Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1866-02-03

luton. Fight the devil with fire is my motto.
B. A.
Richmond and the Surrounding Country
a correspondent, writing from Richmond
to the Baltimore, I" Gazette gives the follow
ing interesting description of that famous To-
cality. The picture will be- recognised by
thousands whose weary feet have troddcn cv-
cry foot of the country described :.
Richmond itself is now fast being rebuilt,
and there seems every prospect that in few
years the new town will equal or surpass the
old But while this is true of the city, the
surrounding country presents far different
aspect. The section lying below the city must
figure so largely in all future history that a
few words about it's present appearance may
not BE unacceptable. Oncc out of Richmond
and the change is apparent. 1t is change
from the hum of business to the silence of
deserted country. The houses stand out soli-
tury and silent; no fences, no gardens. few oe
no out-houses, no cattle, 20 fowls, and many
Wanting even the thin streak of smoke from
the chimney that still proclaims them to be
the habitations of men. Almost as soon as
you pass the outside limits of The city you find
line OF Notifications, and for many miles you
will rarely be out of sight of some kind of
work, from the strong battery that froN rs from
the crest of the hill to tue small pit Of the skir-
misher in the hollow beneath. There seems
to be some effort to re-occupy the country but
only by the poorer class Of people, who come
from the old battle-fields of war to begin new
struggle with want and famine
The lands lying along the banks Of the
James, SO celebrated for their richness, are
now, but waste fields There are but few cases
where the owners Of the land are found on
them; few Of them have the capital necessary
to work their farms, and of those who have,
very many have had their houses DESTROYED,
and will not consent to inhabt the small and
ill-built cabins they arc able to put up, Thus
tie land is mostly occupied by men paying
shares of the profits for the use of the land,
and they are unable to work any large part Of
the estate, but simply try to earn support
for themselves. These lands present if pos
sble, even more melancholy appearance than
the back country; there, so much Of the coun.
try is covered by pines, that but small por-
tlon can be seen, but on the river we sec at
once vast tracts of open land, ovexsrown with
the tall weeds and grass, showing the richness
of the soil, which is left untouched by the
plowsharc. Ofvcry many.of the old houses,
the chinncys are the only marks visible at
any distance, and there are very few cattle to-
mark tho presence Of thriving farm-yard rds.-
This is not true OF this section alone, but.of
almost all of Eastern Virginia 1t is in sub
stance the picture of a whole country, and by
no means an ovcr-drawn one. 1t is to be hoped
that it will not long continue So The people
are trying, and faidcd, or if not impeded by
the Government, wilLsoon restore the country
to better state. Politically, they feel their
state to be that Of defeated party and, as
they must live under the existing Government,
they would do SO in good faith, and in obeti-
ence to its laws. But if they arc to be again
prosperous and contsnted, they must have the
countcnance Of the Government, and not be
intcrfcred With by radicals and dcmagogucs.
y RECENT issue OF the /" Tribune" thus
alludes TO The soldiers of the South: Look at
that vast multitude Of routed, beaten, dscom-
fitted men, whose valor has almost atoncd for
the sins OF the rebellion G Our gallant gray
brothers nracvcn now, ,clamoring around Wash
inngton,' &c. So with the Generals Of the
>IAtt