The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-02-28
VIRGINIA NEWS.
xe.tcr from the upper
AH" Country.

80, II thr Stale cOWiE'"HS w 49, ~
&i'-,yrncut and through WN'ch VIII '"'
"''.,,Dortaat tributary.
NORTH MOUNTAIN.
,.,hc close Of my lasi letter was Il. !nc ',
y 80, .,,,s Furnace. about eight miles
i@N 'I,,'",,, Farce. Before returning 10
-. d" ,,,, rnI,,,c DOWN the James, LET us
i.'.>", tbc crest Of one Of the noble hslls
s'h ~, nearly surround Us. 4 balloon
"a. y, thp northward would give us
''-"' The railroad. Millhoro', the Rock
WV " sirm. SC. Bat we viii follow
'"N. .,rnnjsr, on the eastward, ana
.'., sInwN w The western slope OF
N''.' >nT,l, Mo,.niain till We reach its
,,rr or five miles by the road from
,.' .r~nqec. stand upon enc "' .ho>e lu,-
,,rhs and look 10 The cast. lour PACK
%.,y 70 Allegheny county, and the whole
=, The southern part OF Eockor!dEe hes al
.-,r tert. To the lett are House Mountain
I'll Lexington. on Your !lSht warden
Mountain and the valleys 3eont tne neau
= .cr> OF Buffalo. III font ot You IS snort
u.t, and lar away III tie "i>!a'ire Tue h'ue
lid 9 bounds your view. 'ue Town pe!""
49,, ,yhirh j. two or three miles long, With
IA, much width, IS t"i'iri>'o"h' or ."i-
.,.> Cce2k, and the country around II IS
ta' !''nrsi par, II II N''"' va
.,.,u,v. The scene i magnificent. ana
,A.,,rh Won NAV have looked upon
b,rjred similar ones in the noun-
..~s OF Virginia, is varied beauties
Nil deeply impress YOU. l have seen some
q, the iar-taincd hills and heights OF the
North. hul none OF them are equal 10 TINS
,ni others which the traveller may meet
ever, day on journey through this couh-
-. They only need railroads ana thronSs
.,:ght-secrS 10 give them :. notorctr equal
,.a I,y naruya! views in the United states.
lau are now about thirteen miles tioln
l,rnn Forge and about fifteen from Lex
,..ton. 4 straight road from Clifton Forge
I, Lynchburg would pass along here. and
would not exceed sixty miles in length, or,
s.. the farthcSt. seven;y-liye. All among
,he.r hills are tue farms, and the country Is
'n.rkv settled. Some Of the people who
-,. far ~ on the rocky creeks and high up
au The mountains are beyond the reach OF
literary ana religion, influences, and III Il
.t.'c Of ignorance. Here and there You
V3u lind the sabbath school and the mis-
.ouary chapel throwing out their light. but
tae cld Is vast, the harvest is rlenteous,
and the iaboIc!s are lew. In and around
Colerstuwn YOU will lind schools and plea
.iai churches, with intelligent congrega-
'..u>. and the fruits Of active and energetic
ministry.
LOCUST BOTTOM.
Returning 10 the james river ut Clitio,
Itrye, aud passing down We notice on the
!! ID; Rich Patch Mountain, which derives
il name from the extreme nroductlvcnes-
Il The soil on its sides, and then we come
"Nhlu ii few miles TO Locust Bottom, u
rgru ana beautiful level country lying on
ii" river, where the loW grounds are Of
n4uSual width for this mountainous region!
nd remind YOU Of the farms in Fluvannl
,Al GoochIahd. These river bottom, are
h.id in high estimation, and produce fine
c.riS 81 wheat aud corn. Here ynu vii
I'm, The old river boats, which, when the
canal Is in operation 10 Buchanan, take the
Woduce down to that place-about twenty
Is. miles from this vicinity.
HE whole di>tance from Clifton Forge Il
Buchanan by the road i twenty-sercr
mice, and by the river not | suppose, 4
,E',, deal more.
THE UNFINISHED CANAL.
IN Locust Bottom YOU will lind the place
where the last work was done the lau!c.
River and kauawha Improvement above
Buchanan. Il is marked BY excavations
that show where the cana! was to have gone
and may yet go, and by huge piles Of rock
ctl into blocks and ready TO be used in the
construction Of locks. Lower down the
work Is nearer completion. but abandoned
a@n up to this time useless. / have uC
r"an> Of ccrt.in knowledge. but have been
.Di"rued that quarter Of :! million II dol
a", were expended above HlichIi,lu, al; 81
'tr lost 10 our poor old >Iatr. 50 nauy o
whose patriotic endeavor> 10 Gcyel3pc hel
r,S h.,t.. la, lam
and impotent conclusion.
POPULATION AND CHURCHES.
IN both sides Of the James, about Locus
Potion, you will lind large population
Icing only six miles from Clifton Forge
- people have the advantage Of the ran
ryad, when they prefer to Use il, for trans
I"rialion. and they not unireQuently serl
'E'.r grain, &C., to market by this mean"
Inc Locust Bottom Church tPresbytc.ia
= supplied by Rev, Geo. 4. Lyle, who ais,
supplies Sharon, near Cowpasture bridge
before referred TO. There is also in thi
vicinity neat Methodist Church, regularl,
supplied. 4 number Of the families beon,
- The intelligent and cultivated class, while
there is another class that oilers wide mis-
,tonuv field, to which the present mini>te
rial supply Of all denominations is phy>i
tally inadequate.
DlBRELLS or DAGGER's SPRINGS.
These springs are in the vicinity first re
ierred to, ten miles from Clifton Forge
seventeen from Buchanan, twenty from TIT
Natural Bridge, and about two from Jane
river. They are called Daggel's" from
lie original owner of the land, and "Dib
rell>@ after the entcrprisipg Mr. Dibrell
ri hichm nd, by whom the property wa
improved. Before the Central railroad
''anGcd the old course Of travel, traveller.
rom the White Sulphur were wont, on thcil
return from that celebrated watelng-place
L" come down anu tarry while ut DID
r'iPs, from which the stage took them, by
romantic road over Garden Mountain, to
The Na!uial Bridge, or by way of Buchanan
I" Bonsack'-, ard thcuce TO Lynchbure
and the southwest. But i'll this is passed.
= horse mail passes the Springs from Blu.
'hanan 10 Clifton Forge, and of stages
I" any point there are none. The old
turnpike Over Garden Mountain towards
the Natura! B!idge is neglected, and moth.
ny ol Its loIlner attractlvcnesS is left to re.
hcNc the WEAKNESS and loneliness of the
traveller but Its line views and its easy
grades. In some places it is Il bed of rocks.
The cabins at tnc Springs are let out in
summer TO such families as are pleased to
reside there and keep house. 1t is Surpris.
ing 10 STE how many camc from the sur.
rounding country over the difficult ap.
pfoaches OF neglected Dads, bringing theil
'"ddlng and cooking utensils. Last sum.
i"r lor while II was Il busy place, and
Tie visitors seemed to enjoy their rough liv
ing and extemporiz.d and unceremoniou,
pleasures a. much - the more favored anC
luxurious seekers OF pleasures at more fash
l"nable centres. The place is pretty, The
improvements tasteful, though somewhat
decayed, and the sulphur water strong an(
heul,hful. The railroad from Clifton Forge
especially If il takes the river route, vii
bring this watering place into deserved no
tee and popularity.
HON WORKS.
Two miles from the springs, near the foo
Oh Garden Mountain, is the ttebecca Fur