New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-03-25

upon new lands from wnlcn ooverhmene voyo
had driven the aboriginal possessors to make room
for the STAKEHOLDER and his destroying army. Sax
wears ago upon the banks OF the ChoppawamLc
Creek. some four mles from Dunlfres, hved Melor
". H. Fitzhugh planter from an old stock oil VIZ
GINA gentlemen, having an estate once VIC
center of large circle OF planters n'an-
sions and aristocracy 20 the manor oo'n'
Within the recollection OF this gentleman, dozen
such were within the cal Of his hunters han. "Nhh
his fathers memory, ships rode at anchor where corn
now grows upon soil washed from the hills upon the
anchorage near Dumfries. So that place was wealthy
with rich rural surroundings But MAYOR shzhusn'
at the latter period of which we speak was hermit
the very last of all the of nch planters around
the town. And the town-what II II J The massive
old church still crowns the hill, but the grass grows
before its neglected door, and its interior wears me
dust and mildew of ages, while the site of the city
marked by few dapidated mansions once grand
and many an old stone chimney amid dust and rubbish
fit MEMORIALS of what Slavery has done for Virginia
City citizens country, countryrnen moulder together
The last Of the planters after in vain offering to sell
his pautatiou for $40 On acre and tired OF living in
such desoation moved into Fredericksburg, of which
Henry Clay remarked that it was the only finished
town he had ever seen. Finished, because IN
new towns or repair old 1t il, too, nearly
finished country and but for the introduction Of lime,
guano and Yankees the whole of Southeastern VIZ
gipa would have been finished before now. The
whole region in fact full of ruins of towns churches,
large mansions and once productive plantations. Not
oply around Dumfries. but all down the Potomsc to
the northern neck of Virginia. land has been for sale
until lately for 81 to 81 the Large tracts OF
pine woodland have been bought for 81; and land
covered with white oak has been disposed OF to Yankee
tmbercutters at $40 an acre, and whole plantations
at from 50 to &c, including costly buildings.
Let rs glance more particularly at this Northern
Neck the birthplace of Washington, the home OF the
Farfaxes, Tayios Taylors, Masons, Montcurcs, Tall
aferos Seldens Cabells and long list of old English
Viginan families; where lived, too, King Carter
whose acres and slaves were numerous and OF
whom il is said he could ride all day in one direction
| uuon his own domain. Upon that domain he and his
| family built houses and churches in numbers, but
where are theyl Only OF them j. tenantable and
inhabited by Carter. In sight of the Rappahannock.
r. little below that dilapidaed Virginia town called
TappahanIock, stands Sabine Hall, the residence OF
Col X. w Carter the last of his family, who had the
good sense to abandon the folly of his ancestors whose
slaves cultivated the land entirely with hoes, until
they had brought it to the verge of ruin. BY Judg-
ment skill and common sense, the present proprietor
| has saved the plantation, and made it productive
again. and fit for the home of large farmer
| On the Nominy River hills may still be seen the
crumblng walls of stately stone castle once known
as Nominy-Hall the home of Counselor Carter, and
owner of thousand slaves. The ruin of the hall is
scarcely more apparent than the ruin of the soil The
place was one of great celebrity for its splendor The
drive from the highway up to the hall is still marked
by long lines of noble trees but bridge that spanned
a deep ravine and served mOat to the castle, Is
gone whittier master and slaves sleep in forgetiuness
From Nominy Hall to Curatoman, his own residence
King Carter made carriage road-laid out by an en-
gineer to avoid hls-some fifty miles long. This Is
still used and is known as the old coach road. Once
passed through continuous tobacco fields, where the
imported African toled and turned the soil TO gold;
but soil and gold both gone and great portion Of
the way is Tired with old field pines, standing as monu-
ments of the waste of slave labor.
OF church ruins there are many though Of them
large splendid but rather family wcrshping abodes
They have been preserved in instances by family
pride from becoming piles of dust and rubbish; still
| desolation claims them nearly all. The at Cura
toman has been preserved by Col. Carter with the
same spirt that Old Mortality exhibited toward the
| tombs of the Covenanters. 1t was built by King
| Carter, OF fngNsn Drck, during Colonlal times.
| Curatoman and Carriers Creeks in those days
great tobacco-shpping ports Now they ore the land
ingplaces of an occasional steamboat the Kappa
| hammock, where passengers received upon mis-
cradle, ricketty wharf, wretched old house and some
negroes being the shore; and desoation marking
! this former rich domain.
| This Northern Neck borders on the Potomac and
Rappahannock, with wide bottoms, the natural fert
ty Of which has proved match for the destroyer but
the interior, alone habitabe for white folks in Sum-
mer presents through its whole surface continuous
| mark of the footprints of the destroyer. The soil
upon the upper end of the Neck is generally tena-
cious clay, with tracts Of sand and loam Until within
few years this land has been held at nominal price
for there were few buyers-of from 50 to 50
an acre. We give some prices of actual sales
six years ago: farm the river and back on the
hills six miles below Fredericksburg, Of 200 acres,
60 Of bottom land and all of very productive,
els an acre. An adjoining farm under good Virginia
cultivation with large brick house is valued at
ego or s25 an acre. The land in its desolate
condition cost 81 and s5 for different tracts.
A plantation, three miles from King George c. H., of
1900 acres 200 in cultivation, with splendid man.
son valued at $50 an acre. II is worked by twenty
field hands, twelve horses and six yoke of oxen, and
produced on $50 of wheat by use of lime,
twelve bushels the acre, and one year with another,
forty bushels of corn per acre. of 800 of
fat land on the Rappahannock, 32o of it arabic,
without buildings much fencing timber, sold for s.
an acre. A tract on the Potomac in Westmoreland
County, of eco acres 500 arabic, and balance good
timber, sold for sll 5000 tract Of billy