National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-09-23
CHOPS or TIE CHESAPEAKE.
Near where the virginia Beach notei
Is Beautifully Located,

tEp, cial correspondence Of the Republican,
VIRGINIA BEACH HOTEL, PRINCESS ANNE
COUNTY, VA, Sept. 20.-Ths hotel is stu
ated six miles south Of Cape Henry light,
on the Virginia shore, aud the revolving
light Of Cape Charles, on the Maryland side,
which form the chops Of the Chesapeake. IL
is thehighest on the coast, and bears NE.
by N. from the piazza OF the hotel which
fronts the beach, about twenty miles dis
tant. II is only seventeen miles east OF
Norfolk, and is reached In q short time by
n narrow. gauge railroad. For thirty miles
south the view Of the coast line Is uuinter-
rupted, aud you may enjoy most romantic
drive. either way, over a hard white sand
beach which is unsurpassed. The bathing
in the surf here Is superior TO any on the
Atlantic coast, there being no undertow,
and the temperature OF the water averages
75o from the near proximity to the gulf
stream.
had written thus much when my eye
CHANGED to fall on last Friday nights
lecture, delivered by the Rev. DR.. ral-
mage, as reported In the REPUBLICAN, in
which he laments and deplores the down.
fall Of the public morality Of Brooklyn aud
Coney Island. This eloquent divine says.
1--WE were about to become q summer
city by the sea, with no rivals on the con-
tinent, while we were the third city in
population, and the first city for mo-
Tality and good homes We stood so
near the Atlantic surf we babe fair TO
become the best watering place OF the
continent, Long Branch and Cape May and
Atlantic City not to be compared with It,.
Hundreds OF thousands OF people from the
western and southern aud northern inland
would spend parts Of the cooler summer
days in visiting the infinite objects Of In
terest clustering around our harbor, and In
the evening would sit on the plazzas Of our
great Brighton and Manhattan hotels. But
see how the betting loafers Of New York
and Brooklyn are spelling a this prospect
''Let these men go little further In the
moral depression of Coney Island, and no
respectable man will want, with his family,
TO spend O month, or week, or day, or
even an hour amid such surroundings.
Gambling establishments always have two
accompaDiments--rum aud llcentiousness--
and unless there be some mighty prohibit
tion put upon these scoundrels who are
despoiling Coney Island our ocean beach,
that God has bestowed as beautiful bene-
dictlon upon this cluster Of cities, will be-
come Wholesale debauch."
Well, II Ia evident that the doctor has no
idea OF the existence Of Virginia Beach,
and as Brooklyn and CUuey Island are past
all redemption, and especially the latter, as
/. q Bummer resort OF pleasure by the sea, 1t
ityill be an act Of charity to invite what Is
= fefJ Of the moral people OF Brooklyn, as
well as the rest OF moral mankind, to visit
Virginia Beach. Here they have no gam
bling houses, no "surges OF dissolutcness,n
no "horse betting loafers," nor 'rum hells,n
and 1t is free from the ''vermln OF society"
The doctor had better abandon Coney ISL
and to It's fate, and come over next sum-
mer, with what is left Of the saints of
Brooklyn, to this new southern seaside
tabernacle.
BY moonlight this beach presents one Of
the most charming and fascinating marine
pictures ever beheld on this side OF the At
1antic. On the very night the doctor was
delivering his lecture Qast Friday, the
guests Of the hotel, who crowded the
piazza, were treated to the presentation OF
a seaside view that was sublimely magnid-
cent
A crimson harvest-moon was seen peep
Ing over the far distant eastern horizon Of
the ocean, which, for time, was set aglow
with its rudy hues, and gradually melted
into softer TINS above the. rim OF the heav
ems. Then, as the 'goddess Of the night
tnot the "man In the moon'') assembled the
imperial azure-vaulted pathway, In her sill
very car, sheen OF shimmering splendor
spread over the white.capped waves Of the
sea, which rolled In, with foaming, curling
liancy, as breaker after breaker spent their
force high upon the beach. Far In the dis.
tance the sails OF tiny barks shone with the
gloss Of silvery satin, and seemed bound on
loves voyage. A balmy, wooing south
west breeze whispered the lifetime tales
might have eeen, while the ''captiyatng
influence Of the bass notes Is the sad sooth-
ing music OF the never-ceasing roar OF the
surf, by It's magic spell, becomes trans.
portingly irresistible, and more potent
than language can express.
CONVERSATIONS ON THE PIAzzA.
One can always learn more from the con-
VIBRATIONS OF sensible men and their
knowledge OF experience than from books.
As is generally the case at watering places,
men form themselves into knots and groups
ON the pinzzas, and "good talker," who is
well informed, is always listened to with
interest. A few days ago, DR.. Peyton John
ston, who has lived In Richmond, Va, for
the past ffty.three years, came down here
on q visit. DIR. Johnston belongsto the old
school OF Irish gentlemen, and Is a walking
epitome Of the events of the late war,
having O remarkable memory for facts and
dates. The painting OF the battle Of Gettys-
burg, having become a subject Of conversa-
tion, DIR. Johnston said "Well, gentlemen,
can tell you how Gettysburg was lost. 1t
was on the LIST of June, 1868, that Gen.
Early, having examined the situation, saw
that the key to the position Of the battle
field was "Round Top" or Cemetery Hill, +"
and having communicated the fact to Gen.
Ewell, told him that he Early was going
TO advance with his division and occupy 1t.
Ewell objected, and ordered Early not to
advance. Gen. Early persisted, and told
Ewell In his quaint way that since he
{EwelD had lost his leg at Sharpsburg and
got married he was of no account. Gen.
Early was finally only prevented from oc-
cupyipg the position with his division by
receiving, the same evening, written order
from Ewell not to advance.
''That night Gen. Warren, OF the federal
army, came up with his division, and see
Ing the Importance Of the position, imme-
diately occupied 1t, which gave the federals
the vantage ground. It was the turning
point which defeated Plckett's charge on
The Sd OF June, and lost us the battle.
"What do you think of JEFF DavisS"
asked gentleman
isPresident Davis,n replied the doctor,
t'could not save the confederacy, because
he had no resources to I'LL up our ranks
with. BUT he made three great blunders.
One was In not removing Gen. Bragg for
tncomgeteney, another was In removing
Gen. Joe Johnston, who had decimated
Sherman's grand army by the most mas
ferly strategical retrograde movements ever
made, and but for his removal Sherman
would never had made his march to the sea.
The third was In not accepting the propo-
sition of President Lincoln to pay for our
negroes II we would emancipate them, and
make peace, which Vice President AleclS
Stephens advocated, and resigned because
Davis would not accept the terms.
SIN this Connection continued the
doctor, "there is a part OF the confederate
history not generally known. When John
Slldeli arrived In Paris as a full.nedged
minister OF the confederacy, he was given
n banquet, at which 1t was understood he
was to meet the premier Of France and adj
wiser of Louis Napoleon. This diguitary,
whose name do not now recall, was q
natural son Of Bonaparte and a cousin oil
Louis Napoleon. On this occasion the
premier slgniAed to Mr.. Slldell that he
might inform the confederate government