The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-12-31
IrIln,ond lllsllat,ll,
SIS ,sssn,,. DECEMBER 81. 1872
Roanoke.

&c the most delightful scenes We nave ever
en;oyed. BcKss had nothing so beau'h"i 10
;ps,,;re his muse when he sang
.Yel.anks and iraes and streams aren""
Nh, css.l, a. montgomery.
.,r,,.,, he yaur woods and fair y"nr bowers
Your waters peYtr uIlin.tE.
There Summer irst u1fSlt!d hcr ZONES
And there the longest farry'
f,s clear. habb!iDg Tributaries, rls|h3 ~
numerous sweet valleys, concentrate et I've
foot of Inc Allegheny range, aud form poia
TRANSPARENT stream which gracrs a vale!
both charming and fertile, which heafs Iie
name Roanoke until il reaches the )olh'
boundary of Campbell and Franklin conh'
tics. where, with no satisfactory reason II i
lost in the Staunton river. The slahntoi'
hear. along the sweet waters just from Lie
mountains through the plains and hills OIL
Csmpbcli, Franklin. Pittsylvant'. Charlotte
and Halifax, 10 its Junction with the Dan'
where
I'd. The big Roanoke river begins, ana ho"s
On through MeckienbuFg, W., and se'efal
North Carolina counties, and empties itSeli
into AlDemarle sound.
Sd. The Little Roanoke, which has Is
source in and diacent to Charlotte county,
emp.ies into the Staunton not tar from
its junction with Dan river. John RANDOLPH
owned the fine estate At the point OF juno
sion of this small stream with the StaUhton'
ard he owned much land between that point
and the Roanoke river after 1t swallows up
the Dan and Staunton. He added to h's sigma
ture =. of Roanoke because of the contisuity
of The streams so named TO his property, be-
e,use of the trace OF Indian blood in bis VEINS
Of which he was proud, and because of his adj
sn:yation for Indian names generally and OF
shat of Roanoke in particular.
4th. Roanoke county, which Is watcred by
the stream Roanoke, which loses itself IN the
Staunton river. This county was one OF
those formed in recent times. and was taken
OF of Botctourt county; and
5th. Roanoke post-otiice and hamlet, whiGp
Is in Charlotte county, on the Little koa-
noke, upon the premises once owned by JoHS
RASDoLrn and now by Judge BorLDIS.
Certainly here is quite enough to perpIeX
the citizen as well as the traveller. The
suite ought long since to have unraveled
tie tansia by readjustiEg these names. One
OF other OF the tributaries to the great
Roanoke ought 10 have been called Roanoke,
az no usft of either should have borne the
name. stanton is Il name that should moi
i,aye been allowed TO intervene between the
oS IN mad re-
ton with the Dan. The Iatter 1, decidedly
the most respectable stream so far as aggre-
gate volume during the year is concerned.
The Dan can he navigated by batteauX at
times when canoe iinds water scarce in the
stanton. The Dan really deserves to be
REGARDED as the main stream, and should be
the Roanoke; but for the sake of common
sense and common propriety the other
branch of the great Roanoke should have
one name al the way, be that Roanoke or
ai.a,ever else those whe decide the matter
may choose. Assurcdly we should be re-
lieyed from the complication Of this scatter
ing about loosely Of the name Roanoke.
There Is another instance Of inJudicious
application Of names in the greatest Of West
ern Virginia rivers. Somebody, through some
nnaccollntable vsgary of taste against COM
mon sense, christened that grand stream the
New river" with the nanle it bears. Why
New river" we cannot understand, 1t Is,
SO iar as any information accessible to US
bears upon the subject, as old as any other
stream in the Atlantic States, and why it
should be called "new," who can tell? Well,
this river flows in its meaICerjng course
alcng by the mouth of Greenbrier river for
many miles until it joins with the Gauley,
where it sinks snto the kanawha. Why il
should have passed by the Greeubrier, Il
nobler stream than the Gaulfy, to yield there
10 the kanawha, we cannot understand, The
Kapawha by all means should begin At The
junction Of the New and Greenbrier rivers
but 1t would he far better IL the name New
river" were hlotted t,om the map and that
of Kanawhs were given to tho stream from
ats beginning. kanawha is . beautiful
namc--worihy OF one of the most admirable
of streams, whose shores are the most bold
ana romantic we ever DeQelQ.
Whether the authorities 1to Eaye the
power Eiu eyer undertake 10 alter and rer
adjust the names We have referred TO OF not
we cannot say hut most assGredly such
change and re&djustment are demaaled by
every consideration Of good sense, propriety,
and convenience. Yet all know how hard
it Is to change name. Primd .facie q
change Of name With q HEAD is fraud. Good
people have prcjudices on the subject. A
generation Is not sufficient to bring society
tocalling men or things by new names. We
once knew 4 man who bought place called
"Jeriebo." lie did not like the name H
remembered ihat the holy family, on thei
spay to Jericho, fell Wnopgst thieves, ant
although he could lay claim io 20 large
amount OF holiness he FELT that doubt of up
own sagacity WHICH put him In fear OF swim
dlers and thieves, and the pame OF his newly
parchased acres increased his apprehension
of heiDg taken in, so he called it Beaure
gard. But what Of that? Everybody per
sisted In calling it Jericho; so, to get rid Q
ehe uame he had to get rid Of the place. DIR
JErEE can tell you more about the manne
in which names stick; especially nickuames
=E-= ...
Russia and England.
Mues public interest has been excited b,
tho 6iplpmofic ralYfinnS nf R,,ccia opG I'm,