Part 2 (1/2)

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”Federal Hill,” home of Thomas Reade Rootes, Gov. Brooke, etc.; now the residence of Mrs. H. Theodore Wight. (See page 153)]

6th.--We crossed the river, which we called Euphrates.[20] It is very deep; the main course of the water is North; it is fourscore yards wide in the narrowest part. We drank some healths on the other side, and returned; after which I went a swimming in it. We could not find any fordable place, except the one by which we crossed, and it was deep in several places. I got some gra.s.s hoppers and fished; and another and I, we caught a dish of fish, some perch, and a fish they called chub. The others went a hunting, and killed deer and turkeys. The Governor had graving irons, but could not grave anything, the stones were so hard, I graved my name on a tree by the river side; and the Governor buried a bottle with a paper enclosed, on which he writ that he took possession of this place in the name and for King George the First of England.[21] We had a good dinner, and after it we got the men together, and loaded all their arms, and we drank the King's health in Champagne, and fired a volley--the Princess's health in Burgundy, and fired a volley, and all the rest of the Royal Family in Claret, and a volley. We had several sorts of liquors, viz: Virginia red wine and white wine, Irish usquebaugh, brandy, shrub, two sorts of rum, champagne, canary, cherry, punch, water, cider, &c.

I sent two of the rangers to look for my gun, which I dropped in the mountains; they found it, and brought it to me at night, and I gave them a pistole for their trouble. We called the highest mountain Mount George, and the one we crossed over Mount Spotswood.

7th.--At seven in the morning we mounted our horses, and parted with the rangers, who were to go further on, and we returned homewards; we repa.s.sed the mountains, and at five in the afternoon we came to Hospital Camp, where we left our sick men, and heavy baggage and we found all things well and safe. We camped here, and called it Captain Clouder's Camp.

8th.--At nine we were all on horseback. We saw several bears and deer, and killed some wild turkeys. We encamped at the side of a run, and called the place Mason's Camp. We had good forage for our horses, and we lay as usual. Made twenty miles this day.

9th.--We set out at nine of the clock, and before twelve we saw several bears, and killed three. One of them attacked one of our men that was riding after him, and narrowly missed him; he tore his things that he had behind him from off the horse, and would have destroyed him, had he not had immediate help from the other men and our dogs. Some of the dogs suffered severely in this engagement. At two we crossed one of the branches of the Rappahannock River, and at five we encamped on the side of the Rapid Ann, on a tract of land that Mr. Beverley hath design to take up. We made, this day, twenty-three miles, and called this Captain Smith's Camp. We eat part of one of the bears, which tasted very well, and would be good, and might pa.s.s for veal, if one did not know what it was. We were very merry, and diverted ourselves with our adventures.

10th.--At eight we were on horseback, and about ten, as we were going up a small hill, Mr. Beverley and his horse fell down, and they both rolled to the bottom; but there were no bones broken on either side. At twelve as we were crossing a run of water, Mr. Clouder fell in, so we called this place Clouder's Run. At one we arrived at a large spring, where we dined and drank a bowl of punch. We called this Fontaine's Spring. About two we got on horseback, and at four we reached Germanna. The Governor thanked the gentlemen for their a.s.sistance in the expedition. Mr. Mason left us here.

I went at five to swim in the Rappahannock River, and returned to the town.

11th.--After breakfast all our company left us, excepting Dr. Robinson and Mr. Clouder. We walked all about the town, and the Governor settled his business with the Germans here, and accommodated the minister and the people, and then to bed.

12th.--After breakfast went a fis.h.i.+ng in the Rappahannock, and took seven fish, which we had for dinner; after which Mr. Robinson and I, we endeavored to melt some ore in the Smith's forge, but could get nothing out of it. Dr. Robinson's and Mr. Clouder's boys were taken violently ill with fever. Mr. Robinson and Mr. Clouder left us, and the boys remained behind.

13th.--About eight of the clock we mounted our horses, and went to the mine, where we took several pieces of ore; and at nine we set out from the mine, our servants having gone before; and about three we overtook them in the woods, and there the Governor and I dined. We mounted afterwards and continued on our road. I killed a black snake about five feet long. We arrived at Mr. Woodford's[22] on Rappahannoc River, about six, and remained there all night.

14th.--At seven we sent our horses and baggage before us; and at ten we mounted our horses; we killed another snake, four feet nine inches long.

At twelve we came to the church, where we met with Mr. Buckner, and remained till two, to settle some county business; then we mounted our horses, and saw several wild turkeys on the road; and at seven we reached Mr. Beverley's house, which is on the head of the Mattapony River, where we were well entertained. My boy was taken with a violent fever, and very sick.

15th.--At seven my servant was some what better, and I sent him away with my horses, and about ten o'clock the Governor took his chaise, and I with him, and at twelve we came to a mill-dam, which we had great difficulty to get the chaise over. We got into it again, and continued on our way, and about five we arrived at Mr. Baylor's, where we remained all night.

16th.--My servant was so sick, that I was obliged to leave him, and the Governor's servants took care of my horses. At ten we sent the chaise over the Mattapony River, and it being Sunday, we went to church in King William County, where we heard a sermon from Mr. Monroe. After sermon we continued our journey until we came to Mr. West's plantation, where Colonel Ba.s.set waited for the Governor with his pinnace, and other boats for his servants. We arrived at his house by five of the clock, and were n.o.bly entertained.

17th.--At ten we left Colonel Ba.s.set's, and at three we arrived at Williamsburg, where we dined together and went to my lodgings, and to bed, being well tired as well as my horses.

I reckon that from Williamsburg to the Euphrates River is in all 219 miles, so that our journey, going and coming, has been in all 438 miles.

