, 1865-10-18

burned district presents. Ills has been pho
tographcd and described asgin aud os.a;n.
The views are a1l taken from Gamhle's llill-
happily chosen point l noticed . finc
On every side 1t was The Custom <IIouse-
now used Us q Sutional Bank. The fire
showed strange {reaEs-as Il It kncw that 1t
was TO play remarkable part in history and
tnrc its causes as deeply investigated as any
comets daring Highland 80 1t Showed al
comets eecentricitics. Why It spared Rev.
AF HoEs's church on one street, and de-
stroyed Rev. Mr.. Reeds On another, wilt cver
be query. Both were Of the same demon.
inatiou-Presbytcrian both agreeing in Ger.
tain other sentiments. Aficr the evacuation
Mr.. Reed went to Troy to visit his relatives,
ter leave the city as he wonld be mobbed. A
Southern gentleman told INC that the feel
inEs Of tho Richmond heople underwent a
great change after that fire. They fllt lastly
it1censed against its wicked author. Many had
the candor 10 admit that orr troops behaved
remarkably well both during and after the
fire. They had feared that brutal soldicry
Lad been let loose upon them, Us they hnd
bcGn taught to dread and expect. Instead of
tllat every man worked brayely to subdue the
raging element But the citizens eeemcd pow
erlces 10 help. Men who In the morning
thought Themselves possessed Of q compe-
tcucs or fortune, found themselves at the
SIMS going down far below the gi1dsl hori-
zon-p1npginG into the night Of darkness md |
despair The same apathy prevailed over all
classes. Mothers, wives and sisters sat with |
llstlces mir and folded hands listening to the
1Acmbshe1l's moutnfu1 shrek as 1t lew past
their door, or stopped just there Is With
awful burst 1t plunged leadloug and ended
its mcd career The bursting Of that maga-
zine was no enemy's work. 1t WIS suicide
The grave without Christian ritual or burin1.
II was the despair of a Judas who went and
hanged himself.
TIE sro11swooD HOTEL.
One lady told me all hlie tried to save we're
two satchc1s cont mining change Of clothing
for her sir children. This state Of apathy
ssill lasts and will as long as the eonnsca-
than likely Northern capitalists will almost
cntiely control business. !Ar. Howland aud
others were about 10 erect splendid block |
Of stores. The WORK OF building was going |
on at scattered points. Among the many
plans submitted toz regulating trade and com
never seen presented. II Is not new, and so
perhnps has moi been thought Of. It is drawn
up In The form Of parable, and shows how
the fattcd calf was Filled and set before the
prodiea1 son. The celebrated Spottswood Is
gloomy looking hotel, whether from the !
say. The ladies' reception room is darkencd |
BY back building, almost touching 1t. The |
Spottswood WIS as much the thester Of war |
as any open field, and few can walk it, halls |
without remembering that men Of history |
were once sojou1ners there Sit down in this
chair and lei soar Elnss sweep beyond The !
range Of Maih street, till !. Is liked upon i'm |
aeinatlon'6 armament OF rank and beauty. I
See Its galaxy OF stars. There ia the fiery |
Mars-proud Jupiter with his military belts, |
and others will, gilled bars and rings, and |
many satellites ii their train. There Is the |
milky TT nj inf h1prfu rrfff 4fo !
fecblest light md the ncbulH OF suspicious |
ones, 50 blended In, It Is hard to find them ont
--comcte, whose daring movements hare dis
turbed the balance Of tue world, and bold |
consultations. Great bears and little bears,
and thc Farttetlar Ursa Major among them:
You with the s'twinl1e, and twfnkle, how / |
wonder HAat you arc'' look. Miuelins hat~
snon1ously among tlcH1, to the muslc Of that |
sphere are matchless Jupos, accomplished
Dianas, blusblng Hebes, Pale cynthias and
often scan 20 brilliant m nfray, and seldom !;
beholds 50 uniform sky without the filling |
in Of the Confederate grey.
IEFF. DAVIS HOUSE.
There docs not seem to be as many Govern |
rncnt buildings In Richmond as one might |
expect to sec. 1noticcd the Stuart Hospital,
Va, Small rox Hospital on the hill Just oppo- |
tite MI Uavis' former residence This Is on |
the corner Of Clay aud - streets. and is
fine large mansion, now occupied by Gen
Terry. Z" Distance lends cnchantmcnt'' and |
50 on, TO tho white buildings dotting the hill
side, and thcif symbolic fag, md ths green
proximity to :;thc scene Of suffering, as
gloomy AZ that Of Jehosaphat) form no mean |
foreground to The frame iu which Mr.. Jetler- |
son uavis' hotnc is sci. We walked through |
the rooms on the ground loor. Everything |
was III stdtu quo, So nc walked over The same !
,{c osf In %34nr ,t,n{re ct-nln
the tamc pictures anl hung up our hats or !!
cnncs On thc samc hat s1and- Wo couldn't /
though With Ms. JeA..' 4 broad piazza runs |
The width Of tie house at thu back. It was
from one Of the high stone balustrades TINT
little Mastcr Davis ie1l--a fall which cost him |
Lis life. Singular that both Presidents sLould
lAyc lost young son within few months Of
cacll Other 3tTs. Dayis MAS not very popu: |
lsr In Richmond. Many ladies had not called |
upon her. Some thought her rather coarse |
Wcman- but all admitted her extreme ksnl- !;
ness Of heart, Ier devotion to the sick and |
wounded, which was only exceeded BY her !
devotion to her husband. Before leaving the
Davis mansion, let me say En- pdssan& that its |
present occupant Is far less popular than
either Gems. lalleck or Ord. :, The latter was !
extremely liked by the secesh. i
A person whose son MAS one Of Mr.. Davis !!
order1jes, hastcned 10 him On the day Of ;
cyacuation to otlcr Lis assistance IN removing I
any little articles, a6 nencnt0es of friendship, !
&c But tho President scfused sl such Gid i
On vcly unsclfsh grounds. Our troops have !
eavcd future antfquarfcs the trouble Of carry |
ing away many relics. There is no doubt tllat I
wholesale robbcrfcs were committed by ,isi-
tors more than by the soldiers. Tic State
Library ts perfectly destroyed. Books Of old |
colonial times, and others that can never be |
replaced, have been rrthlcssly carried Of.
The books that were left were tossed about
sadly There arc some skins that can bear
more drubbfnE than sheep or cal[ and such |
onght to suffer for Ills No doubt many !
couldn't read or understand the title paecs- i
though 70 plain as " The life Of Capt. John |
smtth" Perhaps suyne Of the numerous docu- /
mentary histories may answer the same pur-
pose they once did All ignorant Young gi5l OF !;
fifteen. Her friends were advising Iex to 60 !
10 school again, but khc thought It not nrces- =
sary, as she was studying history at home- !
the Documentary History Of New York!t
They broke into the State House, Fourth Of :.
July, and stole great deal Of valuable paper i
large sheets. As We passed through ihe +
garret to ascend to the root, We saw few
scattered sheets, aud a~bag Of rebel archives, |
Tht wish to possess relics Is laudable enough |
when kept within proper limits. But ,1owsn-
days IL IS hut new and refined woy Of ram
bling. It robs not only the dead soldier und
the neTly-mndc grave, but 1t would and does |
tear tic precious cantecu from the Hips whose
awful thirst Is told ia tue aespatrsng langguage |
OF The eve. All these sacred trophies-ihat,
II possible, friends ought to hare-ara sold ut
fsubulous prices. Far different the spirit that |