Part 15 (1/2)

In conversation he was very lively, and his spirits, as also his hearing and sight, seee

I found in him a e, and one would have taken hiinia I eulogized all the places, that I was certain would meet with his approbation, and he seemed very much pleased The cohter, Mrs Randolph, and of that of the professor of lishman, and of his wife I turned the conversation to the subject of the university, and observed, that this was the favourite topic with Mr Jefferson; he entertained very sanguine hopes as to the flourishi+ng state of the university in future, and believed that it, and the Harvard University near Boston, would in a very short time be the only institutions, where the youth of the United States would receive a truly classical and solid education After dinner we intended to take our leave, in order to return to Charlotteville; but Mr Jefferson would not consent to it He pressed us to re was spent by the fire; a great deal was said about travels, and objects of natural history; the fine arts were also introduced, of which Mr Jefferson was a great admirer He spoke also of his travels in France, and the country on the Rhine, where he was very inia is the best proof what an admirer he is of beauties of nature He told us that it was only eight months since he could not ride on horseback; otherwise, he rode every day to visit the surrounding country; he entertained, however, hopes of being able to re-co his favourite exercise Between nine and ten o'clock in the evening, the coned toI took a walk round the house, and admired the beautiful panorae, and between them and Monticello are smaller hills

Charlotteville and the University lay at my feet; before me, the valley of the Rivanna river, which farther on, ht was the flat part of Virginia, the extent of which is lost in distance; behind ht The interior of the house was plain, and the furniture somewhat of an old fashi+on In the entrance was a marble stove with Mr Jefferson's bust, by Ceracchi In the roo several copies of the celebrated pictures of the Italian school, views of Monticello, Mount Vernon, the principal buildings in Washi+ngton and Harper's Ferry; there were also an oil painting, and an engraving of the Natural Bridge, views of Niagara by Vanderlin, a sketch of the large picture by Tru the surrender at Yorktown, and a pen drawing of Hector's departure, by Benjamin West, presented by him to General KOSCIUSZKO, finally, several portraits of Mr Jefferson, a which the best was that in profile by Stuart In the saloon there were two busts, one of Napoleon as first consul, and another of the Emperor Alexander

Mr Jefferson admired Napoleon's military talents, but did not love him

After breakfast, which we took with the family, we bid the respectable old man farewell, and set out upon our return on foot to Charlotteville

Mr Jefferson tendered us the use of his carriage, but I declined, as I preferred walking in a fine and coolIn the afternoon we left Charlotteville, in a tolerably good stage, in order to go to Richhtycoe went only ten miles to a small tavern situated in a wood, and kept by Mrs

Boyd We passed by not far from Monticello, crossed the Rivanna at a rather deep ford, and reh and rocky in soh a wood, hilly and rough; in some places it hat they call causeway

On the 28th of Nove, by ht and very cold weather, and went seventy e was better, and the road was also better than for that the country continued hilly, a considerable portion of the road was causeway, for the greatest part of logs, and the country uninteresting When we approached Ja the banks of which ent for sorew finer, and had it been more settled I would have coround was in the beginning loaed horses at isolated taverns Gordonsville and Goochland were the only villages through which we passed, and in these villages too the houses were very scattered, and almost all of them of wood We rode on the left bank of Jaable canal, which is said to extend in land about eighty miles above Richreat care; the wooden bridges were neatly constructed and solid; an aqueduct of two arches, which conducted the canal over a brook having high banks, ell built About eight o'clock in the evening we reached Richmond, a town of about seventeen thousand inhabitants of both colours To judge by the houses, Richs in the Union Hotel, a large and well-furnished inn I felt really happy at finding ain in a considerable place, as I was alht

We could not depart on the 29th of November, as no stean was to go to Yorktown, to see the relish fortification of the revolutionary war, and Fort Monroe near Old Point Comfort, and then to travel on farther to Norfolk, to see the navy-yard, thence to hasten to the south, in order to h the town, to look around, for there was nothing else remarkable to be seen

