The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-06-23

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and picturesque. There, at our very
feet, rolls the majestic James. over
whose rocky bed and amid whose thous-
ndgreen isles, the clear waters flow with
ceaseless roar The soft music of their
thousand tuneful tongues is borne to the
ear by the balmy breezes of the South.
and it seems like dream of fairy land,
How enchanting the scene! In the
background small castellated dwelling,
quilt to suit the fancy of some admirer
OF the olden time romances, guards the
rear, while far away i'm the front looking
southwark and eastward, and all.round
the visual line, succession of hills and
wales, covered by soft verdure and trees
OF luXuriant foliage, meet the enraptured
glance far as the eye can reach. Dotted
over with beautiful cottages and gardens,
and meadows, and cooling shade-places
superb mansions upon lofty hills, plea
SAINT cottages hidden amid roses and
lilies in the lowly valleys! Fair as
a garden of the Lord, more beau
tiful than the famed valleys of Greece
where nymphs and fawns were wont to
sport with the fair keepers of the Thesa-
Ian flocks-are the suburbs of unhappy
Richmond. The eye falls nearer and rests
upon the pretty little town of Manches-
ter nestled amid the thick foliage of a
thousand trees, and its mills contin-
uallyhummingthe cheerful tune ofindus-
try. Then comes the James River, with
its fiercely rolling and ioamingand sport
ing rapids, causing myriad of minia-
ture Niagaras, as its waters sport over
the rocky bed; and now right under the
eye lie the ruins of the upper district,
reaching to the iron-works i'm the west
and to Eighth street towards the rising
OF the sun, and there almost joining
with the Main street portion of the
ruins, and making the scene of desola-
ton continuous from Fourth to Fiji
tenth streets.
These are the principal ruins of the
city, but away down towards Rockets,
in the vicinity ofthe notorious Libby, and
the somewhat renowned Castle Thun-
der there was another incendiary drama
enacted, and two or three squares suf-
feTed more or less, all because there
CHANGED to be a tobacco warehouse stu
ated in the vicinity.
The area of the CONGREGATIONS, it is es-
timated, includes about thirty-ffve
squares, in the most business portion of
the city--the very centre of trade and
financial operations. All the banks, in
surance and brokers' offices, and several
hundred fine stores, warehouses, hotels,
restaurants and other buildings, were
the victims to this mad act. The entire
loss in money is estimated at twenty
million dollars; and we think this calcu-
lation will fall short of the truth. In
l845, the writer witnessed the great fire
in Pittsburg, by which nearly one half
OF the business part of the city was de-
stroyed, together with steamers in port,
and as he now remembers, he is not pre-
pared to say that the disaster at Rich
mond is at all equal to that most terrible
conflagration. But tfZ people of Rich
mond feel it more heavily, and it has a
very depressing influence upon them,
as it comes at time when they are
wholly unprepared, and unable to bear
the loss.
Never before in this nation has there
been community so impoverished, SO
pauperized, we might say as the people
composing the old inhabitants of the
capital of Virginia. The evidences of
poverty are to be met with everywhere.
In the mansions of the arstocracy, as
well as in the novels of the lower Or
ders. In their Dress the shabby appear
ance of their houses; the carpetless
floors, and UNFINISHED parlors the
empty shelves in their shops and stores;
and the universal evidences of ruin and
dilapidation to be met with OH all sides,
prove the fact, which they do not at
tempt to conceal, that money is almost a
stranger to the pockets of the people /;
nor have they anything left that can
be turned into currency. Even Midas,
would find it difficult to comply with
the demands of Bacchus, and transmute
all he touched into gold; though could
such miracle be performed in their fa-
vor, heavy load of care would be re-
moved from the minds of this sorely-
tried people. Shop-keepers on Main
and Broad streets stand in their doors
and gaze longingly up and down the
streets, looking in vain for customer ;
and should a chance visitor from the
North, with pockets plethoric of green
backs, or recently paid soldier, chance
to favor them with call, it is looked
upon as special God-send, and they
make the most out of his custom--for
their prices in most articles are enor-
nous. They have not got over Confed
crate times and the high rates that then
ruled-and if you go into place of bus
mess, citizen is disposed to charge you
dollar for looking at him. Vegetables
and garden truck and flour are abun-
dant, and quite low, but living keeps up
to the Confederate standard. They
drive away all who come hither, either
to settle or do business, by their exorbi-
| tant exactions.
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