Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-07-19

alipht from the stage cOaCh, sleP iIto tne
shabby whiskey hotel, and impatien,ly in
ouire how far it was to Lexington. And
here. IL, me say, that never was so proud
of our neat and beautiful villages and pain.
ted farm houses, as since was fairly on
my way to The great West. Ia travelling a
thousand miles. have not met with single
town which will compare with hundreds in
New England. New Jersey, and New York.
In parts of the country where the settler
has just begun to le, the light Of the sun
iato the primevai forest, it would be unrea~
sonable to look for any thing more than
bare comfort; but in section SO old, and
SO fertile as that part OF Kentucky Of which
] ann now speaking, to see little else all day
long by the road side, but miserable log
cabins, with no comforts or marks Of i'm
proyement around them, is surprising. !:
know it may be said, that the best houses
are out Of sight upon tho middle of.he plan
tations, and we now and then caught a
glimpse ofthem, but still, If my eyes have
utterly deceived me, the majority of the
people, white as well as colored, put up
with accommodations which the poorest
class at the cas-, would think very indifer.
ent. if not quite intolerable.
=. As1you leave Frankfort. you soon find
yourselfenterlng the skir: ofthat fine rolling
section of country, having Lexington for
its centre, which is pronounced by all to be
the most beautiful section of the state, and
of which it would be difficult. to speak 10
terms Of too high admiration. Should l
find any thing superior 10 i, in Illinois, or
Missouri, | shall no, fail to confess it, but
for the present must in justice say, that l
have never seen such majestic and Iuxuriant
woodland pastures, or rather parks, in any
country. They cover at least one third
par, of the whole surface Of several counties,
which is just undua,ing enough 10 give it
the highest beauty; and extend, It is said,
nearly thirty miles around Lexington.
It is impossible for me 10 do any thing
like Justice to these primitive and towering
forests. The sycamore. the white and black
ash the tulip or poplar, the white and black,
walnut the oak and sugar maple, attain to
prodigious size, and many Of them rise to
the height Of hundred and fifty feet. In
their natural state, they are TOO thickly set
for pas,urage, or for the highest beauty.
Il is where one half or two thirds of the
trees are cleared away leaving the noblest
and finest, that you have them in their great.
est majesty aud perfection. 1t is then that
these vast pleasure grounds are coverrd
with a velvet like and nutrillous grass call.
ed blue grass /; and though It will no. fatten
60 n,aiiy cattle, as If the trees were not there,
the difference, including dry season, IS not
very great, and | am sure that infinitely
more Is gained in tas:e, comfort and beauty,
than Is lost 10 dollars and cents.
Every one who goes to England, speaks
with admiration, and justly, too, of the noble
parks and shaded lawns of that country;
but they do not compare, and pever can
compare at all, ei.tror III oxsousy u1uguf'
6aaaoa. To what nature has done for this
Dart of Kentucky. 1t only requires mod.
crate share Of labor and taste to present to
the eve of,he delighted traveller, hundreds
ofthousands Of acres surprising lowell.
ness and majesty i have said nothing Of
the vast corn fields, which I saw on the
way. Of early and rich promise nor OF the
rye and barley, which are sure and plentiful
crops in and abou, Lexington. Because
fear they destroy multisudes by being con:
yerted into deadly poison. But J will
take occasion here 10 say. that we at the
Fast have no idea how easily sixty or
seyenty bushels Of corn can be raised to
,he acre. Whom once the land is we'll fitted
and planted, the light horse plough does al
most all the rest.
Lexington is one Of the finest towns in
Kentucky, and contains about five thou
sand inhabitants. Many Of the private
dwellings have noble mansion like ap.
nearance, which is greatly heis shtened by
their deep court yards and spacious gardens.
The main building Of Pennsylvania Uni
versity is handsome edi6ce and stands
nnon gentle and charming elevaton.-
For several years the classical department
has languished but the medical school is
represented as very flourishing.
Blu. after all, Lexington is not half so
handsome and neat a town as wish il was,
or &C with the wealth and the taste Of the
people it would be. easy to make it. There
are q grea, many old and unsighlly wooden
buildings of various sorts, which ought to
give place to new brick tenemen's. The
q more wealthy citizens are planting them
selves down one after another, in the parks
Of the vicinity, and turning their attention
more and more to the importation and rails.
ing ofca,tle. Finer animals ofthe choicer
foreign and domestic breeds, cannot, pre-.
sume. be found in the United States. The
present high prices make the business Of
raising stock exceedingly profitable. To
o,h;no of takng $4,000 for q cow,