The town lies on the left bank of Ja parallel with the river, and of several insignificant alleys The main street, which lies next to the river, is finished, the other does not contain , paved, and has side-walks made of bricks As they burn coal here, the city looks nearly black In the western part of Virginia, they only use wood The blacks seem to compose the most numerous part of the population of that place It is here where Jaation is carried on by the above-one through a large basin, at whose wharves they were yet working This canal descends in the city froht locks; the sides of the canal between the locks are only in, there is a pretty large basin, which serves as an harbour for the boats co from the countries above, and bound for Richmond In the vicinity of this basin, I saw a hollow formed by rocks and full of wooden huts, which were inhabited by negroes, and exhibited a true picture of human misery This hollow has the form of a funnel In rainy weather, these poor people reat deal from dampness Below the locks, you cross Ja on wooden trestles Froe to a s in the e of rocks crosses the river and forms a small cataract; farther up there are said to be several other falls in the river

On a hill which commands the city, stands the state-house, called the capitol, surrounded by a newly laid out garden; it reminds one of the Maison Quarree, at Nisraht Ionic columns But these columns are of wood only, and have, when closely inspected, a rather decayed appearance On the two long sides, the building has entrances with steps In the hall in the th ton, soreaton a cane, the left arainst which the plough leans In one of the lateral chambers the court of the United States was assembled, to try a captain of a merchant vessel, and a Frenchman by birth This et the insurance s, a lady lost her life, and on that account the captain was accused of murder I was sorry I could not fully understand the debates and speeches of the advocates, as I heard that the person under trial had the best lawyers for his defenders The decision did not follow

Behind the capitol stands the court-house, awith a portico of four Doric stone colu farther remarkable At several booksellers I asked in vain for the plan of the city and the surrounding country, also for a description of the canal

We intended to leave Rich of the 30th of November, and set out on our projected tour But, as the ordinary stage was repairing, they put us in a se with only two horses, in which it was ie As I would not part with it, I gave up the tour which I had concluded on, and left Richht o'clock, on board the steam-boat Richmond, to descend the James river to Norfolk In thethe particular roes are treated I wished to e; when I entered the room, I found several slaves wrapt up in woollen blankets, sleeping on the floor by the chi, I was told that slaves never receive a better bed

We had one hundred and twenty-two miles to Norfolk, and reached that city between nine and ten o'clock in the evening During the whole day the weather was not clear; on the banks of the er, there was not any thing ree, and was coe a ith any of theine co motion to the whole vessel, that I could hardly holdwe perceived a large stone building on the left bank, the only reinia The following rohter of a powerful Indian chief on the banks of this river, whose nalish Captain Smith, as the commander of the first settlement at James Town This Indian princess swaive notice to her lover of the conspiracy of her father and the principal chiefs, against his life In this manner she saved the new settlement, and also twice afterwards under the same circumstances However, her lover fell at last into an Indian ambush, and was to become a victim of the Indians Then she laid her head doith his on the block, and once more saved his life This scene is represented by a bas relief, which is in the large rotunda in Washi+ngton Captain Smith was ato England, take his benefactress with him; he made her believe that he was dead, and secretly went on board a shi+p Some time afterwards, Pocahontas married Rolf, who succeeded her lover in the coland She met once, by chance, with her first lover in the street, whom she believed to have been dead, and soon sunk into such a land, ee[I-35]

[Footnote I-35: She left an only son by her e with Rolf, who settled hihters From these are descended the families of Randolph and Robinson, and from these the family of Claiborne, consequently the two eldest children of Mrs Grymes, Charles and Sophrone are descendants of the unfortunate Indian princess In the two families, Randolph and Robinson, the eldest son is nahter Pocahontas At New Orleans I became acquainted with a overnor of Louisiana]

