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 _Gazette_.”
_IX._
_ISAAC WELD._
_1796._
_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._
1.
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:
“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 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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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 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.
“‘Masser will be so glad to see you,’ added he; ‘nothing can be like.’
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“As I passed through this part of the country, from Tappahannock to
Urbanna, I observed many traces of fires in the 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.
“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.
“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 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.
“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 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.
“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.
“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.
“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 only particular circumstance in their mode of
carrying on their races in Virginia is that they always run to the left.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
2.
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:
“Having stayed at Richmond somewhat longer than a week, which I found
absolutely necessary, if it had only been to recruit the strength
of my horses, I proceeded in a north-westerly direction towards the
Southwest or Green Mountains.
“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.
“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 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 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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“The Southwest 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. 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.
“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 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.