The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-09-22
mails. But, those dars past Il is MOI wise 20
waste time In hTenting them. LEI Us
make tbe best OF what we haYe. 81

l.
8. THE R1p-RArs.
The poor old RiptRaDs is apparently aban'
doned. HOWE, In his history, says Ine natl.
came from the unremittsng ripple WHICH y
IcIused by the structure. they nave solae
thing greater than rippies !" tneT eapeuL.
Tor course almost every odY knows W t9ls can
| not be true. The name is from " flp-hap:-,
A loose foundation of stone. ne .Worh
was begun under Mr.. MoNRoEs aominl ISIf
| ton. when CALHOUN was Secretary OF war
| and was named after him, which name i
NOW ignored by the Government, not az al
Ito the disturbance of Mr.. CALHOUN. lt was
| made By throwing over rock into the water
until foundation was had to build the for'
upon. That was built to the first tier o.
PORTFOLIOS. The foundation became irregu
lar from sinking, when the work was sus
pended and a part of 1t taken down.
NEED OF EARTH WORKS.
at O later day 1t was recommended an6
built up to the second tier of ports, but was
suspended by the civil war. The experience
| OF that war, added to that Of the Crimear
war, so clearly showed the insufticency
of masonry to stand against the pow
erful implements of war of the day thai
the fort was looked upon as failure. II
now awaits further orders. 1t IS possible
| that 1t may be made an earth-work by heavy
sand-embankments around it. Thus pro
tected, it will be efficient.
Fortress Monroe may need alteration &c
| meet the exigencies of improvement ID mill
tary science. The redoubt I have spoken OF
| is one step towards this adaptation OF the
defences of the place to modern war. Wher
these things are done it will be terrible
ordeal for war vessels to pass between Fort
ress Monroe and the Rip-Raps. Those two
forts were suggested by the last war witt
England, when the British ships came
Through the roads without being chal
lenged and cut very impudent capers IL
Virginia waters.
| GENERAL JAcKsoN's sCMMER RESORT.
! That truly great man-powerful intel
lect and powerful in will-General ANDREW
JACKSON was wont to spend a part of BIZ
summers at the Rip-Raps. There ne wa
somewhat isolated. The army of office
hunters couldn't we'll get at him, and had tt
become an "army of observation" at Ole
Point. They stole over in fishing boats oc
| casionalIy and put word or TWO IN, Du'
| they bad to behave themselves. They didn'
button-hole sold Hickory" How different
was his taste from that of General GRANT
| who translates the Government as well a;
himself to that thronging Mecca of fashion
| able fools and worshippers Of MammoD,
"Long Branch!"
General JACKSON had very bitter enemies
but no man ever lived who more complete
" lived down hostility than he did. His
determined will necessarily made him enc.
mics. But bis well.proved honesty and pa
triotism changed nearly all of them to ad,
mirers before bis death. Frontiersman as he
was raised, deprived of the polish of high
schools and social conventionalisms, he was,
nevertheless, in society the most polished
and gallant gentleman of his day.
On all State occasions, at all the grand
festivities of the White House, he shone like
SAUL amongst the prophets, above all the
ambassadorial representatives and above all
the senatorial great men Of our own coun-
try. This was especially true in regard to
his courtIy bearing towards the ladies. For
grace Of manner, atfabiity, and for putting
all in his company at ease without sacrifc-
ing title of his own dignity, he was
the most remarkable man of the age. He
deserves to be held in memory as one of the
greatest men that ever lived in this country /;
and this tribute is from one who opposed
his Administration.
HAMPTON AND THE "FIFTEENTH."
visited Hampton for the first time in my
life. 1t was founded in 1910, and, as in
Yorktown, we here find the colonial memo
rails brought in contact with the g. fifteenth
amendment" Hampton has an unsettled
and apprehensive appearance. We see the
old colonial church, with its te-sellaled walls
and a few remains ante.revolutionary, and
we see the modern framed building, With
perpendicular Notwithstanding and Stat
covered joints, standing with its arms akimbo
with vulgar insolence beside them. Ir deed,
we see all sorts Of knocked-up dwellings and
a motted population.
The clark" people seem to be at home
the whites look like "temporaries." The
town has the look of q place that has been
pulled first in one direction, then another as
ambitious real estate men desired. 1t finally
settled down to ragged obstinacy-the
main street running east and west.
The general appearance of things is, as
say. restless. The earth of the peninsula
on which it stands is garden spot, and yet
thrift is not emphatic. In q colored respect
it seems to be the nursery of fishermen, who
are awake when the fish bite and asleep
when they don't The agriculturists (colored)
do not pursue the art earnestly nor on the
most approved principles. Fences are all
gone, and the cow and the '.little bull" are
Iassooed to limited grazing grounds.
The fashions are tantastical. Among COL
ored men the cast-of artillery suits from the
fort form conspicuous part. saw one
colored gentleman whose suit represented
every year since the war began. The yearly
pieces were quilted upon it in strong but
not very artful manner. He was year.
book bound in black, blue, yellow, red, with
double back. The girls are gotten up with
out regard to order and in all styles. Some
fiaunt, some work, some appear about the
fort or hotel, selling corn, &c. There must
be big resurrection-gun fired at Old Point
to resurrect Hampton.
A LITTLE END ABOUT FISHING.
I have run out rigmaroe aud have little
room for " fishing" In the fearess-saiing
boat " Shark" commanded by Captain PETER
Cook, both navigator and fisherman, of the
hue called by the Yankee dark" l sailed
in and out, and across and around all the in
dentations, inlets, and points Of the region
about Old Point, and caught more fish than
you ever heard of. After an hours fishing il
ANYBODY can count out more fish than PETER
Cook counted from his "welp on our arrival
at Old Point wharf, will send him my felt
looped up at the side with cockade like
General MAHoNE's.
caught amongst several curious inhabi.
tants of the salt water, q "skate." 1t was
the first I ever saw, and the strangest Of
creatures. Very like stingaree, it is YET
different from that fish. Underneath very
white, and on the back muddy-yelloW. Its
mouth is underneath, resembling trap
door; it has not bony point to the tail like
| the stingaree. The skate belongs to the ray
family. The one caught was Is inches across