In very disagreeable weather we landed at Norfolk, a city of ten thousand inhabitants, and took our lodgings in Carr's Hotel, a tolerably good tavern I made acquaintance with Mr Meyau, the French Consul, a very pleasant man In his company I went the next day to Fort Monroe, distant fourteen miles from Norfolk We went in the Baltimore steam-boat It fortunately happened that our steaed to tow the frigate Constellation into Hampton Roads, which could not sail on account of a feeble breeze This road is intended to be the principal rendezvous of the United States navy, and is advantageously situated; it coe union canal with the Delaware, and consequently with Philadelphia, so that the shi+ps built in the navy yard can go into Hampton Roads, where they will be armed

On a point of land called Old Point Coht-house, lies the principal Fort Monroe, and before it upon the sand-bank Riprap, a small casemated fort called Calhoun, to coe fro turned on its right wing by a land ar ie central arsenal with dry-docks is to be erected farther backwards in the bay, in order to receive a whole fleet after a battle, and fit it out there The frigate Constellation, under the coned for the West India station, called the pirate station; the principal object being to suppress these wretches The frigate is one of the oldest shi+ps, and served in the last war, but being blockaded in Haeun shi+p, but carries forty-eight pieces, thirty-two pounders, and caronades of the salish frigate Macedonian

We passed by a small fortified Island, called Crany Island, and by a fort on our right, both rendered useless, since Fort Monroe was built, and their works will be demolished; we approached the Constellation, our steam-boat on her left side, where she was made fast with cables The steaate Captain Woolsey finding that I was on board of the boat, had the kindness to invite ate His cabin was in the forepart of the gundeck; and was very neat, having four guns in it The after-cabin was arranged as a parlour and contained two cabinets, all tastefully contrived The officers had their lodgings below, as in a shi+p of the line I was very eneral order that prevailed Even by the sentry at the captain's door was placed a spit-box, and every thing of iron or copper, shone like mirrors Instead of the ordinary and very often incorrect hour-glasses of our shi+ps, there was by the sentry a chrono the hour We came on board, as the last anchor was lifted, and then proceeded, being towed by the two boats till we came opposite Fort Monroe; where, on account of the feeble breeze, the anchor was dropped, and the steaave us a boat with twelve oars, under the couard composed of thirty marines was under arate saluted ood tavern, where we found two majors of artillery After dinner ent to survey the fortress, which General Bernard planned; but the as yet far froon, which can be attacked fro the sea, are entirely caseun has its particular arch

On the erous side where the shi+ps of the enemy can approach the land, there is on the counterscarp, a caseuns on the rampart This battery on the counterscarp was built tearrison for quarters The coping is of granite, found in the vicinity of Washi+ngton The arches are of brick The government does not build by contract, but by measure, what the French call _au ood work The masons work only is performed by hired workmen, mostly by blacks; other work is done by military prisoners, who have been condearrison consists of eleven coiment, and are under the command of Colonel Fenwick, and Lieutenant-Colonel Eustis The first officer I becaton, where he is still residing To the latter I was recommended by Lieutenant-Colonel Bankheard from New York

