, 1874-12-14
The City Of Riohmond---Th Capitol,
and Its statuary.
Business Of tho PIace--lts Immense Slave.
TraQic Before The Var.
Its ssflmcnsO C0al-FieIds and IrOn- Orc
Deposits.
Special Correspondence Of The Chicago Tribune.


Speeia! Correspondence Of The Chicago Tribune.
| RICHMOND, Va, Dec, II. 1874,
Tho CITY Of Nlchn,otnd la an OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
cstiug place, interesting on account Of its loug
anu Varlea his'os5 l'h many co'ootatoa n'e1t l's
monuments OF art, md bocaMBc of its own benuty,
md tllo surprising beauty Of tho geand natural
sooi,ory In tho midst Of which itia situated,
.,,as. ~ ra,,s III III, ~ ,,:.,se "no
thcre III scarcely I'LL larger than the d'men-
slonb Of plug-has, except thoao mado by tho
hand OF man, tho situation OF Nicl,lnond ia very
| atrl1tinr. It In situated on a uorea Of hjla md
.,n1oa
| oa.oa' :,
| arflVoa IN inc Guy ny nght' stopping At
Fords Hotol OF Broad stroot, u central thorough
shops Of tho city. After lunch, wunt out to
| take strol], ths weather bcIpg dolightrully
bracipg. Locking eastward down Droatl strcot,
| I Thought tic long lines OF gas~l,1hts must
reach 10 tho 1jpal ABYSS and lapt fun, oinv. or
placo. II IL like loogiug down one
OF the etrccts Of Ci,,clnnati from lit.
Auburn or Walnut Hills. The fact of Richmond
being thus situated has tic ofreat Of making it,
to conadornblo extont, series Of towns, rather
than q metropolitan unity. Each considerable
llll haa is shops for the aAlo OF groceries, pro-
| yiBuns nl,d tho ordinary necesslt,cs Of lifo !;
and its inhabitants do not necessarily have to 40
to any other p9rs of tho city. n1ontes,
/
patrouzed. Except in tho morning
n!oycs I Of s; s!eps aud joDbshousos I arc poi going to
aud returning from tLelr duties, tho cals Luve
| ompty street.ca,s hore than evor saw In auv
other CITY, This IL largely duo. thiul,. to tIle
cn,lno here stated, though other mattora, OF
which shall presently BEcuk, doubtless have
THE CAPITOL.
Tho State~IIoueo Of V1ryluia. loeated In
ccatrnl part OF tho city, is plain building. Tho
front, which facos JatilcH Islyer, IL large por-
t:co, supported by plain pillars This IL tito only
atto,ppt ut architecture In tho whole STRUCTURE
! All tho rrs. IL simple mnAun.worl. Within, in
| tic centre Of squire whoao walls roach TO tho
top of tho building. IL the famous atatuo Of
Wss1,ugton, Of whtcl, thore is d copy III
Senate md Assembly Chambers arc plain and
not very spacious roon's., Tho State Library is
sneoma0n!ygooa e and satsnsgo @ collection q
tho Governors and o:hor celebrated men Of Vir-
giuiu, from tic oariest times down to Cor.
Walker. Alaly Of these Aro by distinguished
artists, and sumo OF them arc AZ sood portraits
as painter ever drow. rho Library is to mo the
most interesting pnrk OF Richmond.
Tho Capitol-groutllB arc quito extensive en-
bracug tho space OF sir or oight blocks 1leir
chief ornament IN IN equestrian statue Of Wash
iagtou. Tile petiostal OF this monument te Of
grln!to, with projecting PORTIONS, upon which
aro Btatuos OF Heury, Marshall. Mason, Jo1fer-
son. and othar illns;rIous VirEinianB Abo7a
all, on an immense block Of solid
granito,.., is fine. spirited statuo
Of Washington, mounted on m impossible
happily and spirtedy executed. But tic bcst
statue in llchmoud-and the best have acen in
America-is that Of Honry Clay, in marble.
which stands ut about blocks distance toward
tho river from tho statue Of Washington
This really splendid, spoakiug work Of
art, has bcen slightly injured by ac-
cdent or vandalism, tho hands being sadly mu-
tilatod. I think its restoration il duo to Clay,
possible.
Occupying corner Of tho Capitol-grounds ia
taro o, ;s tyo stories built 10 the ol4oa te, long
sH secnt " asse ILL., abos snab tbo oot
why's and windows is carved quito elaborate
| ", and, though oil is plain white,
| tho effect is very pleasing. Tie
| old style, u compared with tho modern taste
for glare, md gl4ttor, and brass knobs. and
! hideous mixtures OF paints mud varnlshos. is
here gratifyingly illustrated stand by 1.-The
Fathers." The recoption-room Of Virginia'a
| Governor, remaining az it wls made ut tito be-
ginning OF tho century, iB hantisomcr, though
smaller, than the famous East Room Of our
Executive Mansion, which III Yearly refurbished
and " adosncd. each successive year witneHs-
| ing aolne new defor1nitY.
TILE BUSINESS OF RICHMOND,
| tinuanco. the principal busiuoss-intorosts OF
Richmond. Though trade a now hoiter here
| than it has boon aiuce tho beginning Of the War.
nearly 1iftoon yeasH ago, it haH not yet reached
that activity which rrovailed Tor Few years psc-
| yiously to and embracing the yenr i8U0 Nor
| should 1t be forgotten thus tho greatest branch
| Of business Which formerly prevailed hsre has
been utterly destroyed. can best ,lluatrato tAis
by III incident Of my own visit:
| was standing. tho other morning, In front Of
| tho Exchange HOTEL which, with BatIard's.-
| with Which it Is connected by an urchway across
tho atreot,-is very much tho largest hoatelry n
ton, s formerly citisen Of Kichmond. came ne ap.
inquired presently How it hap
pencd that this, thu largest hotel
IN Richmond. was c!luched away down
part Of tho cityi" '.rhat question:" said Lo,
"conclusivoly shows that you never wcro III
pointng three % Or :a four % or moro % bIocsa
fused to DO Tho slavo-marlR. forget Just how
many there were, but tlsre were beyoral. Aud,
/