The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-05-11
DESCRIPTION or RIInnoHD.

/
In very delightful series OF papers cDat'ibu;ed
to the Richmond Llas.ra,el Nesus, entitled sfils
Exile in France,'' by John Mitchell, We rnd thu
following description Of Kichmond:
On The iirst morning that we awoke In Lyon vs.
foand the MnInihg papers of that city the break
| fast table. The teiegraphie column announced the
| arrival OF another mail from America the Fede
rails stu working their way MP the Peninsula fion,
Williamsburg, sft gaiAisg, by their own account,
brilliant successes over the rebels At ev.ry STEP
| aud still confident thai their ..Yeaag Napoleon,
| Will lead Them, flantoaf 6aaaat, light Into the
"dDOmed city, OF Richmond GA the other hand
we have the news that Federal squadron steam
Ing up the Jaines river, ana aiseady within sight
of the spires ot the devoted ta,vp has beru
beaten ot and disass.oasly shattered by Conieds
| rate guns at bluff Called Drewty's. so far wett !:
the Intelligence gave tne appetite for bTeakfast
| and in modest glass # the sparkling ST. Peray
| my fellow traseiless pledged me the health and
| glory OF that game Confederate city.
iut what, afRr ;.ii, (they asked MEL Is Rich
1 m0gd, which has suddenly hecoaie famous ii,
| the world is IL, indeed, city viiiage Is II
an hiiI! Has Ii river. ttowmany people, aad
| what son; OF people, Avc there! Have thief
| churches, theatres banks, bar reoms, photograph
| galleries. ? Are the pedpi. Christians! Do they
| eat oysters And when thirsty, what do they
drink? Do they dance, ride, make love, PRAY, aud
evoke musical notes from Instruments, whether If
wind os string Neither of my companions, though
boil, had been in The Uhitei States had ever had
the ivttunc To seq RiElmand; they hid evea not
heasi Gsaessf II, s'SeeI< that .he srsace of Wales
did not Like n, not finding IL town Of such ex-
qusite refinement as Cincinnati, (t!,ey uGde. sooi)
aHd besides, they were credibly iat''r,ned that the
people were always Aayiny their slaves alive with
the visited hide Ofcows; ani now, before Issuing
! forth To explore Lyon, they required me to de
scribe the Virginia capital In such sort that
they should thereafter have 4 clear idea In
their minds of Il place which seemed about 20
become the scene and the prize Of the 6e cesi
strife inat the Western hemisphere has vet beeid.
Con amOre, then made them port allure Of that
tsii in .t.ras.h
sOfl"ned by distance, frightened by Images Of good
men and fair women, real authentic human beings
all alive, whom had mysefseem within Its joyous
ana genial homes For Its outward aspect, take,
said, the city rf Limerick Ia place Of about eQual
slzr) and it II up from its aliuviai plain the
oank Oh Tue Siann0n; set IL, not upon a hill, but
upon seven NILS, crown Its highest summit with
i"ty ionic portico-whici many honest Virgin
ians fondiy but faiiaciousiy believe to be 4 c0py
of The Cosintliian gem Of Nimes-pour along its
base furious and fOaming river, double the
width and vo!uNe of The Shannon, though not
50 Iimpd as that salmon peOpled stream line its
streets with shady trees, many OF them ancient
and vast In sirth suppress the gray cathedral, aad
also the beautiful stone bridge; but put in their
place the hu.est OF Hour mills, and long white
railroad bridges stfiding over the rugged granite
bed and the wooded islands OF the rushing river;
and then mount to the root Of the capitol, and
look southwark over city and river; inst al of The
treeiesJ expanse of wheat land, and the bare and
rugged Crat0e hills beyond, you will See glorious
stretch Of gently undulains p!ain-,he ,ide-water
country of Virginia, still richly mantled with the
prnevai forest where hunted of Old ging Powha-
tan, yet sufficiently cleared and cultivated for
generations TO furnish the fruits Of the earth In
prOhise abundance
Thus portrayed and expounied until my friends
could wander In vision through those outrageous
streets and could almost hear with their own ears
the hOa.se ani heavy rush Of the resoundug river
sound unheard through the day, being drowned
by the roar of that other eldyng OF human
life, but which always awakes again in The silent
evening, aud with lis drowsy mu.mug sings to
sleep the whole city. Herein is III least one pecu
liar charm Of Richmond, unique--s0 far as know
in the world; mountain villages there in all
countries that hear all night oag the dash of
torrent stream; but the Confederate capital Is the
only considerable city that goes 10 sleep every
night to the lullaby of grand roaring river.
BY this time my companions onged Ia spend
few evenings in Richmond; but when gave them
some account of the people wh, dwell there
(Which account is here suppressed from charm
| ing sense of del,cacy) wh.n described the melt
ing oysters of the York river and the chesapeake,
(oystets that put tn shame taJiDgofd and the banks
Of BuIen,) when ieatn-dly plaiaPd the princi
pies OF The f,,ndAm especially when dweit with
ioHd r.mGinbi aHce and lyric diciion upon those
crystalline gobi'ts filled bali with peacid ice and
half with the siGwina sPrit Ui '.osnac, crowned
WIN ieaiy veidufe, breathing peiune tf,sratai
As the odors O all the gardens OF Gut in htI bi0m
dBi then plunged ni1 tie Translucent aoctat, aad
stiiiing up thiuugli thc sfeen mantle OF je~y
foliage, Que single straw for strav5 show the way
the juicp gGeS-they uItnin0usiy si-utrd that the
next trip should make together (afier t- south
OF france) must be 10 Virginia. 1 did candidly
tell them, however, that from Intelligence lately
conveyed to HE. found there hid gown up IN
that once iHnOceat and pleasant Town race of
people called ext 'i."ners ana sprcuiators; that
there were also many garFoarS, be-ides profession
| al gamblers, aud young women Gt not uneasy viz
tue also thai the Yankee nation now fishes up
ana devoufs most OF our best oysters, without pay
Ing for tfem ana contrary 10 the true do Oi the
fandaa finally, that the brandy and ice are cut
off and Virginia mint Row dro0ps neglected like
the iorsaken BY the nightingale
thus We discussed the fortunes 3ai tlEe OF Nicl-
moni and thr natural inquiry suggested 10 my
he treis WAS why and tor what Unheaid of crimes
il has become necessary to rz that city from TIT.
face OF Che earth, pioagh up its toundilions and
sow them with salt; which the full intention
aud IN iet gent need OF the Yankee nsiiGn, a. Ii
the plain Justice of the could be satisfied will,
nothing less. Surely, they said, the aWeeis IN
that ely must in secret have committed deeds
dark As those which drew down the Vengeance Of
heaven upon the cities OF the plain-must have
made trade OF diStilliug Cuchic poSons, a Qad-
9sit as41am conciti ar rstds- else why should an
enlightened nation, their near neishbDrs, who know
them bgsI be stirred up by This sudden passion u
destroy them utterly-to make their place blot
aud their name kissing. Ii seems a judgment Oh
Heaven, and that fair and shady city must pensh
miserably, mourned only by ills own hoarse nver
sVhefeto scorning reply, suggest taat new-de- :
frrIng the whole at Richmond 10 The next
mail we attend 10 the town ia iich we now ie.
tual!y fnd ourselves,