The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-07-19
VIRGINIA NEWS.
,,u,uss OF Journey tnTeuSh
.,u.t,,c and Washington.
Il,IDa down '9T NC H1Sra'VH.
AMSTERDAM, BoTETHURT CO.. A.'{
,Jnly 18th, 1871.

S,usttc and Warrington.
Ina down Cor :he Dispatch.l
t,,sryrrAM, BoTrToURT CO.. Wax
.lniy 18th, 1871.
.,.,..,l;rr- f2l,t y further account ot some
&nc southwestern counileS ml2Ht
.,,tain vour readers. | Will give Soule
Nos rt recent trip through inc coun-
~. ~ >m,the and NaSNrLS'oh' ''a''e
,..,. nv les: writing. !.
q. Ia>, parted company l o'liS'c. IN
u..lr. Ny course taeNcc' "he MI .'ll"-
'''' wa. westward, and some twelve or
E'.. We lis wps, Of Wvthcvillc | found
d. r. ,,nn,, the soil Of Smythc county.
,r,n, the impression left upon me,
.. ',,,r,, ~ n.caict that if you should ever
80 smllhc county and then come
- ! have done. you Will want
-, na,k. - do. The clever people
i'm fine stock. and The good beef. and
49,. .,.r.uu> fishing and swimming i'll those
mountain streams thc head waters
Fog. Uol>ton) would completely turn the
I'll, YOU town folks. | pity you from
l..,,f. shut up inside ot those hot brick
~, swinging your palm leaf from morn.
..,fi rsht. and swallowing your weight
. hit rvr,y summer. You want to have
ste IT real cnlhymcnt, my dear DIS
..a fH>t lay aside Your pen and scissors
...H travel 4 IlbIAu WIN iic auioiS tllt
,...,,,tains and valleys Of this magnificent
III ,...r,,... southwestern Virginia. l will
s,y Lnu the finest Short-holn cattle and
,",ro,;chbrel horses in the State; i'll fact,
.-,,,' "a any in the country, il not as yet SO
.,rnrnu> a. YOU might find them in Ken
... and New York. We will catch the
....u> New River catfish in that beauti
,. .:r.4n: fish Cor the black perch (the
,...,i rj>n that ever took M anglers balt
i4.cool waters Of the !ioiSton, and angle
... We, active trout liz the llmpid streams
white Top. needn't tell you what
.... snort we have there. nor what delicious
..., vp can have on the banks OF the
.,r....,1. resting in the shade when old sol
tl> hottest. tor everybody KNOWS trout
-, .r beat. We will visit the salt works
80. The rll>rcr' t:,nk> and the cheese Ecto-
...ui -mNthc x Washington. Then 1t
,., wait 10 feast Your eyes upon 4
rand prospect. and have TASTE Of the in-
.."..,l,al. We Will 20 to White Top, the
D., ba,t T,lin! in Virginia. where. on u clear
lI. ,uU can take in ut one enraptured
..r.rrr al! lhi> glorious country, with Its
,,.,,,.ainS and valleys. rivers and creeks,
..,,ym. ma farms. and "cattle upon thou
...j hills" from away down near Knox
,.I~ in Tennessee. back 10 the vicinity Of
,...,;.ti.tn>hur., III Montgomery county,
.., urlk> rising upon peaks still beyond,
ID, III, direction OF i.yrcntur| and courS-
.,.. '.rpIghuut the entire length OF thiS
.r.jIr region. al aStir with life and energy,
,... l,r traced the line of railway which,
ILL.,. hupr artery in some gigantic living
,,>.cn, ciye. life and impulse to the whole.
With good glass, the atmosphere beng
..y,f.,nlr. \ lover of the picturesque may
,..,,.d hours OF calm enjoyment upon this
...l summit, some TWENTY-FIVE miles
,,,.y max DE seen the long sheds and their
~. rIf,.E, smoke. marking the site Of the busy
.,.-works: here and there between the
,..lIut.in RIDGES, OF floating over the tree
..,.~ All along the line Of railroad we
nave mentioned. black putls of smoke rise
from thc uut'rIng iron horse As he specdS
dong with his cargo of human life. or
draw, more leisuIely long trains, richly
l4t,n with the products Of this highly-fa-
y,roI region. Broad fields Of ripe grain
ana -rcen corn. waving in the mountain
Gr,.Ir. or tlivkly dotted over with
r;,. ~horks Of the newly-gatheIed
Ni,y,,,. and wide pastures. covered
WIKI lowing herds and pranclng steedS,
-nr..d out before YOU. while ut the
distance IT twenty. thirty, fifty, or even an
hundred miles. tall spires and bright roofs,
.huriu. and cleaning IN the sun. show
The locations Of Bristol. Abingdon, Marion,
Wyrhcvill". and a number OF less pretentlous
VILLAGES within the scope OF your improved
vision. could ill a column with an account
~ what i 10 to seen from aud upon thlS
na!ur.dn. Il is about twenty-five miles
tom Gl ;dc Spring depot, in Washington
r,I.u'.: the view Of which I have spoken
sufficiently j recorded "a superior IL that
lad fruin he famed Peaks OF otter. About
TN. summit there are large tracts entirely
barren Of timber, and Wulch were always
apparently il that condition.
Upon the summit there is strange
growth. seemingly species of pine, called
~ the natives "Lashorn." This tree Is OF
rather 4 ,cruhby growth. and does not
thrive anywhere else. The branches and
.Iit.v are - close that nothing larger than
a,qlIit!ri can force 4 passage through them.
ihric i one large one just upon the pm
mach. ot the mountain. through which an
oprnln. has len hc''n with axes 10 Tue
ton. This i, Il iavorite point OF obServa-
ton. You can climb up through this aper-
tGIc: ana so dense is the growth that eight
ur len men can SIT down OF walk about any
where upon he top OF the tree. This queer
seat + Il famous place for lunch.
The "b&l>am" tree is another growth
peculiar to this locality. The gum
rNiiGr> from The trees under the action
ct The sun, Possesses remarkable healing
Qualities. and is gathered by the women
and children OF "White Top" who climb
the trees. provided with COWS horn. and
with il >crape OH the gum as 1t sticks to
The bark. Ii tails TO the bottom of the I'M
Element, and they having thus secured the
prZo lin Il horn.' yend 1t to nelghborng
druggists al Il good price.
The streams that How about the base OF
l'r,c mountains ABOUND in trout, and so
yuruciou> arc they that the adventurous
angler into these wild regions catches huge
>':iu@S of them with no other bait than
tit Of red flannel. Fishing worms and az
t!ijciai HES are snapped up ut once as rare
d,h"acIcS in the White Top bin OF fare.
Gen. l!Tdcc. with 4 party Of gentlemen,
was 10 have spent some days there about
this lime; and las the place, with It's re-
sources Tor iun and recreation, becomes
more generally known, it will be a fire.
Guruted summer resort. | may add that
public accoun citations, though OF a plIml-
TIVE character. may he had at White Top 4;
but Who wants Exchange Hotel "doings"
when out for i fishing, sightseeing eXcur-
sion:
intended giving you some account OF
The salt and plaster works, OF the new I'M
portationS Of line stock into these counties,
81 the way they catch black perch in the
lloi>ton, &C., but am lnonopolizing your
space, aud must postpone further scrlb-
hIng ill next week. BoTEToUsT.
Letter from Huckingham.