasted in the open air, on
a sort of hurdle, over a slow fire; this, however, is an entertainment
chiefly confined to the lower ranks, and, like most others of the same
nature, it generally ends in intoxication.
Richmond, the capital of Virginia, is situated immediately below the
falls of James River, on the north side. The river opposite to the town
is about four hundred yards wide, and is crossed by means of two
bridges, which are separated by an island that lies nearly in the middle
of the river. 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. Between the island and
the town, the water being shallower, the bridge is built upon piers
formed of square casements of logs filled with stones. To this there is
no railing, and the boards with which it is covered are so loose, that
it is dangerous to ride a horse across it that is not accustomed to it.
The bridges thrown across this river, opposite the town, have repeatedly
been carried away; it is thought idle, therefore, to go to the expence
of a better one than what exists at present. 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.
[Sidenote: STATEHOUSE.]
Though the houses in Richmond are not more than seven hundred in number,
yet they extend nearly one mile and a half along the banks of the river.
The lower part of the town, according to the course of the river, 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, as its defects cannot be observed
at that distance, but on a closer inspection it proves to be a clumsy
ill shapen pile. The original plan was sent over from France by Mr.
Jefferson, and had great merit; but his ingenious countrymen thought
they could improve it, and to do so placed what was intended for the
attic story, in the plan, at the bottom, and put the columns on the top
of it. In many other respects, likewise, the plan was inverted. This
building is finished entirely with red brick; even the columns
themselves are formed of brick; but to make them appear like stone, they
have been partially whitened with common whitewash. The inside of the
building is but very little better than its exterior part. The principal
room is for the house of representatives; this is used also for divine
service, as there is no such thing as a church in the town. The
vestibule is circular, and very dark; it is to be ornamented with a
statue of General Washington, executed by an eminent artist in France,
which arrived while I was in the town. Ugly and ill contrived as this
building is, a stranger must not attempt to find fault with any part of
it, for it is looked upon by the inhabitants as a most elegant fabric.
The falls in the river, or the rapids, as they should be called, extend
six miles above the city, in the course of which there is a descent of
about eighty feet. The river is here full of large rocks, and the water
rushes over them in some places with great impetuosity. A canal is
completed at the north side of these 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 water, but ten
miles lower down about twelve feet. Most of the vessels trading to
Richmond unlade the greater 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, as the Virginians have but little inclination for
it, and are too fond of amusement to pursue it with much success.
[Sidenote: GAMBLING.]
Richmond contains about four thousand inhabitants, one half of whom are
slaves. Amongst the freemen are numbers of lawyers, who, with the
officers of the state government, and several that live retired on their
fortunes, reside in the upper town; the other part is inhabited
principally by the traders.
Perhaps in no place of the same size in the world is there more gambling
going forward than in Richmond. I had scarcely alighted from my horse at
the tavern, when the landlord came to ask what game I was most partial
to, as in such a room there was a faro table, in another a hazard table,
in a third a billiard table, to any one of which he was ready to conduct
me. Not the smallest secrecy is employed in keeping these tables; they
are always crowded with people, and the doors of the apartment are only
shut to prevent the rabble from coming in. Indeed, throughout the lower
parts of the country in Virginia, and also in that part of Maryland next
to it, there is scarcely a petty tavern without a billiard room, and
this is always full of a set of idle low-lived fellows, drinking spirits
or playing cards, if not engaged at the table. Cockfighting is also
another favourite diversion. It is chiefly, however, the lower class of
people that partake of these amusements at the taverns; in private there
is, perhaps, as little gambling in Virginia as in any other part of
America. The circumstance of having the taverns thus infested by such a
set of people renders travelling extremely unpleasant. Many times I have
been forced to proceed much farther in a day than I have wished, in
order to avoid the scenes of rioting and quarrelling that I have met
with at the taverns, which it is impossible to escape as long as you
remain in the same house where they are carried on, for every apartment
is considered as common, and that room in which a stranger sits down is
sure to be the most frequented.
Whenever these people come to blows, they fight just like wild beasts,
biting, kicking, and endeavouring to tear each other’s eyes out with
their nails. It is by no means uncommon to meet with those who have lost
an eye in a combat, and there are men who pride themselves upon the
dexterity with which they can scoop one out. This is called _gouging_.
