The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1859-08-20
Editorial COrrespOndence.

or LultOi, WIZ Is GcSllUH Hl1DScU una
hoping to improve his shattered health by a
sojourn in this quiet and ancient '' Old
Virginia" village, withdraws an hour from
his amuscments Of sailing and fishing, TO
! indite few paragraphs for The Wing
| Hampton is the county town Of Elizabeth City
county, and is situated on . Hampton Roads''
SO widely known as one ofthc best anchoragcs
| in the world. 1t is three miles west of Old
Point Comfort, with which It has communca-
tioE by Il good road and substantial bridges.
! The mouth of'. Hampton Creek - affords it a
| fine harbor, and many vessels are continually
| lying before it, some visiting it for purposes
Of trade, (for it sends away wood, potatoes
and garden vegetabes,) and some TO be
repaired at its ship-yard, where, by a fine
marine railway, large vessels are drawn high
and dry out Of the water. Swarms Of little
fishing boats also enliven its harhor in the
mornings and evenings; the masters of these
pass the day out in the Roads and the Bay,
fishing with hook and line, and find a ready
sale for all they catch, at the wharvcs and in
the village.
Fish are an &c Institution here; the people
brag on their iish-thcy bet on them, and they
pretty much live on them. Aud well may
they boast of them, for it is not likely better
ones are found anywhere else. Those most
highly esteemed are the sheepshead hog fish,
and spot-besides these there is an abundance
of sea-trout, jumping mullets, rock, croakcrs
and numberlcss other varieties, rare or in
different. The sheepshead is nearly the shape
| of our sun-perch, or moccasn, and sometimes
weighs ten to fifteen pounds; it is very deli
cious when cooked as they know how to cook
fish down here it has teeth much like those
of shccp-prohably, hence its name. The
hog-iish has much the appearance Of our white
perch in shape, but is Of dark co.or they are
generally 81 to A inches broad; they are of
very rich favor and by most persons here are
preferred to all other fish; when caught by
the hook they make a grunting sound like a
pig, and hence comes their name.
The Wing, in its :. local affairs - last week,
mentioned the fishing exports Of Billy Giles
but Billy, even, would be astounded by
couple or three hours fishing here two boys,
in that time, will catch a car-load ofcroakcrs.
out on an oyster rock in the Roads; and though
croakers are better fish than white perch they
are mostly thrown to the hogs, the fishermen
generally catching enough Of the better kinds
| of fish for their own use Those who fish for
the market avoid those places where the
croakers abound, and seek the hog fish and
Sheepshcad. but the 6. fish question:, -
in which am now so much interested, has
drawn me away from my intended short sketch
Of ilampton-but then, what is Hampton
without its fish!
Hampton is one of the Oldest towns in this
country; jamestown, the oldest English
settlement was made in 1G07-IIampton soon
after; there are records to show that the fore
fathers of the Armisteads were here before
lG2S. 1t has fine Old brick houses, but the
buildings are generally of unprctcnding APP
pearance. The population is about ,jUO-I
should say. about half white nd half colored
There are churches Methodist Episcopal,
Methodist Protestant, Epscopalian and
Baptist; the last named denomination has the
largest congregation; the blacks, with scarcely
an exception, are Baptists. The Episcopal
church is very old buidiug-I observed a
tombstone Off person who died in l70l.
The impression of 4 stranger, at a casual
glance, is that the people here are at least
half century behind the age ; it is shown in
their implements, their vehicles, their method
of farming and their primeval manners and
customs, generally. Among other things
that strike the eye at first sight are: that there
f,I ,,, -,
population, than in the region Of Cecil
couny--fish and oysters tend to this; there
are many slaves so nearly white that they
cannot be distinguished by the color from
their white masters there are many more
idle men, than in Elkton, even, where they
are numerous enough black people, general lily
women, drive around all the market carts.
and appear to do most ofthc business; horses,
mules and cattle, with few exceptions, are
smaller than at home; dogs the most worth
less looking ours, are annoyingly numerous;
"dOggc,ies," $50 groggerics are here called
are numerous, too, and | noticed that while
slaves and frcemcn regarded the Sabbath very
generally, these doggeries set it at defiance !;
behind one of them | saw them. on last
Sunday, pitching cents, betting and swearing.
The slaves here appear to Be we'll contcntcd
and well cared for. | saw large congrcg CATION
of them on Sunday, and they appeared better
dressed and better looking, in every way,
than an equal number Of free negroes in my
own county. Dr.. Maclscy, in his late book,
gives stanza Of IA negro song which would
be expressive Of theil feelings here, judging
from appearances:
90 De Lord he lub de niggar we'll,
He knows de niggar by de smell;
And when dc nggar children cry,
De Lord he glib 'em ''possum pic.'
Ex-President Tyler has summer cottage
here, and is now residing at it-hc moves
along quietly enjoying himself in his own
family, his nose, as ever before, his most
prominent characteristic. An editor once,
who was his warm admircr, wrote him down
&c every inch Roman;'' Prentice demurrcd
and contendcd he was but 50 four" inches u
Roman--thc length Of his nose. Lately he
took tea in the country with a widower, whose
daughter, quite young lady, presided at the
table. Her father cautioned her to be on her
best behavior, as the visitors was so great a
man as an EX-Prcsidcnt "Make a long nose
| Mr.. Tyler, and reach the butter ''--shc meant