Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-09-08
VIRGINIA GAME AND FIELD SPORTS.

VIRGINIA GAME AND FIELD SPORTS.
Description of Them by the Botanist Clay
ton Hundred and Fifty Years Ago.
The following letter, which was copied
from letter-bOok in the possession OF n
descendant, Mr.. Jasper Clayton, of Ches-
terfeld county, Va, was written by John
CLAYTON, OF Gloucester county. Va, the
distinguished botanist and author OF
"Flora virginia. and other works. 1t
is TO the steward and manager OF an
estate at Hawkhurst county Of Kent,
England, which John Clayton. barrister
at law, Of the Temple, who came to Vir-
ginia in 1906, and was long Attorney
General, had inherited at his mothers
death. and which at his own in 1877 had
descended to his son, the botanist, who
at the time of writing, and many years
later. was clerk of Gloucester, and who
died at a very advanced age on Decem-
Der -. l773. 1t appears from letters in
the book mentioned that Attorney-Gene-
raj CLAYTON was brother of Lieutenant
General Jasper Clayton, of the English
army, who was killed at the battle OF
Dettingen in l743.
We copy the letter rerbatim ct Htera-
tim:
MARCH 21sr, 1899.
To Mr.. Samuel DurTant at HawhurSt
in Kent.
received your letter dated the Sd day
Of January last, with an account Of the
rents at Michlemas 1877, w'ch. ] take to
be Just and very right, and presume WIN.
| receive my next account from Micalah
Perry, Esq. This London merchant he
will confirm the same. / have so great
q value for the memory of my father
and tho persons he appointed, that /
shall not stop the custom OF allowing
YOU box of Tobacco every Christmas,
nor of giving ring for web purpose L
have wrote to Mr.. Perry TO deliver the
Tobacco as usual, and to pay you for n
mourning ring w'ch you may buy as
soon az you receive tins, not exceeding
a guinea or 2js. in the price, he dyed
Nov. 18th, 1877. in the I'D year of his
age. ] thank you for the kind offer of
yr house, but believe my affairs and
business here will prevent me tho plea
sure of seeing my native Country any
more. To statistic the Gentleman you
mention who is so DESTROYS of knowing
the diversion of hunting and shooting
here and the several sorts of game pray
give my service to him and tell him, that
we have all the tame domestick beasts
and fowls that you have in England,
and great variety of wild ones rs Deer
in great pleanty, Bears, Buflaloes,
Wolves, Foxes, Panthers, wild Cats,
Elks Hares SMALLER than any OF Us
which run 10 holes in the earth and hol-
low trees when pressed by the dogs, and
are much like VT you call in England
bush Rabbits.), Squirrels 3 or 4 sorts,
Raccoons. Opossums. Bevers, Offers,
musk rats, Pole cats, minks and there
has been two Porcupines killed here,
hut they are very scarce. Then for
fowls, wild Turkeys very numerous,
Partridges the size and colour like yr
Quails,. wild Geese, Swans, Brants,
Cormorants, Teal, Duck and Mallard,
Black ducks and another sort We call
Summer Ducks, Ployer 2 or 3 sorts,
Sorts "a delicious eating bird In Shape
and way OF living like y'r Water Rails),
Heath Fowls called here improperly
Pheasants) 2 sorts, wild Pidgeons in
prodigious great focks, Fieldiares,
Woodcocks (but what is very strange
they come here only in summer) Snipes,
Herons, Bitterns, Eagles, Larks 2 sorts
one of w'ch are here all the year round,
are as big as Quails, the other are seen
only in winter and are much like your
lark. Now the Gentlemen here that
follow the sport place most of their di-
version in Shooting Deer; web they
perform in this manner they go out early
in the morning and being pritty certain
Of tine places where the Deer frequent
they send their servants with dogs to
drive 'em out and so shoot 'em running,
the Deer are very swift OF foot, larger
and longer legged than the English fall
low Deer, and less than the red Deer.
the diversion of shooting Turkies is only
to be had IN the upper parts of the
Countrey where the woods are of very
large extent, and but few settlements as
vet tho they increase daily, Some hunt
the foxes III hounds rs you do in Eng
laud, the shooting OF water fowl Is per-
formed too in the same manner win q
Water spaniel, as WITH You. and OF Part
ridges and also the hunting our hares
with small dogs. who drive EN- presently
into the hollow Of tree, then We either
cut EN- out with an Ak or fill the hole
with old dead leaves and set fire to 'em,
the smoke of w'ch Sutiocates the hare,
and she drops down the bears. Pan
theirs. Buflaloes and Elks and wild cats
are only to be found among the noun
tains and desert parts of the countrey
where there are as yet but few inhab-
itants and the hunting there is very
toilsome and laborious and sometimes
dangerous. Let the Common Sort of
People who live among the Mountains
Kill great Quantitys of Bears every
wear: but the greatest destruction OF
'em is made in the beginning OF Winter
when the bears lay themselves to sleep
in caves and holes among the rocks of
the mountains at w'ch time the people
90 to the mouth of the Cave with their
guns loaded and shoot EN- as they lye in
their dens. We have also great pleanty
and variety of fish web we take with
nets and by Angling as is practised in
England. and now hope have salts
fed the Gentleman's curiosity. at least l
have done my endeavor towards it, as
much as the Compass Of letter will al
low of and will be very glad in y'r next
10 know his name.
You givey'rService to my two brothers,
but | have but one who is Doctor OF
Physick Thomas Clayton NJ. ID. of
Gloucester county, formerly of the Uni
versity of Cambridge, Englandl. my
other brother Arthur, who died in 1888