Mr Eustis invited ied to decline his invitation on account of time

We availed ourselves of the opportunity, which the steao to Norfolk, and went on board of her in a boat rowed by artillerists About nine o'clock, P M we landed in Norfolk, all day we had disagreeable rainy weather I designed to stay longer in order to see the navy-yard in Gosport, a mile distant from Norfolk; Mr Meyau would acco to derive as e as possible from my presence, had advertised in the papers, he would on that day give a dinner of turtle-soup, game, wild ducks, &c, but it ritten in the book of fate, that I should not partake of these dainties On inquiring, I was told that the e was the only ordinary means of communication with the south, and went only on Tuesdays and Fridays to Fayetteville, and consequently if we did not leave Norfolk in half an hour, we should be obliged to wait until the next Tuesday This not at all agreeing withplan, and as a hired coach could not be procured, I packed up reat haste, bid the friendly Mr Meyau farewell, and left Norfolk at half past ten o'clock in the e, connected with the Baltiht h, where we arrived about eleven o'clock in the evening We crossed at first two ses, passed through Portsmouth, a small place near the navy-yard, where I saw the shi+p of the line Delaware, and the frigate Macedonian, taken from the British, in ordinary, but had no ti establishment We had scarcely left this place e entered a forest, through which we travelled during the day The country is a large marsh, called the Dismal Swamp, crossed by a sandy road The forest is very thick, and consists of oak trees, a which I noticed the live oak, cypress, cedar and pine trees; on the reen trees, and bushes of the Portuguese laurel and holly; here and there were also e wild vines around the trees This variety of vegetation must look very fine in the summer season, however I was told that at that time flies and reat many snakes This marsh is said to be full of bears, which, however, never attack htwooden houses, and situated in the middle of the forest, we took our dinner The wheat bread becarees, and in its place we had a sort of cakes made of Indian corn On the other side of Suffolk, we passed by a cotton plantation, the first I saw It was already night e passed the boundary and entered on the territory of North Carolina We crossed the rivers Nottoway and Meherrin in bad and narrow ferry-boats, which were very dangerous, as the night was very dark Candles and lamps seem to be here very scarce; for the few houses that we passed by were lighted with torches of pine: we took so was very unpleasant, on account of a rainy and very dark night We alighted in Murfreesborough at a tolerably good inn

On the 3d of December, at two o'clock, A M, we set out in dreadful rainy weather, which lasted all day, and travelled as far as Emerson's tavern, seventy-five miles distant The country still continued woody as yesterday, and in frequent marshy spots, presented to the eye a very pleasant variety by the evergreen trees and bushes In some places the country was somewhat cultivated; that is, there were some plantations where cotton and Indian corn were raised Such a plantation consists only of wooden buildings; in the ht and left are log-houses for negro slaves, and barns for corn and cotton Horses are kept in very spacious wooden stables; cows and pigs in the open air within an enclosure of wor beasts are kept in stables In ins, in which the seed is separated from the cotton by means of a cylindrical hackle These mills are worked either by water or horses The cotton cleaned froe chest, pressed in, and packed up In the chest is a bag, which receives the cotton; the cover of the chest is moveable, and is pressed on the cotton by means of a screw turned by two horses; afterwards the cover is taken away, the bag closed, and the bale which it fore three hundred pounds This is a very troublesome work, and only two bales can be made in a day If instead of that aard reat deal of ti land We crossed the Roanoke river in a rather bad ferry-boat The banks of the river are really picturesque, and covered with a variety of southern plants, which reood tavern in a sh, situated on the river of the sahted with its fine banks Our lodgings were at a solitary plantation, where we arrived at eight o'clock in the evening; the house was entirely of wood, except the chiarret for a sleeping place, and through the cracks in the floor we could see into the room below If fire once breaks out in such a house, it cannot be saved In therubbish of a school-house, which burned down in an hour; the brick chiro slaves in particular are very open, and present by night when lighted with pine splinters a very singular appearance The road was thoroughly sandy; however, it was interrupted by log causeways, which arewhich in the e ere shaken to pieces The sht hundred inhabitants, is regularly built, has broad streets, but its houses are of wood I saw but two built of brick; had there been more brick houses, I should have coe in Holland

The next s and went eighty-six h a thick forest, and did not e;so several daysdifferent species of birds, unknown to e vultures, called buzzards, the shooting of which is prohibited, as they feed upon carrion, and contribute in this manner to the salubrity of the country

We crossed the Neuse, a rather wide river, in a narrow and clureen trees and bushes The oak trees are here not very high, but there is a great variety of them: thirty-seven species are enumerated; chesnut and nut trees are not so numerous; ere told they were common only in mountainous countries At a short distance from Fayetteville, where we arrived about nine o'clock, P M, we crossed Cape Fear river, by a long covered bridge, consisting of hanging lattice work, of which I saw a very good ton As I was very , I intended to stay one day in Fayetteville, a flourishi+ng place of about four thousand inhabitants