The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-11-06

| to the pines. The same -: - -:.s.
cnt everywhere going on7,-.s,s -. a.'
we presume in the largest portion of all tho
Southern States. Young pines are spring
ing up and taking possession of the fenced
fields. Nature in pity, for the desolatcd
and barren fields, which she once yielded
to man, rich in virgin fruitfulness, is again
retaining these desolate wastes-desolated
by the blight of slavery, and the unthrift
and sothfulness which follows in its train.
Five sixths of the country is now covered
with woods. Chestnut and pine comprise
almost the entire growth; though oak,
hickory and poplar are found in the IA
vines, but in limited quantities. There is
the best of timber here for fencing. Mil
| lions of chestnut rails could be made in the
woods, while good pine lumber could be
cut on every farm, thus supplying on the
ground abundance of materials for farm
buildings and fences.
| The climate is mild i'll winter, and the
soil, with proper manuring, will produce
wheat, corn, potatoes and garden stuffs in
abundance. 1t is the home of the sweet
potato and melon. Peaches might be
raised here in unlimited quantities and of
the finest quality. But very little of any
of these things are grown.
Negro slavery had desolated the land,
followed by the war which swept the
money, stock, and everything else valuable
! like y bosom of destruction, leaving in their
| train comparative famine.
Deer in large numbers roam the thick,
and in some places impenetrable woods;
ducks swarm the waters, and every river,
creek and inlet where the tide makes up,
is full of the finest oysters.
| With all these natural advantages the
population exc out miserable subsistence
on corn bread and bacon, as their main de-
pendence. They are in despair. The ma
tives have but a very crude notion of mod
ern farming, and lack that schooling which
is indispensable to fit them to buffet for
tune. and hew out of the soil and the for
ests, wealth, comfort aneprosperity. They
are in want of capital to stock and carry on
a well appointed farm, and if they had the
capital, comparatively few of them could
succeed, owing to their imperfect know-
edge of economically conducting a farm,
having no experience i'll any, save the old
| impoverishing mode pursued in the hal
cyon days of slavery. Then the negroes
drew Il homely supply for them and their
masters wants from the woods, the rivers
and the soil, and when pocket money was
wanted Il negro was sold to trader who
sent him to the cotton States. Thus the
people OF Virginia lived till the war burst
like thunder-cloud upon them, and they
awokc in the very abyss of poverty and
misery.
Farnham Church is place of some note
situated in Richmond county, and derives
its name from the Episcopal Church loca-
ted at this place, which was undergoing re-
pairs when the war burst upon it. The
church was converted into barracks for re-
cruits and volunteers, who were eager to
save the Confederacy" and die in the
''last ditch" The church at present APP
pears to be doing duty as barn or straw
house, as we perceived something resemb-
ling straw, protruding from its boarded
up windows and doors. Farnham Church
is a pleasant site for village, but a
grocery OF store and some four or five
houses, apparently dwellings, constitute
the sum totum of the buildings The
land about Farnham, although of the same
sandy soil previously noted, and presenting
a heavy growth of pine and clestut, SEEM
ed to be of better quality than any we had
before met with on our trip. Some green
wheat fields here gave the landscape more
cheerful look, and the farms adjacent gave
evidence of a better state of cultivation
than is usually met with in this part of the
State.
We remained here over night at the
house of a widow lady who performed the
part of public house-keeper, SO far as ac-
commodating travellers with meals and
/ lodging. Everything here was clean and
tidy, and we spent a very pleasant night
| Our hostess had two sociablc and intelli-
/ gent daughters, who, with their mother,
discussed very freely the situation. A son
is in Baltimore in the employ of large
boot and shoe firm, while the girls and
| their mother were trying to draw subsis-
| tence from the deserted homestead and
other property in the old Dominion. The
farm is for sale, as in fact were nine tenths
of the farms we met with in the State
The war found this family like thousands
of others, with a number of slaves, who
soon left for the q Yankee Gunboats. -
Fitzpatrick passed through Farnham on
one of his raids, and this was the signal fol
a general stampede ofthe remaining slaves
About fifteen hundred, principally women
and boys, followed his cavalry, the mel
having gone in advance. The organized
raiders, generally swept the stock of horses
and cattle from the farms, and were fol
lowed by stragglers who went i'll small
gangs for the purpose of plnnder. Oul
hostess had her house searched by one o
these unauthorized hummer gangs, but
having taken the precaution to conceal hel
valuables, she suffered no injury. After
making fruitless search of bureaus anC
cupboards, they departed peacefully with
out further molesting the family
We here met with Mr.. George Price, wht