Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-06-29
THE EXCURs,oNISTs.
Correspondence OF the Alexandria GAzErrE.
Dax.-u. Ga.1,.annr U, Lima o. n

OLD POINT COMFORT, Va, June 2I.-This
crowd is having good time, and don't you
forget it. All the sarcasm, spite and gen.
eral cussedness of the 'Locsl" who WAS not
an invited guest, and therefore not one of
this delicious company of "culchaw," re.
finement and intellectual worth, will not
rub out the fact that for true "fun On the
Potomac this trip has been in all respects
exceptional in the highest degree. 10 an
uneducatcd tourist, tho dudist voyaGer, or
thu iilictante sen;imentalist this mode Of a
pleasure trip will doubtless be regarded
with aversion. bordering on disgust-thats
simply ignorance. Not that we would ap-
ply that term to the brilliant Local" OF the
GAZETTE, because it might be too harsh a
criticism Of that 'in(ant," who has not long
enough breathed on this mundane sphere
to become an Aladdins lamp Of informa-
ten or any subject, particularly that dill
cult one Of navigation, and its attendant
complications Indeed, the obligation has
been too long neglected, Of having an in
structor and guardian appointed for him, TO
prevent the publication CT such nautical rot
IS that the excursionists were "olf River
View" at night, ''in search Of stores forgot
ten" Does not the truo sailor, when he
wants forgotten stores, turn the prov OF his
pere%rina!ing, progressive schooner" from
tho liquid 10 the solid earth, and meander-
ing TO the most proximate vender of sub
stantial aliment proceed at once through
the inducement of ready cash, achieve his
"obiect all sublime" If the GAZETTE de
sires TO maintain its ancient, well-earned
reuutaton as the promoter Of the diffusion
of first class nautical intelligence, it must
IL Of oil 6iSeharra
shipping clerk or appoint him TO some other
department whose duties are easier of per-
formance. We dismiss the subject out OF pure
sympathy for this erriug, but wcll.meanlng
"young" man, by drawing OH our historical
geographical knowledge for his benefit, in.
forming him that Father Noah landed his
ark on a high mountain that he might live
at all, that Christopher Columbus went out
on yachting trip Of a few miles to find
place for him to live in, that Vespucius
colonized it in order that he mig ht have a
home there in land big and broad enough
for his genius to expand itself, that the
I}rows of Magellan and Blake pioneered the
way for its commerce; whereby newspapers
in quiet, modest way became small ne
cessity, and the whole has been accomplish
ed after many years of toll, patience and
perseverance, in order that he might inform
the public that the excursionists were gull.
ty of the absurd retrogression of being "otf. -
We repeat the beautiful measures OF Pittl
Sing:
Yolr anger pray bury,
For all here is merry,
We think you hu better stlccumh,
And join our expressions OF glcc
For
Your notions. though many,
Arc not worth penny.
The word for guidance is ,aumm. In fact
he has fallen into a state Of in yachtuous dos.
uetudc.
Resuming our "log," the Eta G. bounded
away from Piney "Pint" SHOULD be called
"Quart") and quick as thought she was
booming over towards that haven of epicu-
rean delight, Cone river, whose delicious
bivalves soon refreshed the salivary and
thoratic glands of her gallant crew. The
Eta G. ran at great speed, the wind having
raised" and considering the number OF
"calls," which were made the time was very
fast" The Jacobus pot WAS frequently
handled, and by the time for dinner brought
a most excellent repast, with menu as va
ried as a Chinese dinner, which Col. Smoot
said at the bar dinner always las s two days.
Having rested and feasted at Cone
river to their hearts. content and
replenished our stores with more
water, the voice of our signal gun once
more doomed farewell to the scared crabs,
oysters and fish which nfest that water,
and ere its echoes Bespoke its thunder our
compass showed the pilot southwest by SOU
half-sou' as the true course for "the Roads"
The wind was now blowing great guns"
as we successfully ran Gown the lights OF
many ''pints' and passed
The great Piankitank,
Where the bull-(rogs jump from bank 10 bank.
At York river spit the wind was Il gale and
spat ut our little craft with mcndaciou5ncss and
venom that caused these huge lcviathans OF the
dcep--t hrcc nastcd schooners-nd other craft to
seek ncghhorng harhors FOR shelter Not so tho
Eta c." for that little bark passed sin maid
ell meditation fancy free amid temrestuolls con.
tortious and elemental commissions that opened
the eyes of the eldest mariner; so that by tho
time VIC reached Willoughby spit light, called
The Shoe" there was Il cyclone not one alone,
but several cyclones ragged with all the fcrccness
and unavailable rage of which the wild West mir
rors forth distempcrcd nature. Masts, bOom;,
main sheets, ropes acknowledgements were
wrenched and wrctched III one awful struggle for
contention against the influences Of the bowling
blast.
Saturday was Norfolk day, and it was there
that VIC obtained GAZETTE; All Indignation meet.
ing was organized, resolutions against tho report
or were unanimously adopted and he was burnt Ill
ciligy by dead eel being dropped overheard for
the dclcctation OF the sharks. so perish all
enemies of tho great causeG' AtNorfolk VIC were
received with open arms-by tho gentlemen, of
courso--and at the Norfolk Club VIC enjoyed the
generous hospitality of Underwater Virginia, ad-
ministcrcd of Col. Chldrcy, of the large and pros
porous firm of Chldrey & NIitts. In the evening
the excursionists visited the diamond field and
criticised tho game between the Lynchburgs and
Norfolks, and told the boys who had never seen
the big cagucrs how games should be played.
Jackson Bcach-our ".Tack"-was catcher for the
Lynchburgs and nearly saved the game by adroit
plays behind the bat. In the evening ''our fell
lows had to tear themselves away from other
sports to accept that honorable distinction aud
formality of being received by Rear Admiral Ali
bone, of the Dolphin, at the Gosport navy yard.
After a round of pleasurablo fatigues, wo sink
into our comfortable hcrths and the gcntler
influences of the soporIic god. Ira Ia, ira Ia, ira
Ia b.
CHARGED WITH RoBBING THE MAILS
Mr.. George A. Kinnear, an old and prom
inent citizen of Lynchburg, was before the
United States Commissioner there yesterday
charged with robbing the mails. He waiv-