CHAPTER III

_Fredericksburg Incorporated by Law--Col. Byrd Walks About Town--Church Erected--Patrick Henry Rector--Augustine Was.h.i.+ngton a Trustee--Fairs Inaugurated--Limits of the Town Extended, &c._

Although the site upon which Fredericksburg now stands was settled by white men, possibly in 1622, in the location of plantations by the London Company referred to by Capt. John Smith, and certainly in 1681 by the construction of Major Lawrence Smith's fort, yet the town was not incorporated for many years thereafter. That it was a trading station and a place of importance before its incorporation is admitted in the act of incorporation itself, besides earlier writers refer to it as such. If the inquiry should be made as to why the town was not incorporated earlier if it was a place of importance, it might be answered with the fact that prior to that time the authorities did not seem to think it was necessary, as neither Richmond, Petersburg, Norfolk nor Alexandria was incorporated for several years after Fredericksburg had a legal existence.

Fredericksburg was founded by law in 1727 and named for Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of George the Second, by which act the people of the town showed their attachment to the royal family of England. But this was not all; they emphasized that attachment by calling nearly every street in the original survey of the town after some member of the royal family or of some country to which English royalty was closely allied. Sophia street was named for the sister of George II; Caroline for his wife; Princess Anne for one of his daughters, and Prince Edward for his grandson. The cross streets were named, Princess Elizabeth for a daughter of George II; Frederick for his oldest son; William for his second son, and Amelia for a daughter. George was named for the King himself; Charlotte for the wife of George III; Hanover for the House of Hanover, and Prussia for the country of Prussia. This includes every street in the original survey except Charles and Wolfe. We do not know for whom these two streets were named, and we think the evidence is very clear that they were not laid out as streets at the time of the original survey.

The act of the House of Burgesses, establis.h.i.+ng Fredericksburg, in which are preserved as near as possible the form, orthography, punctuation and capitalization, is as follows:

I. Whereas great Numbers of People have of late seated themselves and their Families upon and near the River _Rappahannock_, and the Branches thereof above the Falls, and great Quant.i.ties of Tobacco and other Commodities are every Year brought down to the upper Landings upon the said River to be s.h.i.+pped off and transported to other Parts of the Country and it is necessary that the poorer Part of the said Inhabitants should be supplied from thence with Goods and Merchandise in return for their Commodities, but for Want of some convenient Place, where Traders may cohabit and bring their Goods to, such Supplies are not to be had without great Disadvantages, and good Houses are greatly wanted on some navigable Part of said River, near the Falls for the Reception of safe keeping of such Commodities as are brought thither and for the Entertainment and Sustenance of those who repair thither from remote Places with Carriages drawn by Horses and Oxen; and forasmuch as the Inhabitants of the County of _Spotsylvania_ have made humble Supplication to the General a.s.sembly that a Town may be laid out in some convenient Place near the Falls of said River, for the cohabitation of such as are minded to reside there for the purposes aforesaid, whereby the peopling of that remote Part of the county will be encouraged, and Trade and Navigation may be increased:

II. BE _it enacted, by the Lieutenant Governor, Council, and Burgesses, of this present General a.s.sembly, and it is hereby enacted, by the Authority of the same_, that within six Months after the pa.s.sing of this Act fifty Acres of Land, Parcel of a Tract of Land belonging to _John Royston_ and _Robert Buckner_, of the County of _Gloucester_, situate, lying and being upon the South Side of the River Rappahannock aforesaid in the County of _Spotsylvania_ commonly called or known by the Name of the _Lease Land_, shall be surveyed and laid out, taking the whole Breadth of the Tract of Land upon the River, by the Surveyor of the said County of _Spotsylvania_; and the said fifty Acres of Land, so to be surveyed and laid out, shall be and is hereby vested in _John Robinson_, Esq; _Henry Willis_, _Augustin Smith_, _John Taliaferro_, _Harry Beverley_, _John Waller_, and _Jeremiah Clowder_, of the County of _Spotsylvania_, Gentlemen, and their Successors, in Trust, for the several purposes hereafter mentioned; and the said _John Robinson_, _Henry Willis_, _Augustin Smith_, _John Taliaferro_, _Harry Beverley_, _John Waller_ and _Jeremiah Clowder_, are hereby const.i.tuted and appointed Directors and Trustees for designing, building, carrying on, and maintaining, a Town upon the said Land: And the said Directors and Trustees, or any four of them, shall have power to meet as often as they shall think necessary, and shall lay out the said fifty Acres in Lots and Streets, not exceeding Half an Acre of Ground in each Lot, and also to set apart such Portions of said Land for a Church and Church-Yard, a Market Place, and publick Key, and to appoint such Places upon the River for publick Landings, as they shall think most convenient, and, if the same shall be necessary, shall direct the making and erecting of Wharfs and Cranes at such publick Landings, for the publick Use.

And when the said Town shall be so laid out the said Directors and Trustees shall have full Power and Authority to sell all the said Lots by publick Sale or Auction, from Time to Time, to the highest Bidder, so as no Person shall have more than Two Lots; and when such Lots shall be sold, any two of the said Trustees shall and may, upon Payment of the Purchase Money, by some sufficient Conveyance or Conveyances, Convey the Fee Simple, Estate of such Lot or Lots to the Purchaser or Purchasers: And he or they, or his or their Heirs and a.s.signs, respectively, shall and may for ever thereafter peaceably and quietly have, hold, possess, and enjoy, the same, freed and discharged of and from all Right, t.i.tle, Estate, Claim, Interest, and Demand whatsoever of the said _John Royster_ and _Robert Buckner_ and the Heirs and a.s.signs of them respectively, and of all Persons whatsoever claiming by, from, or under them or either of them.