The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1870-09-23

Correspondence
LETTERS FROM VIRGINIA.
A TOUR THROUGH TAZEyELI,,
No. b..


Another singular freak in Nature on the
same estate is a depression in the earth, or
in mountain parlance n "sink hole" 1t is
in the form of sharp cone, or an old fash
Toned churn turned bottom upwards, 10
feet deep, with large trees growing inside,
from bottom to top. Gen. Bowen, Capt.
Rhea, Mr.. Brunette and myself attempted
to descend it spirally, by holding on to
roots and bushes, but found it difficult and
dangerous to go more than half way down,
and for once in our lives we all travelled
faster up hill than down, having been per-
suaded to do so by an unamable family of
yellow jackets that inhabited the locality,
one of the members of which, more vindic-
tive than the rest, left its mark upon one
of Mr.. Brunette's ears, which in a very short
time assumed the appearance of a slice of
blood beet.
We visited. many other places of interest
upon the Generals premises, such as subter-
ranean springs and deep, dark caverns, and
very reluctantly left his hospitable roof
and pleasant family late on the afternoon
of the 21st, and after a warm ride of doz-
en- miles along a rich but narrow valley,
bordered by high mountains on eith9gide,
not more than half u mile apart, we arrived
at Jacksonville, the shire town of Tazewell,
with population of 600, and situated on a
gentle eminence, with rich and romantic
surroundings. Here we We're kindly and
comfortably cared for by Mr.. PEBBLES, who
keeps entertainment for man and BEAST
and were called on by number of warm
hearted friends we had known in other
days. and among them Bro Nutty, one of
the editors of the village paper, who, with
his associate, deserve, as they are receiving,
the liberal support of the men of the noun
tains, Immediately opposite the town,
and not more than mile from it, and
covered with bluegrass to its very summit,
rises II rock-crowned peak in Rich Noun
tain, easily accessible on horse back, $40
feet above the level of the street.
Tue@1aN Aug. 22d.-Remaincd in Jeifer-
sonville till after the middle of the day, en-
joying the converse of friends and the splen-
did scenery, and for the purpose of afford
ing my companion an opportunity of ex-
amining the records and ascertaining the
whereabouts and condition of tract of
land among the mountains upon which he
holds Il claim. His search was unsuccess-
full, for instead of finding somebody else's
farm ON top of his, he found his on top of
everybody else's-upon the very towering
topmost' summit of "Cucumber Ridge" in
Mcdowell county, West Virginia, an i'm
mcnse pile of rocks, with here and there a
stunted laurel, where the roots could strug-
gle into the crcvices. Such at least was
the information he obtained. After dinner
we called for our horses, and accompanied
by Capt. Baldwin, conscript officer of
Confederate memory, and u genial enter
prising gentleman, who rode several miles
with us, we started for Burk's Garden, IL
miles distant Half way to the Garden we
passed, almost imperceptibly, over the ridge
that divides the waters of the Holston and
the kanaWha, those on the west side
flowing into the former, and those on the
east side into the latter-running in exacC
! ly opposite directions for hundreds of miles,
and then all coming together in the Ohio.
At the western base of the ridge we drank
out of the head spring of Clinch river, a
cold and bold spring, in which Mr. Brunette
had fight with very large water moe
casin, without material injury to either com
Blatant, and in which | felt rather more in
tcrest in than do in the "skrimmage" be
tween the hout-stuttrs and frog -eaters--
A mile Or two farther ON we came to the
base of Rich Mountain, which is crossed
by winding turnpike some five miles
over. The mountain at this place is hea-
Willy timbered, many of the trees being GU
cumber, species of domestic magnolia
which are peculiarly rich at this season,
with their clusters Of crimson fruit and
dark green foliage.
About the middle of the afternoon we
descended the opposite side into a sharp,
narrow valley, with the gap or gate way