The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-12 00:00:00

A GLIMPSE OF VIRGINIA.

(From the 11eu, York Tribune.)
Falmouth, opposite Fredericksburg, Va., Nov. 21.
The further we get into Virginia the more am I
struck by the utter desolation of the country and
the evident poverty of its inhabitants. One must—
if from "Yankee" land—see the degradation of the
inhabitants to comprehend it. Used to smiling and
productive farms, cultivated with all the aids and
appliances of modern agriculture; to thriving vil-
lages, where the mechanic arts flourish and give
wealth and ease to -the citizens; to the welcome
church-spires that stand on every hill and in each
valley, the neatly painted school-houses at every
"four corners," this utter want of all the evidences
of

civilisation is most striking and depressing.
Here are no well-cultivated farms.; 500 acres
barely support a small family of the better class
of whites. No school-houses at the corners for
education would elevate a class to whom the habits
and customs of the aristocracy forbid the opportu-
nities for improvement; none of the mechanical or
elegant arts for the households of the F.F.Vs. pur-
chase, with bigotted blindness, all their elevating
necessaries and enjoyments front the despised
" mudsills" of the North.

Slave-breeding supplies (or has supplied) the
purses of the upper classes, while their farms, de-
teriorating from year to year, have barely yielded
them the commonest " hog and hominy " required
for the home diet of the section. All books, all music,
all wines, all luxuries of every sort, have been the
product of a trade in souls—too frequently of a trade
in the offspring of the trader. Now that all this is
cut off, even the wealthier citizens, the aristocracy
of the land, must revert to the original " hog and
hominy" of the country, and leave luxuries to some
dim, elysian future.
I have often wondered how the white trash live.
They do not work unless the planting of a little corn,
the grazing of a horse, or mule, and cow, and the
raising of a few hogs and poultry—who run nearly
wild—may be called work. Still they live, and
they raise many tow-headed children, who perpe-
tuate the unwholesome stock. I have often, I say,
wondered how they live. 1 have ascertained.
These poor whites—ignored by the aristocracy
and despised by the blacks—exist on whisky. In
this wise—Scraping together a few dollars (8 or 10
was sufficient in time of peace) they purchase a
barrel or two of cheap whisky. The negroes—al-
ways fond of liquor, and never honestly getting any,
except during the holidays—steal from their masters
corn, wheat, and chickens. These things they trade
with the poor whites for drink. They will give two
or three bushels of corn or wheat, a hog, half a
dozen chickens, for a pint of poor liquor; and in this
way the degraded white men that infest this coun.
try exist.

It is a terrible style of life ; the natural result of
slavery. With paid labour, and any sort of encou-
ragement to others than landed proprietors, these
men might be small farmers, mechanics, labourers
of all sorts; honest men. Then Virginians would
be independent of other peoples for their luxuries
and refinements. But slavery blights all the land,
prevents competition in trade, mechanics, or agri-
culture, and puts a veto on improvement of every
description.

They cling to the patriarchal institution as they
cling to ali other exploded and useless ideas. And
while slavery continues to blight the land, even the
return of peace will fail to place Virginia where
sha might be. Once the proudest of States, her
clinging to a barbarous and wicked institutiou has
brought her so low that nothing can now save hor
except an utter revolution in her economy, her ins
stitutions, her manners and customs. She needs the
infusion of hardy Northern blood. She must be
" Yankeeised," and please God she will be. Is there
not land enough lying idle here that, shall give
farms and pleasant homes to an immigration equal
to the whole of this great army o.f the Potomac ?
When the day comes that witnesses the end of
slavery in Virginia, we shall see the opening of a
life,
yifeek for which her great extent,
her soil, her varied surface
the
ew natural and
fertility
t
and facilities. for improvement, give ample scope.
Till then she is indeed a desolate and ruined com-
monwealth. G0(1 grant 'We may live to rejoice over
her regeneration.

711 E FATAL COLLIERY EXPLOSION'

NEA-14-B-A:RIVSLEY.