To perform the horrid operation, the combatant twills his forefingers in
the side locks of his adversary’s hair, and then applies his thumbs to
the bottom of the eye, to force it out of the socket. If ever there is a
battle, in which neither of those engaged loses an eye, their faces are
however generally cut in a shocking manner with the thumb nails, in the
many attempts which are made at gouging. But what is worse than all,
these wretches in their combat endeavour to their utmost to tear out
each other’s testicles. Four or five instances came within my own
observation, as I passed through Maryland and Virginia, of men being
confined in their beds from the injuries which they had received of this
nature in a fight. In the Carolinas and Georgia, I have been credibly
assured, that the people are still more depraved in this respect than in
Virginia, and that in some particular parts of these states, every third
or fourth man appears with one eye.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
+LETTER + XV.
_Description of Virginia between Richmond and the Mountains.—Fragrance
of Flowers and Shrubs in the Woods.—Melody of the Birds.—Of the
Birds of Virginia.—Mocking Bird.—Blue Bird.—Red Bird,
&c.—Singular Noises of the Frogs.—Columbia.—Magazine there.—Fire
Flies in the Woods.—Green Springs.—Wretchedness of the
Accommodation there.—Difficulty of finding the Way through the
Woods.—Serpents.—Rattle-Snake.—Copper-Snake.—Black Snake.—South-west,
or Green Mountains.—Soil of them.—Mountain Torrents do great
Damage.—Salubrity of the Climate.—Great Beauty of the Peasantry.—Many
Gentlemen of Property living here.— Monticello, the Seat of Mr.
Jefferson.—Vineyards.—Observations on the Culture of the Grape, and
the Manufacture of Wine._
Monticello, May.
HAVING staid at Richmond somewhat longer than a week, which I found
absolutely necessary, if it had only been to recruit the strength of my
horses, that had been half starved in coming from Norfolk, I proceeded
in a north-westerly direction towards the South-west or Green Mountains.
[Sidenote: VIRGINIAN BIRDS.]
The country about Richmond is sandy, but not so much so, nor as flat as
on the south side of James River towards the sea. It now wore a most
pleasing aspect. 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, which sprang up on all sides. 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, being neither so intensely hot in
summer as that of the Carolinas, nor so cold in winter as that of the
more northern states. The notes of the mocking bird or Virginian
nightingale are in particular most melodious. This bird is of the colour
and about the size of a thrush, but more slender; it imitates the song
of every other bird, but with increased strength and sweetness. The bird
whose song it mocks generally flies away, as if conscious of being
excelled by the other, and dissatisfied with its own powers. 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
black-bird, 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.
The most remarkable for their plumage of those commonly met with are,
the blue bird and the red bird. The first is about the size of a linnet;
its back, head, and wings are of dark yet bright blue; when flying the
plumage appears to the greatest advantage. The red bird is larger than a
sky lark, though smaller than a thrush; it is of a vermilion colour, and
has a small tuft on its head. A few humming birds make their appearance
in summer, but their plumage is not so beautiful as those found more to
the southward.
[Sidenote: COLUMBIA.]
Of the other common birds there are but few worth notice. Doves and
quails, or partridges as they are sometimes called, afford good
diversion for the sportsman. These last birds in their habits are
exactly similar to European partridges, excepting that they alight
sometimes upon trees; their size is that of the quail, but they are
neither the same as the English quail or the English partridge. It is
the same with many other birds, as jays, robins, larks, pheasants, &c.
which were called by the English settlers after the birds of the same
name in England, because they bore some resemblance to them, though in
fact they are materially different. In the lower parts of Virginia, and
to the southward, are great numbers of large birds, called turkey
buzzards, which, when mounted aloft on the wing, look like eagles. In
Carolina there is a law prohibiting the killing of these birds, as they
feed upon putrid carcases, and therefore contribute to keep the air
wholesome. There is only one bird more which I shall mention, the
whipperwill, or whip-poor-will, as it is sometimes called, from the
plaintive noise that it makes; to my ear it sounded wȳp-ŏ-īl. It begins
to make this noise, which is heard a great way off, about dusk, and
continues it through the greater part of the night. This bird is so very
wary, and so few instances have occurred of its being seen, much less
taken, that many have imagined the noise does not proceed from a bird,
but from a frog, especially as it is heard most frequently in the
neighbourhood of low grounds.
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 bull frogs; they mostly
keep in pairs, and are never found but where there is good water; their
bodies are from four to seven inches long, and their legs are in
proportion; they are extremely active, and take prodigious leaps.
The first town I reached on going towards the mountains was Columbia, or
Point of Fork, as it is called in the neighbourhood. 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
twelve thousand stand of arms, and about thirty tons of powder. The low
lands bordering upon the river in this neighbourhood are extremely
valuable.
