The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1884-05-15
AN ANCIENT CAPITAL.
The Cradle q the & ] southern Face.

S3I Tno Ox1d1o Of the 6ontho2n 8e0os
This old peninsula between the
James and the York Rivers is the cradle
,ofathe Southern races. I have been at
Williamsburg, the capital Of Virginia,
from the abandonment Of Jane stown to
the legislative occupation Of Richmond,
an interval Of about eighty years. Viz
ginia had about 40, 600 abitants when
sWillamsbnrg became the capital, OF
whom nearly 2, 900 were negro slaves
and 6, 900 white slaves, or people serv-
ing their time. When the capital was
removed to Richmond in It's, Virginia
contained perhaps soc, 900 people, as
her population is put eleven years later
at nearly ESQ, 600. Here at Williams
burg occurred most OF the events
cause Of New England by the most pow
erful state to the south Of her, and the
biography Of Virginia was almost all
nodded at Williamsburg. Washington
may be said to have been created in.
this poor little town, which now has
hardly 400 people, including the pop
ulation of the 1unatio asylum now To-
Gated here, which contains several hun
bred. Is II 81 s5fs 81. q, t-
The Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad
runs right to the town, and any person
from the west curious on historical
matters can stop over between trains,
and will receive hospitable treatment.
The people are aingularly courteous and
simple-minded, and their knowledge Of
their own history is 50 absurd that ]
advise anybody who comes to have HIM
self posted in his own library, that he
may drawn own differences. f5You leave
the railroad station and take q path that
carries you across q sort of common and
down through q kind of dry raviine
or gully, and ID q few minutes you come
ont upon a very broad street, perhapa
three-quartera Of q mile long, and sandy,
and it appears to, have lost from old ago
q good many of its buildings, because
you zee q house here and one yonder,
and then old cellarways between them,
and then goose pastures, and, perhaps,
il the background, and il they had with
drawn from so much noise and fashion,
there are old houses, with lanes and
lawns q quarter Of d mile long. IS al r..
Almost every house has green moss ON
the roof. Y Most Of them have big chin.
neys at the ends, which hold up the de-
crepit structures between. Some 81
these houses are made Of bricks with an
imported look, as if they were brought
back on the tobacco vessels for ballast.
More Of these houses are built d
frame and r. should say that ID
all williamsburg there are about
thirty OF forty quite old and
digniied looking mansions, and the big.
:gest Of these is said to have been the
house Of George Wythe, who introduced
Jefferson, and was q singular character,
and is said to have taught one Of his
|sslayes Greek. At one end Of the town
| Is the old William and Mary College,
consisting Of q central prick building,
several times repaired and burnt out,
and Of two ancient oking side build.
ings one Of which is occupied by Mr..
Ewell, q brother Of the rebel general,
who has + am told, not one single pupil
as the present time, the institution exc
isting ia the body, hut not in the spirit.
Mr.. Elwell has d farm some miles back,
and comes ii 3 almost every day, and
waits for pupils who mo longer appear.
~ Gath, 7 ID Cincinnati Enquirer,