Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-10-28
Letter from Norfolk. Va.

forced TO think myself. that >he must run Tar
ahead Of uur dear old ,,wn. hut S;,ca T have
l..,, b,.r, ,,,,l b.,. u;,h ,,,,. ,,r,, o,.s
:, =: 49,,
te' Foa+e''''' """ '''4'cu ~ nnu 'nc aus aulascs
She ln>>csscd over us alu not willing to yield
the point. and will return houc satisfied that
wa how, ,,,,l , l,,,.;r f,r lr,;. .,,d
r.l,rr.
lu' ""'.""S w wy IT, any nave SIC" III
' lrs!u!a: alt We require l. capital and enter
prise. The city OF Norfolk WAS laid ont in 1850
when all act Of the Assembly was passed arl-
thor;Ziug the purchase rf - Icrc> vi land from
Il luau by the maine oi Nicholas Wl>c:l: nd called
Norfolk. alter the county III Norfolk, III Eng
iahd: IRON which COUNTY clElGratru one Oi the
CHIEF pioneers, III .u9. Inc town HAD Induce,
mcntS offered 10 settlers srcatcr thau THAT offered
1T "hrr l';Icrs III lrgllaa that iiuie O'it WAS
inc rAcinp'l"i IrVnl laHa'i"h ana ARRESTS lDr
I'VE year: With these advantages II prU>pcrci
In lis II HAD BRISK trade with the " est
Indies and other foreign ports sept. ~ l'"D,
Is the date OF the Royal Charter. making the
town Ut Auri"lk Il borough: to be governed by
4 Mayor tGcordrr: eight ;3ilcruIrn and SIX
teen I"airlilpcn. Han'lc. l5nu>l Was made the
hFst ,'i'iVF' anu o'r '"V na,tlT'ph inc hc-
corlcr l lie c"iulicrcc vi Norfolk at TN, date
i"r'lhs ana exporting Tor icar'y inc "h"Ic
'1''tc anu many Vi ''ie ",nef cu'''i'c,' INC
IncrciAntr !lIadc money, ana IL had !cpula'
tI"l' I'll benz Very Wealthy ana ia>ll!"NabIc
ll'Gr' t''e 'l'''''''''ts were mostly r'nI!lSh'hGh
ny p'rti'; S'cI' 'i:a"! e:'n'c from hc''''u'a
ana settled III l'ia' part III me Town me-" called
b"FiiiuI'' street; "il!cll wis ~ haincd hy luc'h.
III 80 tic "iI"'c cay vas destroyed -! IRE,
SUPPOSED t" nave Deem 'lc>l2"cd hy I'll" cltiz"nS
I" prevent their HOUSES iroi being occupied ~
the british s'Idicr> Tor "IntcTIuarter> TWAS 1T
that tI!:ic he wcHilh'c.t town IN the State The
lrs> by tie ire was r>tIlnI'ch'tU have been at
tia; time one million eight hun!rc'i thousand
dollars. az two mlnn i've hundred Thousand
dollars III our PRESENT uULry: 1t was estimated
IT, have had Il population ii about lu.~m. soon
after ;hr l;yvnut.on the town began again to
r;,c from H. ashes and IL coumrrcc t. expand.
The population which Was very much reduced
by the gi"at lire, WAS estimated to have been
anmut 1.MHi III $500 and the value ct IT. cX-
Imrr> l.o'rI.mm which increased to $1.i'munI
in lSui. In IS27 it suffered again by very
lnr.c f:r. Which destroyed II great number of
hnn>,.. From l>o7 To $50 business fell off ycry
much and Norfolk reached its lowest ebb. hay
iny lost in puiuatiun which was estimated 10
Lav,. incu not over 5000 Just IL she again
commenced to recover from the losses and
,l..,.t ,;y.I Lv ,L. fire, IN l>3o ,L. r|,i.r,
, u" ,,aj m,J, .,r.at J,>rru,,;nn nf Inn.
man ;if;. II l>34 rh. charter was obtained for
the pnrtsmnnrb and Roanoke K. r., which, !,
a,.,.i ,mlI l.,,,. ,,r,,,,.d 81 ,,r..,t I,.
=. H. 0,,,. Th.,. .v,,,.,,,nn. w.. ~, 49,,
Il. w. NV :, "'' @ Ill.,, ',"I1 ~, o
,x;,} p,.,,..,hur, ,;r tLr trade If Nnrth Caro-.
Nm, T., ,,L,,in wIIicl, the road WI, Luiit newer
thrIess the civ continued to Improve slowly from
tL. i,i,,t trade Of tic l.. \ H. L. H.. and the
DISMAL swami Canal. which was BEGUN IN
IN ,nl ron,,r,t,h The. waters Of EIiz,hcth
river viii, rhn,,. Il the, <.n,ri> and rivers Of
Vnrh t!,r,ina In $50 il h,d lu.mn in.
L.i'i,,,r, il ISL; the charter VA. chnycI and
If wa~ ma,l. 4 cry: in 1870 the census Of the
city showed 4 ,n,,,l!atinn OF nearly IG0ru. In
Nny.mlrr ISL. the S,lhr,rl Railroad WAS
co,url,,cI To Weldon. La ISIS the Norfolk
mud Petersburg Railroad began it, nucratiuu>;
!, !. ~ miles Lon.. In l>53 the AihcuarIc and
chesapeake Canal w;.~ opened: this is an i'm
rroyc!ncnt that will br Of more benefit to Nor