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 travellers in this part of the world, I soon lost my way. A light,
however, 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,
but after proceeding a little farther, I observed the same sort of light
in many other places, and dismounting from my horse to examine a bush
where one of these sparks appeared to have fallen, I found it proceeded
from the fire fly. 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. The light is emitted from the
tail, and the animal has the power of emitting it or not at pleasure.
[Sidenote: GREEN SPRINGS.]
After wandering about till it was near eleven 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; and it was not till I had
related the history of my adventures from the last stage two or three
times that they could be prevailed upon to let me in. At last a tall
fellow in his shirt came grumbling to the door, and told me I might come
in if I would. I had now a parley for another quarter of an hour to
persuade him to give me some corn for my horses, which he was very
unwilling to do; but at last he complied, though much against his
inclination, and unlocked the stable door. Returning to the house, I was
shewn into a room about ten feet square, in which were two filthy beds
swarming with bugs; the ceiling had mouldered away, and the walls
admitted light in various places; it was a happy circumstance, however,
that these apertures were in the wall, for the window of the apartment
was insufficient in itself to admit either light or fresh air. Here I
would fain have got something to eat, if possible, but not even so much
as a piece of bread was to be had; indeed, in this part of the country
they seldom think of keeping bread ready made, but just prepare
sufficient for the meal about half an hour before it is wanted, and then
serve it hot. Unable therefore to procure any food, and fatigued with a
long journey during a parching day, I threw myself down on one of the
beds in my clothes, and enjoyed a profound repose, notwithstanding the
repeated onsets of the bugs and other vermin with which I was molested.
Besides the tavern and the quarters of the slaves, there is but one more
building at this place. This is a large farm house, where people that
resort to the springs are accommodated with lodgings, about as good as
those at the tavern. These habitations stand in the center of a cleared
spot of land of about fifty acres, surrounded entirely with wood. 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.
[Sidenote: SNAKES.]
[Sidenote: MOUNTAINS.]
Having breakfasted in the morning at this miserable little place, I
proceeded on my journey up the South-west Mountain. In the course of
this 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, and is usually from four to six feet in length. In proportion
to the length it is extremely slender; the back is perfectly black, the
belly lead colour, inclining to white towards the throat. The bite of
this snake is not poisonous, and the people in that country are not
generally inclined to kill it, from its great utility in destroying rats
and mice. 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, as the milk could not otherwise be kept sweet for two hours
together in summer time. The black snake, at the time of copulation,
immediately pursues any person who comes in sight, and with such
swiftness, that the best runner cannot escape from him upon even ground.
Many other sorts of harmless snakes are found here, some of which are
beautifully variegated, as the garter, the ribbon, the blueish green
snake, &c. &c. Of the venomous kind, the most common are the rattle
snake, and the copper or moccassin snake. The former is found chiefly on
the mountains; but although frequently met with, it is very rarely that
people are bitten by it; scarcely a summer, however, passes over without
several being bit by the copper snake. The poison of the latter is not
so subtile as that of the rattle snake, but it is very injurious, and if
not attended to in time, death will certainly ensue. The rattle snake is
very dull, and never attacks a person that does not molest him; but, at
the same time, he will not turn out of the way to avoid any one; before
he bites, he always gives notice by shaking his rattles, so that a
person that hears them can readily get out of his way. The copper snake,
on the contrary, is more active and treacherous, and, it is said, will
absolutely put himself in the way of a person to bite him. Snakes are
neither so numerous nor so venomous in the northern as in the southern
states. Horses, cows, dogs, and fowl seem to have an innate sense of the
danger they are exposed to from these poisonous reptiles, and will shew
evident symptoms of fear on approaching near them, although they are
dead; but what is remarkable, hogs, so far from being afraid of them,
pursue and devour them with the greatest avidity, totally regardless of
their bites. It is supposed that the great quantity of fat, with which
they are furnished, prevents the poison from operating on their bodies
as on those of other animals. Hog’s lard, it might therefore reasonably
be conjectured, would be a good remedy for the bite of a snake: however,
I never heard cf its being tried; the people generally apply herbs to
the wound, the specific qualities of which are well known. It is a
remarkable instance of the bounty of providence, that in all those parts
of the country where these venomous reptiles abound, those herbs which
are the most certain antidote to the poison are found in the greatest
plenty.
The South-west Mountains run nearly parallel to the Blue Ridge, and are
the first which you come to on going up the country from the sea coast
in Virginia. These mountains are not lofty, and ought indeed rather to
be called hills than mountains; they are not seen till you come within a
very few miles of them, and the ascent is so gradual, that you get upon
their top almost without perceiving it.