New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-19

I
selves easily to the beauties of cultivation What
h.,tor background could there be for the houses
and omen fields of the planter than the Virginian
forests guiltess OF underground. with trees set
far apart as II by design? The houses themselves
wero only distant reminder OF even the less COM
nodous country houses OF England. but taken
Altogether the mansion and the houses FOR SER
wants the barns and Offices had an appearance OF
solid comfort that was not belied by the racts.
in 1856 William Fitzhugh described his situation
in lie most prosaic words and yet with idyihc
surpestiyeness He lived on a plantation OF
n thousand acres. three hundred OF which were
n,antabIe the rest a rich thicket. He had all
tho necessary buildings, including comfortable
house for himself an orchard of $500 apple trees
most OF them grated. and all the stock ne re-
quired He had a water mill on convenient
stream the tolls OF which almost sufnced 70 sup
port his family and servants NOT tar away ne
had other tracts. one comprising nearly -'-"
acres He lived like king on this DOMAIN ana
everything which his lands did not aHord MN
directly was furnished indirectly by the sale OF
his tobacco.
An immediate result OF the system OF large
plantations was the absence or towns. Ih'e
peculiarity OF the colony was viewed with 70
much dislike in England that II became the SUI
iect OF legislation. Efforts were made 10 Tx
upon certain places as ports, ana various CON-
trivances were thought OF as means Oh per-
suadIng people to live In villages There were
rr,z.s so TO speak for building houses. but the
result was far from encouraging. The planter
had no desire to be Gagged In town the seher-
ations of landowners as they followed each
other. became more and more averse TO giving
m their rural freedom. Those who did not own
land the indentured servants from England ana
the artisans who were constantly Imported, had
hopes for the future az long as wide stretches OF
country remained unappropriated. IL was con-
slant complaint that men brought from England
because OF their skill In come manual occupation
at once succumbed 10 the colonial land hunger
and went 10 raising tobacco Just "a soon AZ they
could obtain a patch OF ground TO work upon
II seemed 10 them that II was cheaper to raise
the weed than II was 10 work for II by building
houses making bricks. shoeing horses or doing
any q these tasks. which use had made weari-
some IN the old country. They had 10 take their
nav in H. anyway. for they were denied wholly
the set,efaction Of ungling newly earned coin In
their pockets. The fact was that towns were Ut
,erly useless In land where all commerce was
barter. and the simplest kind OF barter at that
There was In early Virginia no place for the
small retail merchant. and only narrow place
for the skilled artisan The Joke OF Butler about
the New-Englanders who could not spare their
r,urierous shoemaker. and
Instead did
Hang an old weaver that wac bedrid,
could never have been applied TO the colony
south Of Chesapeake Bay. because the Nirginians
bought their shoes and boots In England ana
bitterly complained OF all native work Furniture
in a vIrginian house from hall 10 kitchen. was
IN general the exact counterpart OF that used IN
England bought Of the same manufacturers
II was the same with the clothing OF the
planter and his family But for the servants
home weaving and cobblIng were good enough.
Every planter had his own blacksmith ana
other small tradesmen. II he could; so that each
plantation was n little realm which supplied Its
own necessities. and waited for what IL could
not supply until the ships came from England