WORSBORcitIGH, THURSDAY.
It has been already stated that during the opera-
tions for subduinc; 'ate fire and recovering the bodies
6,0 whole mrAnagement of the colliery has been
placed in 1-tie hands of :I,lr. Mitchell, the managing
partner, and Mr. Brown, of the firm of Jeffcock and
Bror,in, mining engineers in Barnsley and Sheffield.
o,,Gring to the discontent shown by the miners, these
gentlemen have deemed it prudent to consult Mr.
W. A. Potter, of Monk Bretton; Mr. Beecher, of
Thorncliffe ; Mr. Pease, of Darfield Main ; and Mr.
John Chambers, jun., of Chapeltown. Yesterday
these six gentlemen had a long consultation with
Mr. Morton, the Governro.tnt Inspector, and Mr. R.
Ititaddison, of Worsborough Park Collieries. After
bearing the evidence of Mr. John Walton, the
underground ste, ward at Darley Main Collieries, a
Dun of grew,;, experience, and nearly last to leave the
mine on Monday afternoon, they were unanimously
of op',bion that the only safe course was to put water
into the pit and fill up the dip boards and engine
plane up to the low dip levels. The part of the
mine in which the explosion occurred is the lowest
level. From the bottom of the shaft to that point
the strata dip rapidly, and the workings conse-
quently are on a considerable incline. Water
poured into the mine by the shaft will, therefore,
find its way directly to the part of the mine where
the fire exists, Rrid that part being filled, it will not
be necessary to put in any more water. Only a
very small portion of the mine will need to be flooded
to cov:sr the fire, and the engineers will take good
ca :-o not to put in any more water than is absolutely
'necessary, for every gallon that goes in has to be
drawn out again at considerable expense. The mine
is a very dry one, or by this time the part on fire
would have been under water. That it is still
burning is proved by the smoke and steam coming
from the cupola shaft yesterday.
The engineers having decided to let in water, it
was resolved to see a deputation of the workmen,
and explain to them the position of affairs. Six
me,n, representing not only this colliery, but also
(other collieries in the district, who had volunteered
to go into the pit, were accordingly introduced.
They were told that it was quite impossible for any
human being to proceed to a greater distance from
the bottom of the shaft down the engine-plane than
Abol).c 150 yards, in consequence of the ventilation
being destroyed and the existence at that point of
smoke and after-damp. Any attempt to restore the
ventilation until the fire was extinguished could
only have the effect of producing another explosion
more violent than the previous ones, for the cur-
rent of air would fan the fire into a flame, and would
also drive the explosive gas upon it. In an attempt
to restore the ventilation on Monday several lives
were lost, and that circumstance made the engineers
very unwilling to risk the recurrence of a similar
catastrophe. The men after hearing these explana-
tions left the office apparently better satisfied that
there was good reason to abandon any attempt to
go down the pit, and they promised to explain mat-
ters to the men outside. The women related to those
in the pit became thereupon extremely excited, and
urged on the men to acts of violence. Fortunately,'
the crowd were divided in opinion as to the pro-
priety of allowing an exploring party to descend.
There were, however, mutterings of discontent to be
heard among the spectators. They gradually
ceased in the course of the day. About one o'clock
Mr. Morton left, and, as threats had been used to-
wards him, it was thought prudent to escort him to
his carriage by a body of police, but no attempt was
made to molest him.

The work of cutting the trench to let water into
the pit is proceeding as fast as possible, considering
the nature of the ground, but was not completed at
the time our despatch left. When this is accom-
plished the water will be turned into the mine and
the shafts closed and made air tight. Already
wooden platforms have been prepared to cover the
mouths of the shafts, and on them will be placed
clay and other things to keep out the fresh air. The
engineers are deciuedly of opinion that the fire is
still smouldering, and may continue to do so for a
considerable time. As it is in a position where no
current of air is passing over it, no smoke would be
apparent. During Tuesday night the temperature
in both shafts was observed from time to time. In
the downcast it was about two degrees lower than
at the surface, and in the upeast it varied from 54
to 65 degrees. Yesterday afternoon, at 2 o'clock, it
had risen to 30 degrees.
Several additions have been made to the list of
men in the pit, which brings the number of dead up
to 59 or 60.

With a view of relieving the distress occasioned
by this calamity, the Rev. Mr. Banham has called a
meeting of the gentry of the neighbourhood to get
up a subscription. The proprietors of the colliery
have promised to give £2OO, and there is no doubt a
Considerable sum will be raised in spite of the heavy
calls that are just now made on the benevolence of
the public. The necessity for immediate assistance
is evident to all who have inquired into the circum-
stances of the bereaved families, and will be acknow-
ledged by the public when the facts are known.