Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-05-05
EARLY VIRGINIA HISTORY.
GoLD BELvoIR CONTINUED. !

AS our readers may be curious to
know something about the stock of lit
erature in gentleman's library as well
as of the style of his household furni-
ture one hundred and fifty years ago
on the hanks of the Potomac, we give
the inventory of the books OF William
FAN fax in his Belvoir home as follows:
Batavia illustrated, London Magazine,
7 vols, Parkinson's Herbal, Knolle's
History of the Turkish Empire, Coke's
Institutes of the laws of England, 3
vols, Eneland's Recovery. Laws of the
Colouy of Massachusetts Bay, Laws of
Merchants, Laws of Virginia, Complete
Clerk and Conveyancer, Hawkins Pleas
Of the Crown, Gunnel's Offences Of the
Il calm of England, Anisworth's Euglish
aud Latin Dictionary, Haine's Diction
sry of Arts and Sciences, Backmore's
Prince Arthur, History of the Twelve
Cesars by Suetonius, John Calvin's To-
sitution of Religion, Fuller's Church
History from its Rise, Locke on the
Human Understanding, A New Body
OF Geography, Croope's Law Reports,
Heylin's Cosmography in 4 vols, Col
lection of Voyages and Travels, Politi-
cnl Discourses by Henry, Earl of Mon
mouth; Wooten's State Of Christendom,
Hobart's Law Reports, Johnson's Ex-
cellency of Monarchical Government,
Latin and French Dictionary, Langley's
Pomona or Gardening, A Political
Piece, Strada's History of the Low
Country Wars, Spanish and English
Dictionary, Latin Bible, A Poem on
Death, Judgment and Hell; Knox's
Martyrology, Jacobs Law Dictionary,
Chsmberlayne's Great Britain, Hughes's
Natural History of Barbados,
Laws of His Mrjesty's Plantations, The
Way to Get Wealth. This, in those
early times of bookmaking, was doubt
lers considered not only an extensive
library, but learned one for a private
home, and may be taken now as an in
dex of the general drift and bent OF the
literary iucllnations of the Bevoir
Fsirfaxes. 1t was all solid reading;
though in these days, when styles and
tastes in literature are so widely differ
ent, it would be accounted very dry
reading. ard not of much value or in
lerest by the general reader; and one
cannot help speculating now. after the
lapse of so long time, how verlously,
in the mutations of the generations the
quaint volumes of the collection were
scattered after their sale, in what differ
ent hands they passed, aud whether
any of them are still in existence In
any library of to-day. Doubtless they
found their way in the course of years
into the lofts and garrets Of the sur
rounding neighborhoods, were over
and over resold at public auctions and
were eventually considered as rubbish
and went the ways of destruction.
Lord Thomas Fairfax did not visit
the new world until the year 1888, and
then he did not come with decided in
tention of permanently remaining.
However, he spent year in examining
the country and then returned to Eng
land. But he had been SO well pleased
by his Virginia empire, its delightful
climate, its virgin freshness and beauty,
the fertility of its lands and their varied
resources, that after settling up his per-
sonal afl4irs. disposing of his commits
sion in the Royal Blues" and giving t o
his cousin Robert his Kentish estates,
be determined to BID long adieu to
the home of his nativity-a longer one
perhaps than he imagined it would be;
for he never recrossed the seas, but
died forty years afterward veritable
hermit in the Shenandoah valley at the
extreme age of 9S years. For six years
ne tarried with his cousin and agent
William in the newly erected mansion
ut Belvoir; and it was during some
part of this time that he first met the
youthful Washington, just fresh from
the instruction OF schoolmasters
Hobbs" and Williams" who had
Taught him the mysteries of the three
r. and u smatterng of land surveying,
aud had assured him doubtless that
ne WAS then ready to begin the great
hattl. OF life And here it was that the
great proprietor made contract with
The young graduate OF tifeen to brave