Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-07-24

he author viii exhaust his stock for the benefit of
he public. Traces of the carly settlement of the
country OF local history and the adventures OF our
ancestors with the Indians, have been suffered in
great measure, TO perish unrecorled They do
not perhaps ascend TO sufficient dignity for general
history, which is Hunted to general action, but they
arc not the less interesting ON that account.
FROM rHE rINcAsTLE MIRROR.
No. /.
"Roll back--my soul-to the times of my Fathers
OSyida's IoRoyi D. VII.
Soon after Lord Fairfax, as assignee of Lord Cul
pepper and Others got possession of the Northern
Neck Revised Code 1919. Vol I. pare 3t3) the
country between Rappahannock and Potomac, began
to be settled aud cultivated, with degree of rupidity
unknown III European Observation-Disclosures, Dunn
fries, aud Fredericksburg, became ports of track
surpassed only by James Town, aud WILLIAMSBURG
Ill Virginia. Front Royal and Winchester soon be-
came INLAND trading posts, surrounded by small white
settlements while the whole Shenandoah country be.
came filled with hunters, land obbcrs, and advontu-
Tradition, the only faint historic light which sheds
glnlmcring ray, through Vie dark vista that eIi.
yclopes those departed years, furnishes numerous
INSTANCES Ut the cnterprsIng and adventurous spirit
oil the first settlers of this country whose names and
deeds are fast hurrvng away in the current of time
ODE lost IN the vortex al oblivion. Some OF the
following instances, dcduccd from the stenoyrap liic
notcS OF traveller, drawn originally from the
mouths of some of the eldest and most rcspcctabe in
teresting TO their children.
In liza, John Sailing and Thomas Norlin. the
torncra weaver, OF Williamsburg the latter coun-
try pedlar, trading to the post of Winchester do
tCrnnod TO explore the country farther West than
the theatre OF contemporary advcnturcrs the country
between the Blue Ridge, aud Ohio River was then
GhiehV great hunting ground, common 10 all the
indians uf OHIO, Kentucky, and Tennessee; and
large tracts of 1t nov covered with timber wore
then savannas, prairie land-Our travellers pro-
ceeuel up the valley as far as Roanoke, where they
were met by n party of ChcrokeeS; Marlin eudc
their pursuit and escapcdto Misunderstanding was
captured and taken to Tennessee, where he remained
severn years ON one occasion he accompanied a mar.
yo tins tribe to the Salt Licks in Kentucky TO cat cb
Oulaloes--they were surprise and captured bv mar
" OF the lIlmanc nation, who then at war with
thc lower Cherokees; Sailing was convened to the
hasAdsha to"hs' and became tne adopted son OF Il
sguaw' wtose real son had lately fallen in the wars
MS nation were in the habit OF extending their
hunting and fishing excursion very widr.--on sov,
raj OCCASIONS he went with parties OF them below the
mouth OF the Arkansaw, aud one occasion IN tide
water OF the Mexican Gulf On one of these tnurs
he fell IN with party of Spania rds cNploring tb,,
country;-he became their interpreter-they pTrcbn
Sod HIM from his adopted mother for three strans IF
D9adS ana cdfd'"W (viz: large pipe with the s. en-
adorned with fcathcrs)--thcv conveyed him Ia rho
conveyed To the post Of Frontcgnac now Yo.L 49,
canada where the Governor of Canada redc,T,,cj
nm; anu sent iiim to the Holland settlement of New
orH' where he made his way home after nm alb.
scnce OF six years The adventures of this Gentle
man, If journalized, would have construed a5 ;n,
estinC volume " '''''-
Al the period OF Sallings return to WILLIAMSBURG
large number Of Presbyterian disscnters from, ST.
and and the North of England emipraed IN This 90.
.ohy' as notwithstanding these were John Mac |
KEY ana Johh Lewis tile Inter was married To Mar
garet Lynn, OF the Hymns OF Loeb Lynn" noted in
SCOTTISH clan-lcgends. Lewis and Aiackev were So
dehghted with Salling's description of the interior
that the three set ont together to seek their resnec
tive places of abode. Lewis settled nm n O.,
"A favY ,atla- l.
ton, now owned by Maj. Nelson's heirs Mockev
settled on the Middle branch of Shenandoah noar
buffalo Gap; and Sailing selected position in the
fork OF James River, (thcn called Fuvanna hslov,
the Natural Bridge where some of his desceJan,
still resde SAID to be the first white settlement made
on James River, west of the Blue RIDGE
Whethcr the charters of the colony and the Roy. |
al instructions TO the governors, from time to time
which constituted our form of government outbr;j
1t or not yet 1t IL certain that the Governor of h
colony probably exercising the preroga,ive of the
nlng was always IN the habit, at his pleasure, OIL
granting leave to individuals locate and own inn.
mense quantities. of land, without anv other reor;
sitlon or formaty, than an order entered on his Off
clai Journal, for that purpose. (See Revised Code
1879, Vol. :, page 3iI, 3l5, G4G.)
Lewis soon became a favourite with C,yo,,.r
Gooch-he obtained leave from The governor. f. L..
cate lOO,OOO acres of land in separate parceIs on
the waters OF Shenandoah, and James: this grant
was subsequently greatly enlarged. When Lnvis
would go out, TO search for tracts of GOOD land .,
locate, he would always take Mackev with him c
company, under Pretcnce OF hunting buffloes. the
iact Us, hackey was hunting bq6tloes, and Lewis
was hunting tard: the consequence was, that Moc'
Key lived and died IN poverty; aud Lewis at the on
OF very useful life, left six sons-CoI Sa,nrsi -
Rockingham Gen. Andrew of Botetourt. Col Cba,IoS
Killed at Point Pleasant, William of the Sweet nring
John oil the Warm Spring, and Thomas: helcff yo6Si
lnnd enough to make Prncsiy fortunes for the ,yIo
OF them; mud If ever his departed spirit rcvjsitcJ rho
shores OF ms adopted homo? it must have been graft
fed with the recollection that scarcely nnotbcr i
IN virginia, had spread so vide as to rcnize NOV,
numbers more wealth. more talents or more mer,ed
onours' ihan the descendants of John and Msrg,ret
Lewis IT would have been gratifying. for Iewis
aud Mackcy to have lived in later day. that phrenol
ogists might have exercised their skill in poiniinn
by an inspection of the pericraniura' '''''''
In 1876, old Benjamin Burden was sent 10 this
Country, as tne agent OF the Scottish Baron Of Cam
eron, one OF the grantees Of the Northern NocL
burden met with John Lewis, at WILLIAMSBURG, and
came hom'' with hun 70 Augusta; hen in O1Icans1
ana spent the principal part of The summer with Li,
ne went out TO hunt, one day, in COMPANY with
Samuel and Andrew, the eldest sons of Tb,II 80"