The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-02-17
THE DAILY DISPATCH.
Letter from Raleigh.
coRREsP SpEScEoF THE DISPATCH.

u n "
RALslGn. February l2,h, 1857.
The Legislature of this State has lately ad~
,ourued and the " City Of the Oaks" as IL Is most
appropriately designated. has resumed its usual
aniet The Supreme Court, however composed OF
Chit Jnstice Nash and Justices Peay son knd Bat
tel IA still 10 session at the Capitol Several law.
vers OF emineuee are In attendance had the
plea sure tf meeting among the members OF the bar
hare from 4 distance, Hamilton Jones. Esq author
of the famous Cousin sally Ditdrd' He Is q
Iswyer Of high standing, Reporter Of the Supreme
Court aud gentleman of such gravity of aspect
that should never have suspected his posses sinp
of the great powers OF humor which "Cousin
Sally" evinces. and which are the delight of the
social circls. The Supreme Court of North Caro-
lima embraces men Of very superior qualifications,
snd its decisions are greatly respected not only in
that State, but In South Carolina and Georgia,
where its authority il often quoted.
The State House is a fine structure fire proof,
apd built In the most massive manner 1t look as
il it would take Sebastopol bombardment to re-
duce II to ruin l. Ia buiit of hewn granite at q
cost of $3.50 co., length 100 feet: widih including
portieo, l40; height leo feet. The columns are Of
solid stone, more than i've feet in diameter, stand
ing q basement 10 feet high. The proportions
and entablature are copied from the Parthenou.
The City of Oaks" Is, in its DatGral BEAUTIES,
ahead of any town have seen In the South, al
ways excepting Richmond. upon which nature has
been so iaeish of adornments. Raleigh has no
river to besutify IL, but like Richmond, IL enjoys
the advantages OF elevated position. and to make
up for the river, such multitude Of "brave old
oaks" as Iny eyes never bebaid before. There are
oaks everywhere. The wide and pleasant streets
are lined with oaks there are oak trees from one
10 half . dozen, or a dozen and half in every
yard there ara oals three or four hundred years
old, and oaks just in the morning of life There
old oaks which have lost their tops and stretch
out the stumps Of the stout old arms, which have
fallen off from extreme old age but which look as
if they could stand strong tussle yet with the
wind ard storm. Indeed, they must be lusty and
stubborn old trees these Methuseahs of the tor est
which could wresile with such gale as that of the
18th ult and show no marks OF scars or damage.
With the exception of the Main street. on which
are the stores and places CT business the houses in
Raleigh stand ct q pleasant distance apart, some
halt acre lots others four acre lots, with nest
gardens, and in the large lot in 'front.' the oak, of
course, generally OF size which would quite fill
up with its huge trunk and spreading branches
both lot and house in our eompactly built metropo
lis The houses are mostly frame structures
painted white, with gi cen blinds and some Of them
exhibiting much architectural taste and beauty
The grceu hogie is almost as invariabe an accom-
psnimsnt OF every garden as ana oak OF every
yard.
The Capitol stands at one end of q wide avenue,
and the Governors house at the ether end. The
other noticeable buildings are the new Episcopal
Church, of the pointed Gothic order, in the T frm
of . crOss. built of stone after design of Mr. Up
john, the famous New York architect. 1t Is a
beautiful building, though the spire has not yet
been erected The Asylum for the Insane, and
the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb and Blind
imposing structure; the latter, though SMALL
being quite a gem of art. The former is q builds
ing of huge dimensions with = front of 72s feet,
yet symmetrical and beautiful, situated on . com
manding hill, at y short distance from the town,
and is under the superintendent OF DR.. Edward
G. Fisher, formerly of Richmond, who was also
entrusted with the completion of the buildings
The many Virginia friends Of this skilfu physi.
