The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-08-10
Letter from Orange County-visit TO Frede.
ricksburg- Crops Religious MeetinEx-Preuy
Orange, August c, 1866.


Since my las, | have been pcrambu-
lat,ng around extensively. | have been to
the town, or city rs YOU may call it, OF
Fredericksburg. | have 10 doubt Generals
Joe Hooker and Hancock remember the
place. II had been some six years SINCE
was there. ! could scarcely recognize 'iia'
! was in the once beautiful Guy oi '"c
R~app.harnock. From fire and the havoc
of the Yankees and rebels there IS scarce
= whole house left standing. BUSINESS
there is exceedingly dull. though during
las, wear there was an extensive tra"e cal,
r;rl an in sumac. old homes, old iron, anu
RAGS. one firm selling over thirty 'hou>a''
dollars worth Of the aforesaid at'icieS.
lid /, NO, been for the plentiful crop OF
snmoc the people of the adjoining counties
no,Ii mo-, have lived. You have not the
lcos, idea OF the quantity OF snmac mat Is
gathered from Spotsylvania, Orange, Stat
ford. and Culpcper counties.
TIC crops Of corn ncaS Fredericksburg,
o-br,wccn the Wilderness and Frcdericks-
burg. will yield an usual harvest, a God
send 10 the farmers, for upon this they rely
tor buying all other provisions, paying for
tie labor Of the lazy +. b., and paying of
all debts; the wheat crop, with a few cx-
ccptions, being q total failure. ! under
standthat Mr.. ii. Fitzhush, Of King George
county, this State, will make over eighteen
hundred bushels from one hundred and
forty seeded. This is q good yield, though
Mr.. Fitzhugh has one OF the finest farms
in Eastern Virginia.
This section Of Orange is suffering very
much for rain, there being none since July
81. The corn is beginning to suffer very
much for the want of it, the weather being
unusually cool for the season Of the year
particularly the nights. One can sleep
comfortably under q blanket.
The subject Of reputation is engaging
considerable attention at this time. All
whom | have convcrscd with seem to be
opposed TO reputation. 1t is rather a
delicate subject. ! therefore VIII not ven
turc an opinion, but will leave II to our
wise legislators the next winter to hash up
according to their own ideas.
Now. | want to talk about something
else. Were YOU ever al Il big meeting, as
they are called in the country! If not,
lust lay aside pen, paper, &c, ana come
~ here. There are no less than iour no"
in progress within ten miles oi your num-
bic servant. You may talk about your
fine bills of fare at your iirst-claSS hotels,
but they are not 10 be compared TO tiic
dinners that are spread during the resting
hour of one of these meetings. Ii Is use
less 10 name what we have, but for those
who never attended one, we will give them
a faint idea Of what they might expect IN
III, eating line: Roast >iloat, lamb, iricd
chicken. sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cNchl'l-
h,rs, Irish potatoes, bcctS, and, III short,
everything that Il good garden can pro.
dJ.rr ,hcu co:icS such nice dcScrts-p!cS,
cunr>, milk, honey, pickles of al kiod>,
preserves. &c, &c.
Do MOI. understand me as saying that
eating is the principa! attraction t" these
Meetings. We have the best al preachers
and the finest NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. which, |
hope. nav do much good. Then we have
>nrh pretty ladies. | will put old Orange
g.tit>t the rest OF tie world for pretty
women, Chesterfield not excepted. They
look 50 rosy-complcXionS as Nature has
u~aiulrl-nonc of Your drug-housc ~varnis!l,
iut Natures sweetest tintS. Enough; |
cannot d them justice.
Fruit is not So plentiful, except apples.
TIE peach, pear, and cherry crop was
almost Il total failure. Apples seem to he
quite plentiful, but Of small size. Water
IL, Ions are Just beginning 10 make their
appearance, and ii dci!ci"u> tlavor, though
no, !tr-c. nranec does not grow melons
a. lugc nor In such quantities as the
cu...;r~ Of Lon;>a, Hanover, OF llcnrico.
am il i.u2c, 81 yaE,.= Richmond a lying
visit IN a lew days. and lartake OF large
wulcrnrluu> .ud other dclicacicS.
The order ol General Terry III regard to