The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-08-17
Correspondence Of the Dispatch.l
HYG1A HoTEL, ORB PorsT, !
A,r,,ef 10Th 1854

| Disnatch from a place of public resort, and
| being aware of your return to Richmond, /
have thought that brief notes from this low
| land region might not be altogether u1oaccept-
able. wish it distinctly understood, howev.
| or that your readers must expect a very in
! farior entertainment from the one so lately
suread before them by you. If an editor can't
| ,1,.;te rel he ought to be turned out of office
upon the very sensible and old acknowledged,
| but now almost forgotten plea, of disqaaliE-
| cation.
| On Tuesday afternoon last, in company
| with many friends, | left Richmond in the
| jamestown, and made most agreeable voy-
age to Norfolk. The hour of departure by
| the New York steamer is so economical of
time, SO delightful, by reason of the freshness
| of the afternoon and evening atmosphere. and
| the motion of the ship so steady, that really
was delighted with the trip. The fare is very
| excellent, and the lodging accommodations
| superb. The hour for tea Is, however. entire
| ly too early, being but two or three hours af-
| ter our usual dinner hour.
l sojourned two days in Portsmouth. There
is certainly one indication of prosperity in
| this town. Two large hotels are in process of
erection-one nearly completed Upon what
assurance the persons interested make SO
large an investment, ! am unable to divine
1t was surprising, it is true, to see the number
| of passengers brought down by the Seaboard
and Roanoke Railroad but these pass, with
| out moments delay, on to Baltimore
| learn, however, that this road does large
business in freight
The U. s. ship Savannah is now lying off
the navy yard, and, l understand, went into
| service few days ago. She has received
| several draughts of men from the Pennsylva-
MIA during the week, so that her crew viii
| now number between three and four hundred
| m baro mapt T
Yesterday the broad pennant of Commodore
Salter was run up to the masthead and salu-
| ted by some eight or ten guns from the Penn
| sylvania. The Savannah will sail in few
days IA few days in this connection usually
means a te,c reeks) for the Brazilian coast, to
be the flag ship of that station. She is fine
ship and has on board fine band which dis
cOursed charming music as we foated by last
| evening in one of the Pennsylvania fine
boats in company with some ladies. Yester-
day drank a glass of juniper water, on board
the Pennsylvania, ten gears DID, 1t still re-
tanned its peculiar color and flavor. Being
kept in tanks fifteen feet below the surface of
the water, it is quite cool. l examined my
glass, by the aid of the lamp lighting the
| apartment, for animalcula, but discovered
none.
When speaking of Portsmouth, forgot to
| mention small matter that attracted my at
tentiOn, and while it does not materially affect
the happiness of man is nevertheless of great
| Importance to some other animals. | allude
to the provision made every where for an
abundant supply of fresh water for horses,
cattle, &c. You will remember that in almost
every street there are several public pumps,
and to each of these is attached large re-
ceptacle for the accommodation of animals
In reading an interesting book of travels
some years ago, was somewhat surprised to
learn that i'll Cairo, Egypt, there are various
arrangements of this sort made for not only
horses and cattle, but dogs, cats, &c. There
| are convenient depots in the most public
places for offal, &c, for these creatures
There is perhaps some superstitious idea con-
nected with this custom among the Turks,
but nevertheless Iregard it as suggestive of
| a neglected duty among us Christians. As
you neither ride nor drive much, you may not
beas fully aware as are the carriage andhorse-
back gentry of Richmond, of the want of
| some such provision in our city. There is
but one public place in Richmond, where
cattle can be watered, save the river which
| you know is announcement and often inacces-
| sible to carriages and carts. This place is
just above the Columbian, on Cary street ;
| and if not known to you, [ venture there is
not an ugly mule or horse scarcely in our
town, who has not connected with that spot
some most agreeable Renaissance. 1t is of
| ten impossible without much delay, to get
access TO this fountain, such is the crowd of
| horses and wagons there collected Now
how simple and easy it would be to make per-
manent this one is by no means permanently
| arrangements of this kind at least on Cary
and Main streets. There should be several
founts on each street The water can be pro
! cured in abundance from the Basin andif YOU
| will but add "the freight Ofa tedther' to what
have said, you will certainly deserve, though
you may never receive the thanks of every
horse and mule in Richmond
| arrived here yesterday and found COM
| pany of about one hundred persons, though
scarcely a half dozen from Richmond; and
| by the departure of Mr.. Robt A. Mayo and
| family this morning, our representation is
sadly reduced. Most of the persons here are
| from Baltimore and North Carolina. There
| Is quite profusiOn of children here, who
seem perfectly at home. James, the novelist,
| and family, are sojourning here Mr. j con
| duets himself with much propriety and re-
| ceives just the attention he deserves, and no
| more Besides being man of decided ge-
| MUS, he Is also man of industry, judging
| from the rapidity of his movements. | don't
| think | ever saw lazy man a fast acalker.
| Chief Justice fancy and family are also here.
You are well aware of the varied attrac-
| tons of Old Point. In my judgment there
is no place in the Union comparable to it
The bathing, sailing, fishing, the Fort with
its daily parade and martial music, the glo-
rious promenades and boundless water pros
pect make it to me almost Paradise
1t seems to me that there is no just cause of
complaint for want of attention, or of good
cheer at the Hygeia. The secret in getting
what you want at dinner in large hotels, |
have found to be the exercise of little pa
thence. This is the case at the best Northern
hotels. Only wait till the first rush is over,
and then you can get what you want and dis
cuss it to your satisfaction.
But, Mr.. Editor, have extended my letter
far beyond its proper limits; as there is, how
ever, quite dearth of both foreign and do
mestic intelligence just now, you may per
haps find space for it. Yours, &c, Z.
AMERICAN ENrERPRIsE.-The last number of the
Endinburgh Review, in an article which we have
elsewhere noticed, pays the following high compli
ments to the skill and management of Americans:
"The United States. not content with the vast
emigration they annually absorb, have borrowed at
least third OF the sailors Of the British nation,
and placing them before the mast officer their ships
with young Americans. They then navigate them
with half the crews employed by other nations, viz:
with two or three men only to the 100 tons, COM
mand high freghts and perform their voyages with
certainty and despatch.
"They have copied too, the railway, almost
as soon az England had invented IT; and have
l