Year: 1866




ton, exclaimed, "I will return to my con-
stituents, will retire to my patrimonial
oaks" he disclosed the true secret OF his
inspiration. Here be could retire, within
himself commune with his own heart,
"hold converse with the mighty dead, J" re-
fresh his mind with new stores Of know
ledge, and by friendly intercourse with his
constituents fit himself for the practical
discharge Of his duties. How different Is
the life of such q statesman from that Of
the cosmopolite politician who, without q
settled home or local attachments, like the
Nomad, ever pitches his tent in the greenest
pastures, and if he does not find them in
one place, seeks them in another, until he
is led by choice or driven by necessity to
live by plunder.


The influence of our social system upon
the character of our public men has been
such that scarcely one Of any mark has
ever been suspected of corruption. If we
have lost all else, let us preserve our lands,
and with them our ancient manners and
social institutions, which came to US from
our British ancestors; and although they
grew up with the institution Of slavery,
are by no means dependent on it for their
continuance.


Addison has given rs, in the character
Of Sir Roger de Coverley, a most inimita-
BILE portrait of the old English country gen.
tleman of the age Of Queen Anne. He
was fond of the chase; he supported the
church. He was moderate in politics and
tolerant in religion. He dispensed libe-
raj hospitality without ostentation. He
was courteous in manners and deterential
to the sex. He was the patron Of letters,
the friend Of the poor, and the protector of
innocence. As justice of the peace, he
upheld the law and sound morals; yet such
was the kindness of his heart that he
winked at offences merely mala prohibita.
He was so kind to his tenants and the peo-
pie around him that they loved him as a
friend, whilst they looked to him as supe-
rior. He was genial, generous, warm
hearted, sincere; in word, to borrow the
expression of an old friend, his heart
was as big as plantation. This was
the model of the Virginia gentleman
of the old school and Washington-during
his early years at Mount Vernon, whilst
diligent in his business, in his hours of
leisure he refreshed himself in the chase
with the Masons of Gunston and the Fair
faxes Of Bellevoir-was the noble repre-
sentative of this class. 1t may be the
troubles of the present time that cause my
mind to revert to these ancient reminis-
cences; but must confess that every day
that l live / have higher admiration of
English tastes, English manners, and English
liberty. Yet would not revive the insti-
tutions of past age. The farmers of Vir-
ginia want no exclusive privileges. The
Independent owners of the soil require no
patent nobility. Whether their possessions
be great or small, if endowed with virtue
and intelligence, they are already Natures
noblemen, and they will be so regarded by
all ages and countries.


We are now in a transition state, and
must learn, for the present, to bear with
vexations and trials, and to accommodate
ourselves to circumstances as they arise.
But it is the part of wisdom to look also
to the future, and to the establishment of
a permanent policy. 1t is to that policy
no less than to mere temporary relief that
have proposed to direct your attention.


To sum up my advice on this head in as
few words as possible, would say: Hold
fast to your lands. Do not sell them under
any circumstances except at fair price.
Do nothing in haste-wait developments.
You had as well be ruined by interest as
by the voluntary sacrifice of your property.
Do not refuse to sell your surplus land at
a fair price to pay just debts but cling to
the homestead. Whether it be the humble
cottage or the stately mansion that has
sheltered you and your fathers, let it con-
tinue to shelter your children and your
children's children. Teach the rising gene
ration to preserve the landmarks, to vene-
rate the patrimonial oaks" and love
each shrub and tree planted by their
fathers as if it were sentient being. You
will thus cherishn sentiment stronger than
law, by which your homes will be preserved
to your posterity.


If your estate is large, divide it with
your sons, and keep them in the State for
one of our young men of proper spirit sworth
q hundred immigrants. You may retain q
thousand acres of arabic land, which may
be cultivated under your own eye with en-
tire convenience, with the aid Of a bailif,
according to the English system of man
aging large farms. As an illustration, l
cite the Netherby farm, in Cumberland,
England, containing 1890 acres of arabic
land, exclusive of parks, of the ope-
rations on which adetailed report is given
in the Library of Useful Knowledge. Smaller
farms, of five hundred acres or less, may be
cultivated with equal success under the
management of an active and intelligent
proprietor, without the aid of bailiff. To
the highest degree of success, lime, grass,
stock, labor-saving machinery, and ma
nures-home-m e-made and bought--are indis.
pensable. The truth that poor land cannot
be cultivated by hired labor acithout loss
must never be forgotten. This makes i'm
provementa matter of necessity, if not OF
choice, and may, in the end, prove ample
compensation for the loss of our slaves.


The soil of Virginia is kind and easily
cultivated; the climate genial, and the va
riety of her productions greater than that
of any other region. In addition to all the
productions of Great Britain, we have the
important staples Of cotton, tobacco, and
Indian corn. We have abundant water
power, boundless mineral resources, free
navigation, and open markets with all the
world. Why, then, should our lands not
have high market value, and be capable
of profitable cultivation by hired labor ?


If you have more land than you can con.
yeniently cultivate, advantageously sell,
or distribute among your sons, rent it out
but by all means avoid the wretched
naetayer system, common on the continent
Of Europe, under which the landlord fur.
nishes the capital and takes share Of the
crop. This system invariably makes poor
landlords and wretched tenants. Many ol
our Virginia landowners, without knowing
its origin, have adopted this system as an