The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-06-18
SOUTH WESTERN VIRGINIA.
n o. I I.

i
NO. H.
Departure from TTytheriUe- Return of The
Lynch6nrg Company-A Delicious Break
Jdst-Ihe birding Line 6etgeea the Wa-
teTs OF Nsac and Hoistoa Rirers-The
4 Iomn OF Marion Seren Mile Ford and
the Bottoms of the Holston-Bad Roads IN
Oh tsnss-A6fngdoa-A touch of Geogya.
Phy..Fertil,ty and Mineral Resources of
the Southtcest-Ihe Hospitable Treatmeat
OF the Company in abingdon.
On "wednesday, june the 9th, we were all
up at an early hour and ready for departure
| from Wytheville by O'Clock in the morn
ing. We regretted that our Lynchburg
friends, except Col GARNETr aud Mr.. GIL.
had to leave US at this place, and return
Our party, consisting of tareaty, were COM
fortably seated in two of Summerson, Kent
q Cos fine stages, drawn by fine teams, and
at the appointed hour started off in the CAV.
est style of staging-.-our pleasure being en-.
| hanced by the cool temperature, and the
clear and bracing mountain air, which gave
| new life and spirit to the mind, as it did to
| the bodies of our travellers. Under the in
spiration of this delightful morning, and the
| soclable travelling in the stage, there began
| that How of humor and of wit which was
| kept up almost without cessation until the
L
sight of the dreary lands of the South side
ridges. Those old acquaintances, gullies,
galds, broom straw, hen-nest grass and sas-
safras, were too sonibre for humor, and
there seemed to be too much delicacy of
feeling to indulge an unbecoming levity in
what now seemed to those who had been to
the South west, the venerable presence of
Misery. 80 -
Leaving Wytheville, where our railroad
for the present terminated, we travelled
by the splendid Macadamized rad TO-
wards Abingdon, the point of car des
tination. Three miles from w theville
we crossed Reed Creek, tribr.ary to
New River and very pretty streaia, wind
ing lis way, where We crossed it, aetween
high banks, covered with richest foliage,
to which the hemlock with its delicate
fringe seemed to give the finishing OUCH
at other points. however, Reed Cree, is bor-
dered by wide fat lands that are exc edingly
rich: We travelled rapidly along he fine
road, passing rich fields and meade vs. and
forestI OF noble trees, and came to GU break
fast h'luse, "a distance of IA miles from Wythe-
vile in good time. This house Il party
willnaver forget. 1t is called Rural Retreat,
and is kept 10y old Mr.. JONATHAN A lER-u
spell il right for have ii from the I'D gen
tleman bimself) The breakfast as soon
ready. 1t consisted of fried hai,, fried
chicken, eef-steak, scrambled an6 boiled
eggs, coffee, milk and butter, witk honey
and other things-and the bread was excel
lent; indeed, all was delicious, but most of
all, the butter was the subject of eulogy.-
Fourteen gentlemen spoke for pot of it on
their return; but all seemed to fear that they
might not meet such butter again, and there
fore ate as much as they could The milk
was the richest, the eggs the freshest, the
bread the nicest so every body said, that any
body had seen. Mr.. Aker and Mrs. Aker
apoligized: they had not sufficient notice to
prepare for 80 many-"if we hat only hat q
little more time we would a done peter
said Mr.. A. "No apology necessary" said
one, and an egg disappeared. "a capital
breakfast" said another, and away went
glass of milk. Butter had not time to melt
in the mouth, and had there been chicken
in any ofthe eggs he would not have hadtime
to chirp as when swallowed by the French
man. Mr.. and Mrs. A. had to talk against
tarenty, and as only one could talk at once,
the meal I came to the conclusion that
better breakfast, more promptly disposed of,
had never been. The appetite of the guests
had been whetted by the travel and the de-
icious morning breeze. They certainly
needed an excuse. Mr. and Mrs A. were de-
lighted to see their guests so hearty, and
begged them to eat more: as much as to say
that as bold as had been the charge of the
fifth of one hundred, the larder of the Rural
Retreat was yet unconquered.
Bestowing many thanks and a thousand
| blessings on our good Landlord, we bade
him adieu and went on, feeling as though
| eating again. Three miles from Aker s. or
| II from Wytheville, we came upon the divi
| ding line between the waters of New River
| and those of the Holston. The place is called
| Mount Airy, and only about half a mile Sc
psrates the head springs of each. Thus we
| have waters rising within this half mile,
running off in opposite courses, and after ira
| yelling many hundreds Of miles, meeting at
! the mouth Of the Tennessee river, near the
| junction of tie Ohio with the Mississippi.
Twenty-six miles from Wytheville, we
passed through Marion, the county seat of
Smyth county, very neat village, with Sc
veral stores and a number of comfortable
residences. Seven miles from Marion, we
reached the Seven Mile Ford, where two
small streams uniting, form the Middle Fork
of the Holston River. Our journey to-day
| has been through an open and undulating
country, whose tallest hills even appear to be
fertile and well cultivated. Seven Mile Ford
is lovely spot, and is at the head of a series
of the richest bottom lands which border this
branch of the Holston. For three miles, this
rich domain is the property of the same gen
tleman, who owns the Seven Mile Ford Ia
vern and its appurtenances! The Tavern is
occupied by tenant, the son of our old
friend Aker, who gave US a fair dinner, aud
we were again on our way to Abingdon,
distance of 20 miles. Here we met with Col.
THos L. PRESTON of Smyth, who had started
for Lynchburg; but who turned back to ac-
company us to Abingdon, andto extend to US
that elegant hospitality which added SO large
ly to the pleasure of the journey.
The Macsdam Road ends at Seven Mile
Ford, and for the balance of our route, we
had specimen of the rough roll and tumble
travelling of other days, along the old mud
pike, which was then the great thoroughfare
for transportation and travel to the South
Westl What time they must have bad of
it! Who can wonder after seeing this road,
at the constant clamors of the people, of the
South West, at the long delay in granting
them some improvement! feel much graf
ification at the recollection that always Sc
eonded to the best of my abilities, the ap-
peals of this people; believing that they were
greatly grieved, and that an Improvement
through their country would contribute in
calcuiably to the wealth and general pros
perity of Virginia.
W. A h:o~do, ofta- a ,,ar,v rn,, s,t