The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1868-08-28
Our White sulphur Correspondence
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS,
August oath 1868.

Npg,Uob <tti ICVCs
Scottsville is not on the direct road
from Orange Courthouse to the White
Sulphur Springs, nevertheless your cor
respondent selected that route. Be-
tween Orange and North Garden de-
T pot, few good fields of corn are to be
seen. In Albcmarle, east OF Charlotte-
sville, the corn is much injured by
drought.
At North Garden depot you will find
a comfortable conveyance TO take you to
Scottsville, which is ii miles off from
"civilization," unless you call the canal
by that great name. Mr.. DAWSON, the
owner of the line, is very obliging, and
Mr.. THOMAS, the driver of the ambu-
lance is accommodatIngi the extreme.
lie was good soldier, and good sol
der may be relied on in any capacity.
We did not see any particular garden
at North Garden, but the country a.
round the depot is fertile and cciebra-
ted for its wealthy and refined society.
Bishop WILMER of Louisiana and Mr..
TAzEwELL TAYLOR of Norfolk were in
the ambulance, and you may be sure
there was no lack of pleasant converse
zion. A few miles from the railroad,
the Bishop pointed out to us a large
house on our lett and almost hidden by
trees, which in former timeswas thought
to be haunted. For years, the Occu-
pants OF this house never went outside
of the door, not even into the yard;
never made or received visits from any
human being, and in fact held no inter-
course whatever with the outer world.
Far into the night, and every night for
many successive years, lights were seen
moving to and fro about the house, and
ever and anon a ghostly form clad in
white was seen to pass the fred littcn'
windows. 1t turned out that the lady
of the house'was an opium eater, who
sat up nearly all night and slept in the
day, and relieved the tedious hours OF
darkness by pacing from room to room
with candle in her hand. When she
died the estate passed into other hands
and the horrible ghost stories were soon
forgotten.
Conversation turned on RosEcRANs's
visit to Virginia, OF which the country
had been apprlsed by telegram in the
morning papers. Our fellow passen-
gers were able to give an outside ex-
PLANTATION, since verified by personal
interview between Gen. r.. and your
correspondent. The inside view Gen.
II. of course, keeps to himself. The
people of the North, particularly the
Germans, mislcd by Radical lies, are Of
opinion that the Southern people still
desire to i'rcbel" against the best &c.
government and intend, in case SEYMOUR
and BLAIR Al e elected, to reduce the ne
gro practically to slavery again. TC
prove beyond peradventure that these
lies are lies of the first magnitude, Gen.
RosEcRANs comes to Virginia to talk
with the people, the leading politicians
and soldiers, and to obtain from the lat
ter an official expression of the earnest
sincere desire of the Southern people
for peace. More on this topic in my
next letter.
After passing the Sheep-ncck range
You come next to the Green Mountain
settlement, as famous in A!bemarle as
the Green Spring neighborhooG in
Louisa. Upon the SUBMITS and slopes
OF these verdurous hills, which do not
deserve the name of mountains, half a
dozen or more OF the wealthy COLES
family have their country seats, in the
midst of vast plantations, each of which
contained in olden times its hundred OF
two hundred slaves. The road passes
very near the statelicst of these country
seats-sE stateville," so named from the
family estate in Ireland. With the
single exception of "Prestwood, the
residence ofthe SK1PwITHs in Mecklcn-
burg. il is said to be the most imposing
private residence in Virginia.
Bishop WILMER had requested the
driver to turn aside from the main road
in order to leave Mr.. TAYLOR and HIM
self a. "Plaindealingt' the summer
residence of the Bishop. As we drove
rapidly through the beautiful forest, Mr..
Taylor spoke up and said to the Bishop.
II suppose you have some five or six
huAdred acres of land theres"