The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-09-13

is with the greatest difficulty we are enabled
Ia keen up the wonted amount OF interest In
;,s news columns. The editorial department
has been necessarily subjected to unusuaire
striction.
NATURAL BRIDGE.-The following aaver
tisemeut of the tenant of the Naturai Drioge
property is as great = curiosity In It's way as
the Bridge itself:
NATURAL BRIDGE adops THIS mr.aoo OF ~
to,n,ng tAose who purpose visiting the niage tnai
am prppare TO accommodate al VINO may Iasor
LII = cali and am determined to spare no pains
=, lender their stay pleasant one. charge the
csular price for board, and grant free access TO TIC
Rr;dgr. notw outstanding attempts are being made
IN create different impression.
For the last twelve months. visitors TO the Bridge
who have not stopped at the Natural Bridge Hotel.
have been charged each ffty cents for the liberty
of viewing the curiosity. Presuming that this reg
uiation has been in existence sufficiently long to
have become generally known, L have determined
to raise the price of admittance to One Dollar to
be In force on and after the lst Of September MY
sim 10 to bring the travel to the Natural Bridge Ho
tel, where Il justly belongs, and my attempt 10 90
so meets with the appreciation OF such AZ nave IN
vesgaied the claims of the Bridge House to public
favor. J. ii. l.. HEfflELD.
Aug. p, 1854.
There are utilitarians in the world who OBJ
stiuately refuse to admire any thing IN nature
or art unless they can see its use. They laugh
heartily at the ecstacies of poetic souls ever
fine scenery, beautiful sunsets, or any of the
innumerable wonders and glories of Nature.
1t is to them incomprehensible that such a
grand object as the Natural Bridge, for in
stance, should excite so much curiosity, inter
est and admiration. They ask, what is the
use of the Bridge! what practical purpose
was it made for? Tell us that, and we too
will admire your Natural Bridge.
Well, we will tell you that,-or, rather, the
above advertisement has told you that, with
out putting us to the trouble. The Natural
Bridge, that solemn, sublime, stupendous
arch, which, to the spectatorfrom below, looks
as lift bore the heavens on its rocky battle
nents was made as an avenue to the Natural
Bridge Hotel The use of that majestic won
der of Nature is to bring travellers to the hos
telry kept by Mr. 81 Ii. l.. Sheffield The
Bridge is the means, the Tavern the End,
though whether the end justifes the means is
question, which, knowing nothing of the
fare of the N. b. Hotel, we cannot take upon
ourselves to decide. We do know, however,
that there is another tavern in that neighbor-
hood, which spreads an excellent table, and
attracts a good many travellers, notwithstand-
ing it has to compete with the formidable ho-
tel which has for its gigantic sign board, THE
NATURAL BRIDGE.
This then is the object for which the Natu
raj Bridge was made-a feeder to j. H. L.
Sheffield's hotel The terms to which the
public must submit virtually are, Shefields
Hotel or no Bridge. Because, if you go to
the other tavern, while you may fare stump
tuously, you cannot see the Bridge without
paying one dollar for that sight whereas, if
you will consent to eat, drink and sleep at the
N. b. Hotel, the Natural Bridge is thrown in
for nothing-it is in fact apart of your board
and lodging.
The times have become hard, indeed when
even the noble works of Nature cannot be
seen without fee when that magnificent
wonder, the Natural Bridge, must be enclosed
and shown up like Barnum's elephants and
monkeys for so much head. We cannot
deny, however, that the advertisement of the
lduuluTu 10 CdntlU duo CApllCits IL 10 iOAl Coh-
ingly cool-cool as an iceberg-if we had
had it to fan ourselves with during one of the
late blazing dog dogs, we could have kept
perfectly comfortable. "My aim is" saith
the possessor of the Natural Bridge, "to
bring the travel to the Natural Bridge Hotel
where it justly belongs This great wonder
of the world is therefore subordinate to the
l.xAlo I
the accommodating hand of Nature to enable
people to pass over Cedar Creek, into the
Natural Bridge hotel, without getting their
feet wet. But we don't exactly understand
what Mr. Sheffield means by saying that the
travel Justly belongs to the Natural
Bridge Hotel Does he claim to own all the
travellers who pass that way, as well as the
Bridge! Is he aware that this is a free coun'
try, and that though landlords at many of the
watering places and sight seeing localities OF
Virginia, often act as if they owned travellers
they have really no legal right to the Gus
tody of their bodies and worldly effects, with
out the previous consent of their unhappy
victims Until such consent is obtained the
travel belongs to itself; it may flow where
it pleases; it may select its own chicken
bones, mutton and mattresses it may follow
its own way to the land of Beulah, and No
Giant Despair can come out from his castle
and clap it into irons. The travel, othe,
things being equal, will go to the best inn
and if MIR. Sheffield's tavern has that meri
over its competitor, Ia point of which, as VIZ
before said, We know nothing, and therefore
don't pretend to offer an opinion his petition
for public patronage ought to be based on
that ground, instead of claiming the travel a.
justly his, and throwing in the Natural Bridg,
as part of the bill Of fare.
Nor can we admire the logic of the apollo
Ky tor raising the price of admission to tn,
Bridge. 1t appears that he formerly charge,
fifty cents, and he then adds: "Presuminr
that this regulation has been in existenc,
sufficiently long to have become general,
known, have determined to raise the pric,
of admittance to One Dollar We hay,
heard many curious reasons in our time 70,
raising prices, but none quite equal to thai