The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-09-04

being constructed up Staunton and Pig
rivers to Rocky Mount, the county seat of
franklin. The transportation facilities OF
Piedmont would therefore seem to be ample.
Yet in addition to these already built, the
Washington, Cincinnati Sc St. Louis Narrow
Gauge road has been located through Fair
fax. Prince William, Fauquier aud Kappa
hammock counties; the Royal Land Com
pany's road (also narrow GAUGE across
Orange and Greene; the Richmond & ALLIE
ghany from Lynchburg up the valley OF the
James river, and the Norfolk, Bristol &c
Cumberland Gap road, through Henry and
Patrick counties. With the completion OF
these roads, therefore, Madison will be the
only county of Piedmont Virginia without
rail transportation.
But, say many of my correspondents,
''what do you mean by Piedmont and Mid
die Virginia?'' Now, if they had read Major
Hotchkiss' book on Virginia and looked at its
beautiful and accurate maps they would not
ask that question. Nor would 1 have occa
sion to write so much and so often about
the Old Dominion. I forget, you see, the
incomprehensible action of our State legis-
lature, which, after sensibly providing for
such a much needed publication, printed
work so expensive that they thought they
could not give it away and then,as the public
did buy, locked it up to moulder in the
basement Of the Capitol. Yet the public was
not to blame nor was the price, if it was to
be sold, too high. The public is simply
ignorant of its existence. If the book was
published and advertised by the trade it
would sell for two dollars instead of one.
The State undertook to remedy one blunder
by another and naturally made it wors e.
Unfortunately it isn't the only example of
false political economy our State govern
ment has to show.
Take your map, reader, Colton's is the best
| if you haven't Hotchkiss', spread it open
before you, and follow the railway line
| from Washington, through Fredericksburg,
| Richmond and Petersburg to Weldon, in
North Carolina. 1t marks, accurately
enough, the boundary, IVA miles in length,
| between the Underwater and Middle divisions
of the State, or geographically between the
primary and the tertiary and quarternary
| formatlons-the Oldest and the newest OF the
earth's crust. Then you will mark a low,
broken range OF mountains, some twenty
| five OF thirty miles from the Blue Ridge, eX-
tending clear across the State and known as
the Kittoctin, Bull Run, South West, Carter's,
Green, Smiths and Turkey Cock mountains
and Buffalo Ridge, They constitute what
Prof. Guyot calls the coast range, and form
the western boundary of Middle Virginia,
ZIG miles long from the Potomac to the
North Carolina line. This great triangle is
gently undulating plain from $50 to 500
feet above tide, through which the numer-
Gus rivers, which cross it at light angles, have
cut deep and generally narrow valleys.
Piedmont, as its name indicates, lies along
the foot of the Blue Ridge, and includes its
numerous spurs and foothills, as well as the
coast range along its eastern border, which
give it richly diversified and highly pictur-
esque topography. The Blue Ridge division
of the State embraces simply that irregular
from two thousand to fifty hundred feet.
1t is 80 miles long, and toward the southern
portion of the State forks and encloses the
plateau of Floyd, Carroll and Grayson coun-
ties. Beyond it lies the great valley and
mountainous Appalacha.
The three natural divisions Of Middle,
Piedmont and Blue Ridge Virginia, widely
different in their topography, are geologi-
cally one, and that the Oldest perhaps of oul
country.
1t is as difficult to realize time in geologic
al epochs as it is distance in astronomy. Cen
turtles in the one case as miles in the othel
become so significant that numbers become
confusing and take no hold upon the mind
We have to find some means of comparison
through which to effect a tangible measure
ment.
Nowhere perhaps can we find single
point OF view giving us better or truer ides
of this region than at Monticello. And nj
trip, oh brother Yankee, is so replete will
interest and enjoyment to a mind filled will
love of nature and humanity, alive as wei
to the beauties of pastoral and agriculture
scenery as to the legends and lessons of ou
history, the teachings OF philosophy and the
struggles, education and progress OF man
kind. We take the Virginia Midland Road
at the beautiful and elegant Baltimore ant
Potomac depotat Washngton,-ac credit ant
ornament to any city. and few hours car
ries us over the ll5 miles to Charlottesville
While still in sight of the stately dome of GU
magnificent Capitol, emblematic of our latel
power and prosperity, we cross the track OF i'll
fated Braddock, and the mind goes back to co
} lonial days when the handful OF white mel
along the coast prayed for the King ant
drank his health, God bless him ! We pas
over the domains of Lord Fairfax, surveyed
bya young Virginian not yet entirely for
gotten, and whose pew is still looked at wit
interest in UNCOVERED Christ Church, visbl
from the car windows in Alexandria. W.
: pass by grassy hills crowned by half-efface
! Notifications, recalling a later and more gi
/ gantic war than the world before had wit
messed to put down a great rebellion, am
by-and-bye we cross the path of old Gov
ernor Spottswood and his Knights of tn
7 Golden Horseshoe, to climb the Blue Ridg
and view the terra incognito beyond. Tit
names of many Of the stations shouted by tn
+ brakesmen as we approached, Fairfax, Ma
nassas, Bristoe, Catlett's, Bealton, Kappa
hammock, Brandy, Culpeper, Rapidan, hav
e found place in history and recall memorie
e of our late great war. Most of them ar
S thriving and prosperous towns and village
I now with a considerable infusion OF th
h Northern element, and fertile farms an
e green meadows dotted with sheep and cattl
b are now seen where armies trod not man
t years ago.
;. After dinner at Charlottesville, we find
+ but short distance and charm ing ride
: the summit of Monticello, which forms pa
It of Carter's mountain. By the side of tt
n road on the mountain slope We stop to pa
"a the tribute of respect and veneration to Il