The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1907-11-21
FREDERICKSBURG
TO RICHMOND
II Required Seventeen Hours TO
Make the Journey by Stage.
ACCOUN! OF a TRIP IN 1923

The report of journey from Freder-
icksburx 10 Richmond. IN January, 1928,
by Capt Basil Hal, uf the Royal Navy,
Is interesting reading. The following il
taken from his volume OF travels In
North America IN the Year lS27.1S2S, "
and PUBLISHED In EdlnDmgh la 1929:
"On the 3l-t day OF January, 1928,
we left Washington, HnI gllded down
the muddy Potomac u the steamboat,
cutting our way through myrIads OF
canvasback ducks, wh.cI literally black
ened the surface Of the water, till our
paddles set them up. When on the wing
their color appeared to be browni-h
white. and thence their name has been
taken These birds are Justly esteemed
IA great d,iicacy in Ame,ica, though quite
unlike the y lid duck of other countries,
their 4 .sh resembling more hat Of "A hare
than anything else, both in. taste and
appearance, but richer, and Oi a higher
flavor.
We wished to have called at Mount
Vernon, formerly the residence OF Gen
eral Washington, but these inexorable
= s,eambOats, like time and tide, wait for
no III 81. After u pleasant trip, We landed
at some scattered houses IN the Potomac
Jre, k, aud were conveyed from thence in
stage coaches over short, steep hills,
along roads cut ~ pieces by carriage
wheels and torrents of rain. Any other
vehicle than u stout American stage must
have been shaken to atoms.
I'VE reached fredericksburg in good
time to walk round that pretty little
town IL was really comfortable To get
into place where the yecOuld rest here
and there on house above "a year old.
or which did not look IA II it were Just
out Of the carpenters shop. absolute
" saw In fredericksburg two houses
with some green moss upon the roof
The streets, too, were completed, aud
the dwellings and inhabitants within
gunshot OF one another, which was
sociabe after Washington.
EXPENSE OF TRAVEL HEAVY.
"Ol. intention was to have taken an
extra next day To Richmond, the capital
Of Virginia, but rs 40 Carriages were TO
be hired. We We're Obliged To take places
IN the regular stage, which WA appoint
ed To start at in the morning We
looked very blank upon hearing OF this
early hour. but the ubliging stage pro.
prietor, alter considering the matter.
-aid; We'll, # II b. 30 disagreesl / TO ie
ladies to start at J. suppose we make il
3 Oily, mind, il will be late before you
get t. Richmond, as the distance il six
~ six miles.
The expense Of tray. ling 10 the stage
amounted to IS for each person, or
about peuce "a mile, meals not included. /
From Washington to fredericksburg.
sixty miles Of which were by steam aud
nine by land, the expense for the whole |
Of our party was $l3.15; or about el
each, which is very nearly 81 pence "A
mile; but this included the cost II a sub |
sfautial breakfast aud dinner.
We were up next morning by half past |
1 and ! was sorry 10 find that the pre-
III Il OF a weather-wise looking gen.
tlemaD Of the day before had proved |
true had asked him what h. thought
OF it, 4 think, he said, 1T looks very
| ke "a ling weather. aud so it proved, |
Tor wnen the shutters We're opened the /
sky appeared dark and was drifting with |
heavJ clouds. Rain. indeed, ID amongst |
the greatest OF all plaques on "a journey;
your feet yet wei; your clothes become |
piastered with mud from The wheels; the |
runks-generally pleced with mischiev
Gus peryersity ON their edge-drlnk q
h 81 a gallon OF water apiece; the gentle.
mems cats and boots steam 10 the con. |
fined coach; the horses ale dra2gled aud /
cbaied by the trace; the driver gets his /
n eli c 9th saturated with moisture, while |
every body's temper il tried and found
wanting
"Our party consisted sof lady, three
gentlemen aud boy, besides our own
number. We We're some what squeezed,
though one Of the pine was our little girl.
II any other passengers had offered them
8 Ives we should have been miserably
jlmmed up. In order to prevent this
occurring ! stepped out at the hrst stage
and paid Tor the remaining place. Gen
erally speaking, We found IL a great
saving OF fatigue, and consequently OF
* pence In the long run, TO engage two
whole seats or six places, for ourselves,
which left Us sufficient room.
INTRODUCED TO THE JULEP
Two OF the gentlemen, our iellOW pas
seugers, were Virginian planters or far
mere, very intelligent persons, who gave
Us much information that was quite
new. We stopped at ten different houses
during the seventeen weary hours which
it cost Us to make out the sixty-six
miles. ard at each OF these places our
friends got out. as they told us. to take
q glass OF mint julep. which lea ned
rom them was species OF dram. Their
heads. think, must have been harder
than those OF the rest OF the world. as
they did no approach to tipsiness near
,r than "A slight iudistinctnsss in the ar
ticuatiou of their words and somewhat
more earnestness In argument, with q
larger allowance OF tobacco.
IL never saw men more anxious than
the gentlemen in these American stages
always were to accommodate the ladies',