The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-05-08


ARRMoMA, Va, April 27, 1854.
Southwestern Vr9inials Isolation Sports Public Build
ings and Coming Introduction 10 LVe-Erpdnspe and
Revolving Land Grants-History Of Guydndote Coal
CompGny-Hs Operations Dsappointments, and Present
Htpes-Hs Probable Results.
You have been, take it, in this healthy noun
tain country where the bottoms just wide enough
build fence upon the farms tilted up edge
the rivers mpetuous bold and tortuous, and brick
house a monstrous erection never yet Here at
sixty miles from the Ohio river there is album
dance Of deer and bears in the woods and nnty OF
pike and black perch in the rivers The whole country
is underaid with Of coal both camel and bumi
nous, from the thickness of wafer to eleven feet
Timber, of the most valuable kinds and in counties
abundance, grows the sides and crowns the summit
Of the ridges. The soil Is black sandy loan. The eli.
mate is bracipg vigorous and genial Yet it is land Of
hunting shirts moccasns and log cabins We banquet
on corn dodgers and fried bacon; have county
newspaper Zone inction the less) court house is
of wood, and jail is of logs almost entirely
isolated from what General Taylor called the whole
of the world and the rest of manknd" in proof of which
II only necessary say that the NHw
is rarely among us.
However, everything must have beginning" Iquote
that sentence because strikes that have heard
somewhere or somehow from somebody or have read it
in book at some time before Our introduction to
the world without especially to the world Of New
York and London lie about to be ushered in with great
flourish Of trumpets. We shall, without doubt. be
well known Change Cairo the Mississippi the
Ianters' Bank or the Pennsylvania bonds The ;uyan-
dotte river will yet make dutter in Wall street where
bulls will below and bears growl when its Is
tened To explain all this flourish must go back little
must take the advice which Mouneau gave to the ram
"Beiier mon ami ccn,meneex commencement" Unjust
commence at the commencement
Many years ago from s2 down, the good old State of
Virginia granted to al, who chose pay the into the
treasury and undergo the necessary expenses of
ing, much Of this Western land they chose
II was scheme OF the State to raise the wind and nice
piece of Jeremy Diddleism IL was you shall see For
after granting million or more Of bordering
this river the State began TO rerant to other parties
and years after elapsing, to grant agsn-and
these successive grants have been laid the other
like the thin sheets in piece OF pasteboard. Those
who held the grants, and settled perfected their titles
by possession and tho first grantees died went to
/ the both, for aueht know. But every now and
then the holder Of some old title long since eee by the
statute OF limitation, having very pretty chain of right
on paper, would sell TO some greedy Spectator, who
would come down here in great state to look for his
land The unlucky holder would make search for some
months for corner marks and boundaries which he found
to have mysteriousy disappeared and then would 10
with large specimen OF that interesting insect known
among piratical friends, the Maiays kutu
snugy rested away in bis ear No matter for that he
always found victim ready to take his purchase his
hands at advance and 70 this day large of land
Of from one hundred Thousand 10 six hundred thousand
acres in these counties, sold by sharp knaves and
bought by dull feeders on iapdodlle. took no.
ton 70 list the grants in this county alone They
nearly three millions 81 acres while the county itself
has scarcely Million twothrd OF which bold by virtue
o The statute, against any and every claimant This is
on instance Of expansion which puts TO shame any bal
loon, from the days of Montgolfcr down.
Among these surveys are some made by gentleman
oss.bly descended from the famous Captain John of
FOX n hon tas memory, who in 1855 invested some
spare change in wild lands here. His grants containing
few hundred thousand less, purpor to
cover the river Guyaniotte and its waters from
short distance above Big creek, or thereabouts
embracing the beautiful regions OF Big and Little
lgly the DEVILS Frying Pan, Helbaria's Branch,
Harris creek, the Muskrat shoals Shirt Tail Bend
skidds', and other classical spots, stoo tedious to
mention AZ divers times attempts were made to
The lines OF these surveys but malicious imp of
Satan or perhaps that old fogy himself had spirited
away the corner trees end tho attempt was speedily
abandoned At length il fell into odher hands Of whom
wa shrewd fellow cute, spry up'tosnnd sort Of
predecessors, was failure However, he managed to
eel to- company Of speculstors with whom, learn,
General and perhaps Field Marshal James Watson Webb
i connected in some mahogany stock kind Of way and
they being tcklcd with the idea OF getting fifty dollars
an acre for coal lands, come down peaceable
tackwoods settlers believing Ike bulls Of Bashan and
threatening 10 kick us all out OF abns, turn little
bottoms into coal yards and riddle hills full OF
coal drifts as a colsndcr Is OF holes
At nEst the news received credit for the failure of
ell the previous attempts bad made the residents here
telieye that the claim which nobody knowing the whole
facts would think 70 be worth oat straw would
be renewed But our New York friends terribly in
earnest They brought an eieemeni sut against some
OF the parties Ia the United States Court, and set their
surveyor 10 work to find corners; and what
they DID find them. u Is true that the not
were they expected them they Gid not answer the calls
OF their grant but they chartaby supposed the
ycyor 70 haye made mistake, and gloed greatly Bat
their f0rfcatcn aDgercd some of cur mountain friends
each q whom keeps old maple etocied rife, and s
shot and though loud threats made Il be-
came ioerahy evident that any Of the conn would
have found the bride paths unsafe about that uncure.
Our Now York friends thought ell sure, and the
strength cf y the Cuyandoite Navigation Company Ia
which they are large stockholders began 10 LOCK aud