Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-10-19
MISCELLANEOUS.

MISCELLANEOUS.
(From nc Romnsy (Iampshirs) iasetHgeneer)
For the following copy OF letter, addressed to fe.
male rend of the author, giving an interesting descrp.
ton Of the Falls Of Black Water, in Randolph county,
this Stale we are Indebted to u friend.
FALLS OF BLACK WATER
Miss E c. Sd send You few natural curiosites,
which collected, on a tour that recently made TO the
Falls Of Black Water, in Randolph county, in this
Stale There is nothing, as you will observe about
them or in them, calculated to elicit the admiration Of
the Geologis,; but value them, because procured
them what, in my opinion is the greatest work of
Nature in Virginia, and MEMEsTo Of the great Ia
boz had TO undergo, aud the danger Of limb and life
to which ! frequently exposed, in my attempts to
reach the pl,ce where obianed them. II you were
man. and particularly old man. would also send you
cane of singular Kind Of wood, that procured under
The circumstances; but us you neither the one
nor the other, and will be, will reserve for
myself prop for feeble old age, in the evening Of
my days Beside these curios!es, will give descrip
ton of the Black Water the Falls, and the surround
ing scenery. had frequently heard Of the Falls Of
Black Water being Of Natures greatest wonders,
aud had long since formed the purpose TO see them,
when suitable opportunity presented itself and when
il POSSIBLE For il mast he understood, that they
can only be attained when the Black Water very low,
the bed or channel of the river being the only way by
which they be approached Such an oppurluni.
" VAS presented by the present remarkable drought,
and embraced It The fact tina. this place is
cesshe only at certain Of the year, and from
ten fifteen miles distant from any settlement; the
difficulty, indeed The danger, attending such atven
lure; and the dark and dreadful forests Of spruce
and hemlock, and the impcnetrabe hickels OF laurel,
that line The banks Ut the river, have been with almost
every sufficient Tor not undertaking the trip
heard of bot three individuals who had been ct the falls,
one Of whnm and f.ur Young | prevailed upon 10
accompany me IF you will look al the map Of Virginia.
you will observe tina, The Black Water takes its
on the Wsrt side Of the Allegheny Mountain ard is
tributary Cheat river. It's wa,e. is almost black
ink and yet very pleasant TO the taste. liza fall from its
10 is termination is great, that 1t il continually
dashns among Inc biggest rocks that all along fill up the
channel The Mountains each side generally
very irtous, forming deep and narrow ravine,
which has been known 20 be choakrd with ice and
rock and timber for time to entirely stop the
Of the river. At length the accommodating acquires
power that enables it 10 bear every thing before and
dashes down with furious grandeur that battles all
description
The Geongst would find much there upon which TO
employ his thoughts My mind all along my trip,
was impressed with one tact and that The utter IN
BILE effects that visible on the surface Of the earth
The very great irregularities; lie Inclined and bent DO.
stion OF tremendous Of rock, with all their
turnngs contoons and dls"ca;nns also the intrusion
among all classes of rock Of metallic and other veins
certainly the products Of causes that do not now tx
it Nor adop. the hypothesis enteroined by ina
n.y. that these things the result of the inunisions
that have occurred IN the different ayes Of The world
Equally unsatisfactory is the solution Of the Volcanic
phenomens. by referring Volcanoes the action Of wa
ter upon The metallic bases Of the earhs and ak allies
observation ] bssOw
these i!ilugs, the Iore inclined 10 embrace the
theory of The celebrated French Geoog!s,, Cordier
that there IN the centre O the Globe Eeser
rGr oil liquid fiery matter lava, and that the tina
two hundred volcanoes that different parts Of the
earth, many VENT Of this vast subterranean
furnace safety valves % Globe and that these Pie
nomena are products Of PARoxYsNaL eruplions, that
were produced, ago. by these central fires With
the exception Of this theory, every other opinion,
much satisfactory Than the notion Of the
Greek and Roman poets who described volcanoes the
surPs of the Cycnps, and the prisons of the
Gianiss hor.bcl!ed against Jupiter. If you tell me- my
young friend that Ibis like all other pre- vious theories
UNSATISFACTORY, must answer you the language of
eloquent writer in the North American Review: ave
have become weart, say he, "with lowering 70 long
what seemed The shorslcss ocean Of
~ and conjecture. We in this theory something
that looks like FIRMA and are willing 10 try
il we there find little for The sole of our
foot. |, may prove Delos; if so, we have only Ia
spread wings again. and wait for tho emerrenee oil
the true ARAFAT
Having procured some provision which we carried N
knapsacks, we set out from Cheat River, foot, the
remarkable roughness of the country precluting the
possibility Of getting 10 the falls horseback A more
srduous TASK, and that put into more consan, reqv
si,ion our physical powers never performed, Being
Confined to the channel Of The river travelling
al! the while on and and round, and sometimes
even under, rocks oil the largest dimenslon stepping al
one time, then jumping, sliding down, and crawling
through the cletls and openings. Sometimes we were
under the necessity Of FIRST assisting Of our Company
10 Tue Top oil lesc oostac!es 10 whom we forwarded
knapsacks ond guns and then followed up, extending
to each other an assisting hand IS we severay climb
ed up. Ihas stepping, and Jumping and sliding, and
climbing and crawling, and sometimes falling into the
water spent the first day in vain attempt to reach
the Falls by nghtfa We bivouacked on a large flat
rock that constituted part Of the bed Of the river but be
ing in an inclined position, threw the against the
opposite bank Il overhung by boughs of bcmluck
that served admirably we'll to keep off the dew of the
night Around large fire that made Of drift wood
aud after taking some refrcshmen,, laid ourselves
down 10 rest, consClirg ourselves with Tie reflection
that our bed was not 80 very SOFT it was at least very
solid As we lay upon this rock, surrounded b. a wal
opaque ness sleep inadvertently driven away
by the reflections which situation very peculiar was
we'll calculated 10 prompt. The Black Water rolled
along at feet; the winds murmued and then in
the bonss Of the henlock US, aud and then
beautiful, hrilan, aud Colleen star visible through
the rich foliage Of the forest "Here said 10 myself
s boundary the art the ingenuity and persevorine
labor of Nature here will hold her dominion long
perhaps till the end Of time This the Creator of the
Universe did not intend 10 be the abode Of man, moi
cha the hum of industrious population be ever hca
spreading life and activity around "
The next morning we assembled the river about !ou
or FIVE miles before reached the falls We ap
prsed Of approaching them. by the vapor that
up in the air. by The roaring Of the water and by strong
current Of wind that blew constantly down he river
The Falls, al moderate estimate seemed 10 be abou
an hundred feet. perpendicular height The water falls
into basin that very wide and deep The rock that
akes the fall is about sixty sevcnty feet wide and
a, this time very smooth he falls certainly no,
high as they have been the abyss below being filed
at least twenty thirty feet, with rock and timber that
lie in great profuson for mile below the falls. About
twelve clock, they stand in bold relic! 10 the by
which r.nbnws Of beautiful colours med, extend
ing entirely across and adding great beauty to The falls
On the right hand side Of The falls, lhcTc ia rrecicc