elan and esirnable gentleman will be plea sad to
learn that his great merits are fully appreciated in
his new home, aud that bis qualifications for his
sponsibie position. are spoken of ia high terms in
the report OF the Directors OF the institution The
internal arrangements of the hospital, for all its
purposes, especially ventilation, are admirable -
There is however, great draw back in the made
quats supply Of water, which, however, " i'll soon
DO remedied; appropriation, / under stand, hav-
ing been made by the Legislature for the purchase
It machinery for forcing the water from abun~
dArt stream known as Rocky Branch" which
flows at the foot of the hill which the AsJ lum
stands was particularly struck with the exqui-
site neatness of the interior Of this Asylum The
present number OF inmates ia ninety, the authori-
ties of this institution having been compelled to
decline other applications, on account of the def
cheney of water. to which have before referred
DIR. Francis Il. Fuller is the Assistant Physician
and Mrs Lavinis A. Fisher the Matron OF the in
sttu.iOn.
The Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb and Blind,
. beautiful edtice, was erected in 1876 The Blind
department WAS not organised until 1851 1t stands
one Of the fur acre lots belonging to the State
within the city. w. D. Cooke, E q formerly If
Staunton, Va, has been the Principal from the
foundation OF the Institute, and has discharged the
duties of his post with degree of ability and .al
which have re fected high honor upon himself and
have been crowned with signal sHccess. He is
eminently adapted to his responsible position and
the benevolent enterprise with which he is con
nected cannot but flourish under such auspices
There are three teachers u each department. The
Institution has been fortunate 10 securing the
vices of DR.. j. A. Waddill, skilfu physician and
accomplished gentleman, also of Augusta county,
Va, 10 the department for the Blind. DR.. wsd-
dill devotes himself, with great zeal and as i1uity
to his interesting charge There are, at present,
twenty nine deaf mute pupils. and seventeen blind
pupils. The main building and school house have
ere cttd at q cost Of nf.een thousand dollars The
present annual appropriation, for the support OF
the Institution, is ten thousand dollars. Every
county, besides, pays seventy-fve dollars for each
State pupil sent from 1t to the Institution. Ano
ther tue editice 10 Raleigh il that of st. Marys
School, under the supervision Of Reverend Albert
Smedes, an elegant scholar, and . clergyman Of
high standing. The spacious hall OF St Mary 10
adorned with . large number of tine paintings
among them admirable full length of the late
Bishop Ravenscroft.
The "Oak City Guards" a gallant volunteer
company Of this city have signalized themselves
by literary and benevolent enterprises. They
have inaugurated lectures in Raleigh; Indeed the
course Of lectures now delivered vt the "apitol,
under their auspices, Is the first expeii OF the
kind in North Carolina They have also set on
foot weekly musical concerts, aud, In addi ion.
during the severity of the winter weather, they
organized themselves into mittees for the relief
OF the poor. and in quiet way, have done great
dekl Of good to the needy and suffering A more
accomplished and public spirited body of gentle
men it would be- difficult to find under any militia
ry or civil organiz stion in the land
had the pleasure tf meeting Mr. Syme the
former editor of the Petersburg lntelli gencer who
has now commence d his career upon q new arena,
Ms editor Of the Raleigh Register, the leading or
gan of the Wings CT North Carolina. He is in fine
health and spirits, and the Register under his
charge bids fair to become of the most able and
spirited Of the political journals of the South. /
find that he IL already making warm friends Ia bis
new home. The arm chair upon which Mr. Syms
iudites his editorials is "oid arm chair indeed
his father having used it when teaching school, Tor
forty years, whilst Syme has himself occupied II
sditorialIy for nineteen years. So that il oaly
lacks year of being sixty, aud Is in such An
excellent state Ct that 1t may last sixty
years more yet.
The North Carolina Legislature, which adjourn
ed shortly before my arrival, meets like our own,
biennialiy, aud sits about three months though It
IL not restricted as 70 time. The South Carolina
Legislature iaeeis annually, but only sits about
three weeks. sud always adiourns before Christ.
mas There Is fine collection of minerals 10 one
OF the rooms OF tho North Carolina capitol, aud =