Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-02-22
Southern Resources.


ern gentlemen was held at the rooms OF Mr..
John w. Forney, in the city Of Washington
on the evening OF Friday, February -, for the
purpose of consulting about the proper means
for the development Of the South. Among
those present were VIM. d. Kelley, y: Is.
Moorhead, Henry L. Cake, and Daniel M.
| Morrell, of Pennsylvania lgnatius Donneily'
of Minnesota; Samuel Pool, u. 5. Senator
from North Carolina; Gen. LoDgstreet, Oh
Virginia d. X. Cartier, of the Supreme
Court of the District of Columbia; joseph 3;
Wilson Commissioner of the General Land
Office: Blanton Duncan, of Kentucky; Gen.
Horace Capron, Commissioner OF Agrlculture
Col Joseph w. Cake and George Ii. Boxer,
Of Philadelphia; Mr.. Chic, superintendent OF
Weldon and Portsmouth railroad; Captain
Hotchkiss, j. s. Barbour president Orange
and Alexandria railroad, and Robert Rigdway,
of Lynchburg, Va. Col. Printup, of Georgia ;
Hiram Barney of New York; Gen. j. 9. Ere
mont, of New York Gen. Thomas il. Kane,
of Pennsylvania; John S. Carlisle, OF West
Virginia; George w. Riggs and j. d. Hoover
Of Washington, and several others.
A great many facts were elected during the
consultation, and at the adjournment it was re-
solved that summary of the proceedings
should be laid before the public. These pro
ceedings consisted, principally, OF remarks
made by those present in reference to the re-
sources Of the Southern country.
MIR. j. S. Barbour, of Virginia, as the rep
resentative of the railroad men OF the South,
stated that Virginia had manifested a great
disposition to encourage emigration. All per,
sons coming there to settle would be passed
over the respective roads, with their families
and their furniture, at about half rates-the
| md in
stances he thought they would be willing to
pass them free if they would go and settle the
country. He thought their railroad facilities
would compare very favoraby with those OF
the North and the West. Their ordinary
charges for passengers were four cts. per mile.
The rates in the West were about three cts,
but in the South the travelling community
| being smaller and the expense as high as any
where else, they were compelled to ask little
higher rates lie thought that any manifesto
ton ON the part of the Northern people to
come down and occupy their lands would be
met in friendly spirit, and all the facilities
that the Southern people could afford them
would be extended. lie was very sure that II
their people could hear the sentiments express
ed here to night by Col. Forney and Judge
Kelley they would have been as much gratltied
as he was, and also that all gentlemen from the
North who could give expression OF friendly
disposition would be met with great cordlallty
and receive grateful welcome AS far as he
knew, there was no trouble in tho world about
the Northern people coming to Virginia.
| There is no feeling OF hostility or opposition.
| Everybody wants to sell property. They want
| to get the country settled and to see the ma
| teriaI interests in their country improved the
only difficulty in the way is to find people who
will go there and propose to meet item upon
| friendly terms Ii they come there with
disposition to dictate the politics aud the man
ners of the country, they will probably encoun-
ter some opposition; but ii they come with
| spirit Of ordinary friendly and social ioter
course, they will be met in the same way, and
everything will 20 on quietly Genlemen had
been speaking of the mineral resources OF the
South all OF which he was familiar with, and
stood ready to endorse The greatest mineral
district o! Virginia had probably not been re.
| ferrcd to--that in the Southwestern portion OF
the State lying along the Virginia and Ten
| nessee railroad There all the minerals are
| found-iron, copper, lead, plaster, salt-evory-
| thing but coal They are all found In abund-
ance The coal ls about one hundred miles
distant One Of the great elements OF wealth
| In Virginia had been OverOoked-or not de-
Scanted up0n-he referred to the agricultural
| value of their lands. He desired to direct
| attention especially to the lands lying along
| the Orange and Alexandria railroad, extending
| from Alexandria to lynchburg, with pro
| ccted line to DanviIle The lands there stu
| atcd are known as the Piedmont country. It
| is an extraordinary fact that while lands north
| of the city OF Washington are varying IN price
| from fifty to one hundred dollars an acre, you
| have only to cross the Potomac, along the
Orange aud Alexandria road to find the same
quality of lands as those referred to within
distance of from fifteen to fifty miles OF Wash
ineton, at prices ranging from ten to twenty
five dollars Large bodies Of them are clay
lands, capable of producing as much wheat and
grass as any lands probably in Maryland and
Pennsylvania, with comparatively small out
lay for improvements There is a large body
of these lands lying between the Potomac and
Rappahannock rivers. These lands are now
sparsely occupied ty whites, although there is
a considerable coIored population and they
| are especially adapted Tor colonlzing purposes.
The prices vary from ten TO twenty-h live dollars
an acre. according to the improvements upon
them, Large tracts of them are taken up
every now and then. There are many of them
offered for sale, but some capital would be re-
ouired for improvements. They are good grass
and grain lands. The country was good deal
devastated during the war, and much OF the
timber has been cut down. AS you approach
the Blue Ridge excellent land is also found,
and 1t is the finest fruit growing region on the
continent. Ga the slopes the peach and apple
flourish in great profusion, with very little cu-
tvatlon fine grazing, also, for roots, and
rood tobacco and potato country. In the Blue
Ridge Mountains fine grazing lands can be pur-
chased for one dollar an acre. Sheep live all
winter in the fields; cattle are housed about
Christmas and kept in until about the first or
the middle of April.
LARD IN EUROPE S. Macrae's Liv
erpool Weekly Produce Statement of February
Sd, has the following on this subject:
"rhe value Of this article must not be es
timated as an edible only, as is too often the
case AS nbrlcator there can be no question
that lard oil ranks the next to sperm. An at
tempt has been made to Cypress this 10 arket
by bringing over from France and Germany all
the lard that could be procured, and although
Il ~ nntlu tunH