Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1849-01-10
CORRESPONDENTS or THE SPECTATOR.
NoRroLx, Dec. lS, l84S.
.olcsSrs. Editors /:

n
cient Borough 50 little knowledge Of the geo0r,-
ply of Virginia not of the Valley or Western Eir.
glna, Of which they know little as of Califrn;,
itself but of all those counties East of tho Blu.
Ridge and West and North of Richmond This.
too, among the most intelligent population-well-
informed on all other SUBJECTS but most shamefhlly
deficient in nearly every thing that concerns Vir-
gina ior good. Ask many Of them, the politicians
especially, In what year such sett Of Resolutions
was passed by our Legislature or what was tho
vote OF Virginia III the contests among the several
candidates Tor the Presidency, for the last half CEN
fury, and you will find them perfectly eau ait in
every thing of this sort but ask what are the auri
cultural products OF particular part of the State.
or the kind of soil of any one county, and thew viii;
frankly confess they have no knowledge on tbi.
subject. We'll, Mcssrs. Editors. | NAV with roo.t
as much proprieiy, bring the same charge of pnoy.
ance against our own people; for with few excep-
tons all this part of the State, the Tidewater re-
gion, is a ",erra incognta" TO large majority of
them. We know little of each others section OF
the State, and much less of each other. Why i.
this so! There have not existed those facilities Of
intercourse III the way of roads, that annihilate
space-ihat break down mountains-thal institute
community OF feeling and community of interest be-
tween remote and detached parts of a great whole
and which would do more TO bind together the va
rlous parts of this glorious Old Commonwealth.
than any other ties that could unite them. But a
better day is coming. We of the mountains will
soon experience the pleasure of more intimate ,c
qualnlance with those of our brethren on the sea
board and those jeaouses and prcjudiccs that have
existed for generations, will disappear like the
msis from mountains before the sun at mid. dav
Norfolk maniiesis many indications through all
parts o! IT. OF thrift and improvement. New build
ings are found complete in every direction and new
ones are In progress Of erection This is emphati-
ca''y Guy oil Churches, and possesses moral and
church going population. The Bapts,s and NJ
fin II,
former on the Gothic order. A large and very fine
Courthouse is very nearly finished so situated as
to shew handsomely as you come up the River
The streets are kept clean and generally we'll n.-
we'd. Tho Common Councils of the civ are con.
stiiuted OF energetic, business men, who have IN,
welfare of their city at heart The CITY sustained
a loss within few days Of u most energetic. enter
prSlng citizen, who was engaged in constructing a
large SieaIA Touring mil-he first ever protected
here. lie was also President of one of their Banks
ouch men are missed in every community Would
that we had more Of them in virginia
Unfortunately much jealousy exists between the
citizens OF this place and Observation-Disclosures so Sit
uated that their interests indssoubly connected
The miscarriage OF the Portsmouth and Roanoke
IL. Road, in which the citizens Of Norfolk had in
vested some S3OO,OUO, and in the management Of
which the Portsmouth people had the chief share>
has tended in part TO this state of feeling Stem.
are being taken to rebuild this road, by Ward &
Co, OF Boston, who became the purchasers. The
citizens feel deep interest in the construction of
road from the town Of Lynchburg TO a point on the
Portsmouth and Roanoke r. Road, at Nottowav
river, 4O miles from this place. The entire dis
lance from thus place to Lynchbnrg via this route
is about 100 miles and according to Captain Dim
mock's representation, is over fine section of conn
try tor such an improvement--the ridge dividing
the waters of the Roanoke and James River
The aggregate population of Norfolk, Portsmouth
and Uospor Is about "A, 900, or will be by the next
census. large number of hands are engaged now
at the Navy-yard-say 1900 in number. There
are two large vessels the stocks-one the steam.
or Powhatan, an immense craft. The Pennsylya:
man Is riding at anchor, the navy-yard and
used as receiving ship. Capt. Hugh ". Page.
polite, gentlenanly officer, is in charge Comma
dore oloat has the supervision OF The Navy Yard.
An enerprislng gentleman, A. McHaffey. from
Pennsylvania, has lately erected large iron foun-
dry and mandatory in Gospon, and extensively
and prohtably engaged in manufacturing boilers for
steam engines of all kinds-castings, mill irons,
&c, &c He Is paying from S25 10 90 rer ton for
MS MS meiai-much OF which he gets from Baltimore.
he Valley ought 10 supply every pound OF IT,
Enterpr'sing gardeners and hucksters from the
North have found it 10 their interest to buy landsas
well as rent In this vicinity, for raising green corn.
cucumbers, peas, potatoes, and IRISH and all
other vegetables, for the Northern markets Some
OF their lands are made to produce from $50 to 300
per acre worth Of ''iruck'' as it is called. had
i'''C iuCd vi OF Inc lands this
region-especiaiIy when viewing It's sandy texture.
An enteTprsing gentleman in Princess Anne that
visited informed me he had this year grown rood
crop of sweet and Irish potatoes from the same
ground, and that it not unusual to raise cron
of and potatoes off the same land and both we'll
matured. saw on his land, clover and timothy
very well set. They have no mari in Norfolk mr.
Princess Anne counties, but use much lime Their
timber, too, is very valuable to them Their wood
land and swamps abound in an immense quantity of
line species Of cane, upon which their cattle de-
light to feed, and fa!ten kindly. This gentleman
informed me, ii was not unusual for farmer with
hundred or two acres, TO have two or three hup
dred head Of cattle, that raised and sustained
On this reed The country is as level as floor and
their roads generally uery fine. This increases in
tercourse and sociabty, and there is no place in
Virginia where an unslinted, free hcspalityexists.
such as you find here. -e.,.
The commerce OF the Dismal Swamp Canal ia
very extensive, and the most lucrative that Mar
folk enjoys from any quarter, The Canal being so
deep and wide that "lghers" of a LARGE size plv
through it ; immense quantities of lumber are bro't
GEOGRAPHICALLY shingles, made of the Juniper.
found In ineXhausiible quantities in the swamp
The timber when cut off the surface is afterwards
dug up in great quantities, from few inches to
many feet under the mud, and always sound and OF
good quality. These shingles are Of two kinds, one
made narrow and short, i'm size TO those made
OF Willie pine In our mountains, and intended FOX
shipment TO the West Indies and are sold at So so
and 81 per 1000. The other, longer and wider
shingle, Is intended for the Northern market and
commands s. TO $l4 per 1000 Besides the um-
Der, n. Carolina sends large quantities OF corn,
wheat, and pitch, tar and turpcntine. / had the
pleasure of trip some twelve miles up this Canal,
and saw much that was novel and interesting
Much Of the growth of woods new TO meStbe
holly, the myrtle and galberry; and besides these,
there is a species Of cane, somewhat different from
that Of Kentucky. the juniper. species OF irce he