The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-11-25

ot Ti1dalrs, now Gloucester Point, and
on the men Of war hying me Union
Jack at the mouth OF Sarah CleeNss
their common harbor IN ms stat III. u
the world. on arriving, he sa" houses
''eaual TO any of tile best al 81; James,
pretty garden spots I'D handSoIle
avenues leading 10 WilIawsburg ana
Norfolk, infinitely superior to ,. most IN III
England" fine equipages, t5-) some
drawn by six horses; "a country sur
rounding thickly oyerspread with pan
tatiOnS owned by men Of the best iot-
tunes, equal some of them TO o'W OF
1900 pounds sterling, per year; IN tle ,
poverty that now envelopes = region
1t is bard to realize this picture. Inc
historian must look for evidence IN the
numerous brick foundations OF houses
uEearthed by the ploW ana the spade III
the handsome memorial slabs sun eA-
listing Of the Bacons. the BurWells the
D!gcesses, the Nelson's, Ttmsons, ana
other families once resident IL the coun,
~, and in the inventories OF estates sun
TO be read I'm the courthouse. Among
the merchants at Yorktown about l1ib,
we NAV notice Philip Lghtfoot grand
son OF John Lightfoot, esq, of Northamp-
ton in England. Barri5ter at law, VII
liam Nelson whose father, Thomas OF
Penrith. Cumtfriani county, England.
had married Margaret, daughter OF John
Reade. eldest. son OF Col George Reade,
Edward Amber, Of Kent county Eng
land. and F1anCis Jerdone factor for
bucUdUdu anu IldililADlt VI i<ylAbNiAt
sen of John Jerdoue, MAYOR Of JedS-
bureh i'm Scotland The letter and ac-
count books of Nelson and Jerdone are
preserved and afford interesting reading
about the great number Of shps ar
irving In port from Glasgow, Bristol.
Barbados, London, Philadelphia, and
other ports. Jerdone wrote that t5,UO
worth OF imports was the least that a
merchant desiring the virginia trade
should ship in any one year. He states
that the imports of dry goods received IN
1850 al Yorktown amounted 10 5000 or
one-nnlh OF the entire amount Of i'm
ports received by the colony.
THE REVOLUTION OF IT'S.
But the great crisis in the life Of
the colony was approaching. When war
was declared against Great Britain IN
l11j, the Legislature OF ElrSilld went
great leensths in prohi69lt aI, British
tn de. The prosperity OF yorktown sur
fered by eight years of suspension OF all
intercourse with the great cities upon
which it was dependent. The virginia
government kept small garrison at
the place during the war and conduct
ed a public hospital under the sup'r-
vision Of Drs. George Cralk ana Mathew
Pope. Then, as is well knowl, IT was &c
cupied by Lord CORVALLIS ~ lHl with
the British army. The spiendin general
ship OF Washington I'm transferring his
troops from New York, and win the
aid Of the French soldiers and French
fleet, capturing the entire hostHe force,
has been often narrated and need not be
detailed by me. The surrender was no
dshcnOr to CORVALLIS, as the besleglng
fore was nearly three times as great.
(33l.
YORKTOWN AND THE suRRENDEp.
But the effect OF the surrender was
momentous Lord Cornwallls had preVl-
ously written that IF we mean an or
fensive war i'm America, we must aban-
fo-ce into Virginia.; that that powerful
province" afforded the only hald IN which
"a successful battle could give the Brit
ish the government of America. Perhaps
Virginia did not make any greater con-
trlbutlons to the war than some other
states. But the British general $ IAN
guaSe Is high authority FOR oeHeVlhg
that there was moral force IN ner re-
slstance far superior TO any other state
in the Union. CORVALLIS, therefore,
staked all on Virginia. and when ne lost,
the British cause was lost The victory
or the Americans brought peace recOb-
milton and independence 10 the war
worn colonies. But this T. heasre
statement OF the results; they can never
be fully stated, for the event put IN 0per-
elton series OF causes thar WIN be
forever resolving themselves INTO con-
sequences The surrender at Yorktown
gave an opportunity for experiences
along thousand lines OF Thought
RESULTS.
1t laid the corner stone of the COLOSSAL
power which has absorbed the vast EN-,
pire's OF Louisiana. Florida. Texas ana
California, and has united the oceans.
The abolition OF primogeniture, the
equality of the citizen. the inhibition OF
the slave trade and the successful eA-
pertinent OF Republic OF Republics, Oh
the grandest scale. are the outcomes OF
the great day at Yorktown, October ~.
llSl. France. our great ally. owes 10 IL
the government she entOys to-day. Her
difficulties. after the Revolution, were
even greater than ours. She had TO break
loose from the institutions and usages OF
centuries. and In doing so the process
AID terrible In the extreme. But the
Virginia people always had a fondness
for the French and II il a satisfaction
10 know that Frances ordeal Is passed
ard that as Republic she stands en-
phatically expressing the hone OF her