The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-11-28
MISCELLANEOUS.

And mine, foIeer, The green hills be-
That rise the stream beside. WnFRED
MISCELLANEOUS.
Extract from The Pinsburg History of North Carolina
byJ. S. Jones, Of Shoeco
: ROANOKE ISLAND.
Such is the aspect Of this shore,
IT'S Greece, but living Greece no more
So coldly sweet, so deadly fair
We start, for soul is wanting there.-Giour.
have never wandered over the Island of
Roanoke, without feeling of melancholy, as
intense as that Of Byron whilst contemplating
the fallen greatness Of Greece. The days Of
her glory are over, and gone with those be-
yond the flood i, but still she is to me an island
Of the heart-for her shores are the graves Of
the warlike and the wise. The native Indian
built his machicomack on her hills and there
too, stood the city of Raleigh, the birthplace
of the Anglo American-and thus Roanoke
known, long before the beach at jamestown
was settled, or the rock of Plymouth conse-
Grated. She is the classic land of all English
America, and will live in future story of our
Republic, as the mother. earth of American
liberty. The illustrious names of Raleigh, of
Cavendish, of Greenville, and of Drake--the
H6TOGS Vi tHc TclSn Vi CHZducu-dTt u part
and pouion Of her history. Hariot, the
mathematician, and philosopher Of the age, for
the space of whole year, studied its natural
resources and Indian history, and nearly two
hundred and fifty years since, gave the world
book unequaled for the accuracy and the
interest of its details. Itwould seem, indeed,
as if the chivalry and learning ofthat age had
contributed this splendid representations give
a dazzling brilliancy to the early history of
that State, on whose shores the flag Of Eng
land was first unfurled, and in whose vallies
and over whose hills the mountain goddess
Liberty first shouted the cry of American In
dependence. Bear witness, Macklenburg, on
the Goth of May, ITS.
But it is not historic association alone,
which make sacred the shores and vine-clad
forests of Roanoke. Nature seems to have
exerted herself to adorn it as the Eden of the
new world. The richest garniture Of flowers,
ana the sWectost minstrelsy Of birds are there
In traversing the Northern section Of ~.
island, in the spring time of the year, flowers
and sweet scented herbs, in the widest luxu-
rance, are strewn along your winding way,
welcoming you with their fragrance TO their
cherished isle. The wild rose bnsh which
at times springs up into nurseries Of 100 yards
in extent, blooms blushing 10 the song Of a
thousand birds that are basking in her bowers.
The hooking bird, too, whatever orntholo-
gists may say of its " chimney habits, makes
this his favorite haunt; and | have myself
seen him pillowed on the highest cluster of
roses, and swinging with his weight the slen-
der tree, as he warbled out his most exquisite
song. II may be, however, that Roanoke is
tho yybaro in init nf tho Hast
ern queen of song, the hooking bird fell in
love with the rose.
There are stately pine forests extending
beautiful of its trees are what are commonly
called dogwood, the laurel, and delicate spe-
cies of white oak. have seen forest com
posed of these trees, the branches and limbs
of which were literally intertwisted and knitted
together by the embraces Of the Roanoke vine
which here, in its native garden, grows with
extraordinary exnberance. ...
Within the deep shades Of these reclining
vintages, the spirit of solitude at times reigns
in undisturbed majesty. AT midday when
the heat of the summers sun is too glowing
for exertion-there is not the chirp of bird
to break the soemnity of the spot. The long
and slender vine snake, which at other hours
is seen industriously threading his way through
the mazes OF the vintage, has now suspended
himself on twig, and hangs as idle and as
still as black silk cord. If you hear the tread
of footsteps, il is not of man, but the stealthy
retreat Of an unsuspecting fawn, which hath
slept too long, and which now, line wood
land nympth, dies away on the approach Of
man. But in the morning and in the evening,
81 r. 80, l.,f. llnhnn
1t is then the granary of the Island, and the
birds are all assembled and are warbling
in bacchanal confusion their morning or
evening hymn. The scenery of Roanoke
is neither grand nor sublime. There are no
Alpine SUBMITS to mingle with clouds, but
series of gentle fluctuations, and few abrupt
hills, in the valleys of which the richly dress
ed scenery have described may be found If
it should ever be the lot of the reader to stroll
under the vintage shades Of Roanoke-made
impcryious TO the rays Of the sun by the rich
foliage and clustering grapes above him-he
will not venture to discredt the highly wrought
sketches of Hariot, nor mock the humber
enthusiasm of the volume now before him.
remember once tc have stood upon the loitiest
eminence of the Island, and to have watched
progress of sunset. 1t was on summers
eve, which had been made peculiarly clear by
violent thunder squal the preceding night
and not film of a cloud or vapor was 10
be seen about the horizon, or in the blue vault
of heaven. There was not breath of air to
stir the slender leaf Of the few lofty pines that
struggled around me, and even the knocking
bird seemed to have hushed his capricious