The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-04-04
Nirllmo,ln pispattt.
THURSDAY MORNING. " APRIL I, isoi

THURSDAY MORNING. =. APRIL 4, isol
Correspondence of the Richmond dispatch.
The Oh Reeioa- Poiitics--Fine Country
Nsed Of Enterprise, &C., &c.
PARxsRserRs, Va, March 81, 1861.
wrote you, some days ago, from "Three
count of the ION weIls,' the improvement
in the country since my visit, three years ago,
and some Information in regard TO the poiiti.
cal sentiments Of the people. Since then,
have ridden about 200 miles, through Writ
Roane, Wood, Ritchie and jackson counties,
and have not failed, think, in any instance,
when occasion offered, TO follow mp these IN
vestigations.
Almost every stranger in the country is re
garded as an "oil man." prospecting, as
they call 1t: and when tell yon that L, too,
have taken a 'iedse, and might nave been
seen, more than once, examiSing the banks OF
creeks, and discussing, from house to house.
the sosl fever" YOU might think the charge a
true one yet, that was not the object of my
visit altogether. Finding men "boring" above
and below my land. and others leasing my
land TO be bored naturally became inter.
ested There is no doubt about the fact THAI
the oil region is not confined to the little val.
ley or bottom, through which flows the
~Burning Spring. From the source of the
spring TO the Little kanawha, where it emp
ties itself, is not q half mile; and, indeed, the
oil wells below the mouth of the creek are
very productive. To-day learned that a we'll
had been discovered 20 miles down the river.
have seen many persons boring miles above
and below, and several on the opposite side Of
the river. one of the latter found oil last week.
Since my visit, last Monday week three or
four persons have reached that wonderful re-
servoir, and hundreds of others hope to tap IL
soon. biologists ms AXE the oil region TO begin
In Pennsylvania, and extend sonthwesterly,
To the Great kanawha, and the indications
of Surface OIL SEEM 10 warrant the opin-
ion. Reedy Creek and its branches extend
some 80 or 40 miles southwesterly, through
II fs.t a, ,jaI
cations have been observed on the creek, and
also on its three principal branches. by the
way, the lands in the Reedy valley are not
appreciated. They are remarkably fine. and
the country is quite picturesque. When
! say the lands are not properly valued,
/ mean that they are not cultivated by
those who live on them as they should be- and
they are not properly sought after by those
in the more cas- tern part of our State. An
experienced farmertrom Eastern Virginia, who
accompanied your correspondent was really
enthusiastic in regard to the fertility of the
country. With proper farming, really think
the Recdy Valley would become famous. II
10 the beauties of nature were added the Swiss
cottage and the thorough cultivation of Euro
pean husbandry, this Valley would rival
many of those on the Continent, long celebra-
ted for their picturesque beauty and lowell
ness. But the difficulty of getting lumber has
compelled almost everybody 10 live in cabins
of hewed logs, and excluded every thing like
taste in building. Y ou never see a brick honse,
and very few that are weatherboarded. Mills
are very scarce, and in the summer farmers
have TO send very often Is or 20 miles TO have
q little grain ground. A saw and grist (Steam)
mill would doubtless pay Well if located in
this Valley.
In regard TO politics. my subsequent inves-
LEGATIONS have confirmed the opinion expressed
in my former letter. stopped at the house
of a very old man a few days ago, and in in
Producing the subject of Northern aggression,
the fire kindled in his eye and he said, :" My
father was in the Revolu ton, and l was in the
last war and though my eyes are dim, am
ready to fight for the South" He further
said he had four rifles-one he would try to
himself, and the other three he would
lend to his neghbors who had none. On in
quiring if he could rely upon his di,a he took
down long, heavy rifle, which hung upon
two wooden forks in the ceiling, and said he
thought he could. Your CORES pendent would
not like TO carry such rifle more than q few
hours. Ii was almost "A toad. This old pat
riot lived only about Is miles from the Ohio
You find two classes of Southern men here,
as you will find in your city. Both classes
are true, and the difference between them,
have often thought, depended more upon the
natural peculiarities OF their minds rather
than upon any real dissimilarity of their
views of our rights and wrongs. Some men
will always decide and act quickly; others
slowly, but not the less surely. The latter |
OFTEN tenn per wisely the former.
In coming to-day from Elenboro' to this |
place, 80 miles, l passed four large freight |
trains. carrying the wealth OF Virginia 10 en- |
rich y orthern cities. l must confess l felt |
have been their way to Richmond. sBut |
our city is little known here-not at all COM |
mercially. There is no way of getting there |
except by passing through Pennsylvania and |
Maryland. Hence a friend the other day eX- |
pressed his surprise at the political Identified
ton of the people here with Eastern Virginia,
while there seemed material bonds TO |
unite them. But thank God, truth and jus
tice will always unite noble hearts, however |
separated by interest and space But must
conclude, or weary your patience. T..
p. SIN passing the wells yesterday, saw
Mr. Camden surveying, iii the falling snow, |
lease after lease high upon the hill sides. The |
price of lease of one acre is 81 900; half |
acre, $500 and if oil be found, 81 900 more lin
oil, in the first case, aud $500 in the second.
THE AIR PILL OF ANIAALs.-A writer in the |
National lntelligencer states that the theory |
OF Mr.. Clemson, head of the Agricultural De- |
partment of the Patent-Office, of living or |
ganisms in the atmosphere, which he made |
public in 1856, has been adopted by French |
chemist, named Barral, and announced to the
French Academy. Mr.. Clemson's theory is
that the air. like water, teens with minute
living organisms that there is phosphOric |
acid in the air derived from the successive gen
erations after generations of myriads of these
organisms, produced, living and dying in the
atmosphere; that such organisms exist and
are al work assmilating from one to the 9TH
er, preparing food for more perfect organism,
from the microscopic point of life up to the
most perfect animal axistenees. 1t is expected
that this discovery will explain why the earth
Is increased in fertility by being broken up
and exposed to the air. Ii connects meteorol
ogy with agriculture, and will, when fully de-
velopcd, open new page to the learned of the
relation of the spots on the sun, the degree of
fertility Of tho earth, and electrical changes
of the atmosphere and magnetical condition
OF the earth.