Worcester daily spy., 1860-05-16

"a,
Letter from Tourist.
GUYANDoTTE, Va, May I, 1861.
DR.. Editor-I write you from section o.
/ country of which comparatively little Is
known at the north,-TV Western Vi,yinid. The
western boundary of this region is the OHIO
river, which is generally navigable for steam
ers of the largest class from Pittsburg to Its
mouth. Here are undeveoped resources OF
material wealth and greatness which our gotd
hunters, whether they are pursuing the glitter
ing phantom bubble in California, Australia
or Pixies Peak, or whether they are seeking,
or risking fortunes in fruitless speculations,
and worthless stocks on State and Wall streets,
would do well to consider. 1t may be safe to
"reckon, for the people here, unlike us
| Yankees, do not "guess," nor calculate, =
that nineteen out of every twenty of those
vino gather up their all and go to distant re-
gions in pursuit of gold, either die penniless in
a strange land, or return with blasted hopes
and ruined health to recuperate their lost for
tunes as best they may. So, also, with the
spectators alluded to but few succeed in ac-
cumulating riches, and that generally after
lifetime of care and perplexity,- how
large proportion of these few there are who
in some yenturesome scheme, or in some finan-
cial crash, see their riches "take to themselves
wings and fly away" There is everything
here it would seem, to invite the honest for
tune seeker, as well as the safe and profitable
investments of fortunes already made.
Traversing Western Virginia and empty.
ing into the Ohio are the little and the
great Kanawha, the little and big Guyan-
dotte, and the big Sandy rivers, Sixteen
and Eighteen mile, and big Sandy creeks;
they rise in the Allegheny mountains and pass
through regions aboundng in stratas of iron
ore and coal of great richness, and incalculabe
magnitude. The little and great Kanawha,
the big Guyandotte, and the big sandy rivers
are navgable for small steamboats, for many
miles.
These streams would afford an ineXhausti-
Bile amount of water power for manufacturing
purposes. Here is genial and healthy eli
mate, productive soil, an abundance of eX-
cellent timber a great variety and superior
quality of building stone, while the land at
present is held at value merely nominal.
Here also are mineral springs whose waters
are much celebrated for their medicinal yir-
| tues.
Salinous, or salt springs, are also quite nu.
merous, from which immense quantities of
salt are manufactured annually.
The inquiry is forced upon the traveller here,
at every point why do not our New England
people who are running to and fro up and
down the earth, making haste to get rich,
grasping at fabulous schemes of delusion, give
up their butterfly chases and turn their atten-
tion to these elements of substantial wealth.
But one reason can be assigned and that
thanks to an overruling Providence-wil soon
cease to be reason. The blight of slavery
is here. The people of western Virginia,
however, are Weakening from their ethargical
drowsiness they have discovered a sure rem
edy for this necrosis that was devouring their
vitals, and they are applying it successfully ;
they know how, when and where to make the
applicaton,-let them be their own physician
l believe in family doctors, rather than foreign
ones, however well skilled, and so do they.
Slavery is doomed to die in the "Old Domin-
ion = it is now nearly extinct west of the AL
| leghanies not over 200 slaves remaining
to-day west OF the mountains. One man has
| just disposed of sill the slaves-numbering
about one hundred-upon his plantation, and
now employs free labor at a much greater
profit and says he now feels freer, a better
and richer man. Some laws of the state
| have unjust determinations in favor of the
Shareholder. For instance The STAKEHOLDER
is taxed only $500 tor Il slave, although he
may be worth five times that amount, while
every article of household furniture, jewelry,
&c, down, think, to the value of one dollar,
is taxed for its full value; there is good rea-
son to believe, however, that this and kindred
laws will soon disappear from the statute
books
Much embarrassment has also been expert
enced on account of the complication of titles
to real estate, and was the result of crude leg
lslation which has granted junior patents to
persons who have settled upon lands held by
other parties under a prior title. a recent
Judicial decision, however, puts an end to these
difficulties, and purchases made now be made
and undisputed titles given.
Guyandotte is a town containing about 400
inhabitants and is situated on the bank of the
Ohio River, 3l1 miles below Pittsburg, Pa
2l7 miles below Wheeling Va, 128 miles be.
low Parkersburg, Va, and l65 miles above
Cincinnati; and is accessible by rail and steam
to travellers from the East via either of these
places This is the residence of of our much
esteemed friend and former townSman, Gran
vile Parker, Esq, who, with the aid of his
accomplished wife and daughters, is doing
much to infuse New England intelligence and
enterprise among the people. His youngest
daughter recently rendered her services as
teacher free of charge, in somewhat benight-
ed region in the back country, if the people
would build a school house. Those who know
her tondness of refined society and her high
position in it, will appreciate and applaud this
example of self sacrifice and devotion to the
cause of education.
Ceredo is six miles below here, and as your
readers know, owes its existence to the exer-
tons Of Hon. Eli Thayer This place has a
good hotel, saw mill, gffst mill, cabinet ware
and match mandatory, all in operation, and
glass manutactory nearly ready to 90 into
operation. The Ceredo Crescent is ably edit
ed and published at this place by our worthy
friend Webb, formerly of the National Egis,
with whom very pleasant hour was spent.
This village is new, and compares favoraby
with many of our northern villages.
But this communication already exceeds the
limit had designed, therefore let me only
add my honest conviction-which is, that
Western Virginia offers greater inducements
for the investment of the surplus capital en-
terprlse, and intelligence of New England,
than any other section of the country | have
visited. Very respectfully yours.
| X.Y.z.