Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1869-06-18

I
the able management of Gen. Malone IL
has rapidly recovered. The General has
| proven to be one Of the best railroad mana.
gers In the country. The consolidated lina
Of roads now under his management ca.
tends from Bristol to Norfolk and II is raj.
idly being put in first rate order. To one
can ride over 1t without being convinced
that IL must soon have a very large paying
freight and passed. niger business. The conf
pany was certainly fortunate in securing 9,
efficient presiding officer a. Gen. Mahonq.
We beard constant encomiums passed upob
| him all slong the line.
| The road which runs from Bristol 10
| Rockville is known as the Tennessee and
| Virginia Railroad. II is unjer the manage
ment Of a different company, though the
| line is continuous. Bristol is compsra-
lively new town lying half iL Virgins and
half 10 Tennessee. The main Streets the
dividing line between tho two States, and
Won step across IL from one 70 tie other.
Here we stopped over night on the 22d ult.
The weather was very pleasant, the fields
and forest being beautifully green. The
| climate in Southwestern virginia and L ast-
ern Tennessee is delightful From early in
| April until the middle of June it Is gener-
| ally as bright and beautiful as are the most
delicious days of May or June with us. The
| summers are not hotter than they are 10
Pennsylvania, in fact the thermometer does
| not often rise as high. From September
until the last Of November, and frequently
| until late in December bright autumn
weather prevails. The winters are short
and mild. Snow rarely lies upon the ground
| tor more than day or two, there are few
| hard freezes, and the cattle Craze nearly all
! the time, ouly requiring little feed to keep
| them Ia first rate condition. Out door farm
4 ha NJ all mil
paratively little interruption, and the pillow
can be ran every month 10 the year. 1t is
| the healthiest Sc elton of the United States,
| being free alike from the malariOus diseases
of the South and little liable to those which
prevail in the North. When we look at all
the advantages which this section offers to
those who desire pleasant homes, among a
cultivated and hospitahle people, where all
the facilities for making a comfortable lily
ing are unsurpassed, we cannot help being
convinced that very many will soon be in
\ duced to emigrate to this beautiful and at
| trsctive region.
Passing out Of Virginia into Tennessee
we ran through more broken country, fire.
| quently rising into sharp spurs Of slate, but
| all along the route we had glimpses of bean
| tiful little valleys with luxurant crops of
| grass and grain. Except on the ridges the
| land is limestone soil of first rate quality.
| There are thousands of acres of the finest
| kind OF farm land in East Tennessee at ex-
ceedingly low prices. We saw fine farm
with commodious and well constructed
brick dwelling aud good out. baildiugs, forty
acres Of fine timothy meadow, grain fields
| looking first rate, some two hundred and
| lfty acres cleared, and nearly that much in
timber, all of which had just been sold for
| 1000. This farm adjoned the railroad,
ami was within one mile Of johnson Station,
| point from which a branch railroad is be-
| ing run into North Carolina.
| We stopped day in Jonesboro. This is
a hourishing town, with quite number OF
| large stores. 1t has considerable trade
| with the m0untaiDeers of Western North
| Carolina. They bring their products 10
market there. Ginseng and beeswsx are
among the staple commodities Of this com
merce. The ginseng is exported from this
country to China, aud traded by our mer
chants for tea, but, as II has been proven
that the tea plant will flourish in Eastern
| Tennessee, the time may not be so very far
distant when we shall no longer be Deepen
dent upon the Celestials for "the cup which
cheers but not inebriatss., The day may
shortly come when we shall import Chinese
to prepare for market the tea grown on the
rich bill sides Of East Tennessee.
Leaving Jonesboro we passed by Green
Vile. the home Of Andrew Johnson, where
| he now resides Ia a modest bu. comfortable
brick mansion. Greenville is located In a
picturesque section Of country, and is a
lively business town, with a population of
about fifteen hundred. There is much ex.
cellent land In Green County for sale at
very reasonable rates, and desirable prop
critics can be purchased at from flfteen to
thirty dollars an acre, according TO location
and improvements There Is a college and
several good semlnaries and academies in
the county, and only two places where
liquor ia sold. Some six miles above Green
Vile Senator Patterson got upon the train,
at a station where ex President Johnson
has fine grist mill. and here We learned of
the death of Robert johnson. He was q
Young man Of fine parts and attractive man
ners, had been a member pf the Tennessee
Legislature. and gave promise Of q brilliant
career. He Is said to have had bnt a sin
gle vice that which clouded many q bright
intellect, and bowed many q strong man to
the earth At RogersTille Junction, the
dining place for the np-train, We met the
President on hrs way home to witness
the last sad scene. He had been suddenly
recalled by telegram when on his way TO
make a speech in Alabama. There was
quite crowd of country people at the
Junction that day, and 1t was touching 10
, witness the sympathy which they so qnietly
manifested for the hereavei father. They
spoke OF him and the deceased tenderly and
affectionately TO one another, not giving The
} ex-President his title, or calling him Mr.
! johnson generally, but generally called him
/ Andy among themselves, as people of sim.
, Pile habits would speak OF brother. W.
shall have something 10 say in our next Of
J Mr.. Johnson and his influence upon the peo
pie Of Eastern Tennessee. He was looking
! very vigorous, and Judging from his present
appearance he will live 10 see Tennesset
5 completely revolutionized politically, ant
4 to resume his seat In the United States Sen
8 ate with bis iron viii unbent and all III,
$ faculties completely unimpaired.
Rogersville IL tho county seat Of Hawkin
county, aud is reached by a branch road o
3 fifteen miles 10 length. o. the cars were
q number of Radical politicians who had beef
n attending q Judicial Convention, and w
0 found them aud ex-rehels fraternizing TO
Q gether Just as men Of opposite politica
y opinions do elsewhere. We met the lead
4 ing Radical Of Hawkins county, Hon. Chas
y ]. Mckinney, who had been strong Unio
u man throughout the war, and his brothe
Q Col. John Mckinney, who had bean IN tn
!. rebel army Sighting vigorously on the sid
u Of the South. The divisions among the PEG
@ Pile OF East Tennessee were OF a simila
y character In very many instances, and W
,. shall take occasion TO speak more fully q
u this hereafter. Our business now Is wit
y the material character OF the country.
% Hawkins Is one OF the largest counties
e East Tennessee, and II may DO taken as
, fair representative Of tho country. TIL
i Holston river runs through Il, aud ful
u uishes much very valuable water pows
Is which has never yet been utilized. Alon
:. this river lie maoy farms as beautiful as N
y eye could wish 10 sec and es rich "a ID
70 heart Of any husbandman could desir,
"a What Is called FIRST bottom land lies lev
"a with the bank Of tho stream, number
" feet above low water mark. These hrst DO
tom lands arc exceedingly fertile, prodl
as cling immense crops Of corn. They vary
IL width from few hundred yards 10 mi
Of or moro. They are perfectly level, and si
n, sometimes overfowed In the early spFln
10 but they seldom wash, deposit OF loa
10 | katoo 0anarallv laff NV tha 0nods whfoh