The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-06-17
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/ Icorrespoadeuce OF the Richmond Dispatch]
60 $ We DE L'fEAe, June i3, 1873. /
/ &c my late letter from this place wa
atfongly favored with the most excellen
Winds efsthe table-M 1t related very much
To the ducal order and ,yolupsudus living
unders the auspices Of the obese and courtly
gentleman who directs all things here, ant
whom Istyied Justly the &c Duke Of Vue d
Pau n--youmust pardon me on The ground
Of the irresistible influences exerted upol
ME. i am sure every; ran who comes her,
will see how IL is HIMSELF am about Il
leave, and infdoing SO, while / am sorry +
bid adieu to the Duke, / ana 'consoled by tn
reflections may, conviction escape {
roseate govt fast maturing. p 5's- l'fs'. IL. !,
But now, as have said, what [ felt in thi:
lihe, If your readers will bear with me. will
talk of a good many matters pertaining II
this region: # sfHt
Let us begin with "guns and drums ant
war;" God save the mark; and so may The
devil, will say many disarmed or legles
warrior, I am sure. went to Old Point
went into Old Point heard the drums, tn
cIarionets, the picalo, and the braying oftht
horns. saw tile General and the subalterns
Including The consequential Adjutant, witt
his sword. and his sharp scrutinizing of tn
men in line to see if their guns were II
order, their hands clean, their uniforms I'm
PATCHED, and their noses blown. The ban(
was good, the parade starch and accurate
while the General looked on solemn and Sc
we're, with his roman nose, bis blue sacl
and white pants onsa cool morning. :
I HOW strange is war!- art of killing men
The warrior IL proud Of his profession, and
as Mr.. Sbandy says, sticks feather In hl:
hat and struts proudly before his admirers
So be must have his weapons gilt ane
shining, even going to the extreme OF en-
craving device upon the breech of aseoun
drsl cannonI And yet who likes TO be xii!
ed? 1t is far better to- increase and replenist
the earth, and yet there Is no such pomp ant
parade about that Thinga are not millenni
um-wise yet, that is certain:
The scene was "creditable to all CON
cerned." And I tried my best to warm my
self up to the feeling of a self.complaeen'
shareholder in the business. But failed
I'had seen. Old Point when I looked upor
Virginians high in command there, and en-
loved their ciVilities, and felt the patriOtit
impulse leaping in my heart as imbibed
the feryent and eferyescent champagne; but
now, seated beneath the gnarled llve-oak:
andilooking upon the parade, / felt like ga
Door man at a frolic"-like foreigner look.
ing upon the doings of strange land.
I Why is this? grant, l. concede most
heartily, that the army ofhcers--1 mean the
reg1Ior army officers ARE both civil and
hospitable; / do them all credit for proper
feelings. But then among them l have no
representative. The reconstruction Of the
politicians aud the political generals the
sordid men who would perpetuate their rule
through the perpetuation Of the divisions
and sectional bates Of their land-excludes
me and mine from all henors save such as
are like the shirt of Nessus, torture and
death to all who wear them. ...sf. rsrt
/! There sat I looking upon proceedings
the displays of.athe national power-for
which 1 have to pay-and feeling US much n
stranger as any foreigner could. II Ii a sad
and painful fact. Can q country long pre-
sent such fact? do not believe it. There
must be d better reconstruction or COM
piete dissolution. A better reconstruction
NAV be restored Republic or a complete
Despctism, the latter of which is far pret,ra-
BILE TO the present mockerv of government.
l turned with sorrow from this scene and
went out to look at the fort and its big guns.
What advances have been made in the art Of
killing since I saw Old Point in 1887 The
guns are enormous, and stand most elegantly
clean and severely pointed out upon the
waters to repel hostile fleets. A vast eX-
penditurp, indeed, for defences that will
probably never be brought into action. But,
then, it may be their very presence that
makes them useless. They will probably
never be wanted while they are there. :.
Laborers are at work on the north or land
side OF the fort throwing up line of breast
works that will strengthen it greatly. did
not visit Jefferson Davis's or John MitchePs
prison. am tired of fostering indigna-
tion.> As Toombs the passionate and yehe-
ment says, that feeling is not enduring, and
what i have had Of it is running very low.
/ am looking more to the future. The per-
petrators Of wrong, / apprehend. will lind
it more difficult to get rid Of remolse than
I shall find it to get rid Of indignation.
called on Clark d Wilson, OF the Hygela
Hotel, and refreshed myself with bath, &C.,
after the fatigue, of looking at the parade and
the big guns, casemates, and 80 on. con-
graduate people upon the convenience and
excellence. of the Hygeia as a means OF re-
cuperation to the visitor who "does" Old
Point. IS ~ ~ ... III.
I sat in the Hygeia porch and looked out
upon the road between me and The Rip
Raps, and wondered at the capers Of the
They were in great glee. The
day was pleasant and the wind blew freely
they very day for their gambols. They were
seriously and energetieally disportiDg them
selves. Their sharp fins cleaved the water
before their bodies appeared, and then
lifting their heads, they went over with
their curved bodies and superbly.shaped
tails !. in. snmmersault the grotesque-
ness and gravity of which were highly
They are strange kind of
fish. We know. that they are feeding on
little fishes while they do this; but they
seem to be solemnly. engaged in a theatrica.
exhibition. They are saltwater. comediansl
w hat are they thinking Of? What sort of
economy prevails amongst themP Is their
as much farce rs their actions
appear to bel They seem not to regard man
at all but yet they show disposition hide
ously human. II one of their number gets
wounded in any way the whole fraternity SET
upon him and drive. him out of the water
upon the shore TO die J.. A case showing tnls
happened last summer at tue de fEau. a
gentleman shot one of large school OF por.
poises, and in an instant he was the victim OF
the general assault Of his saltwater fellow.
beings. They chased him TO death. And
such Tunning1 I Talk about Boston time
The fieetest locomotive couldn't have kept
up, with them: /, And SO in society when
scandal infiictsaa wound that figuratisely
o. %t,<,g x,toft,,,