examine the quality of each hogshead of tobacco, and if they approve it, mark it with a hot iron, before it can be shipped; which is an effectual restraint on any imposition that might otherwise be practised, by mixing good and bad together. My letter is drawn out to so great a length, that I fear you will be as tired with reading as I am with writing; so, without any further addition, I will say, farewell.

HENRY FRANKLIN.

LETTER VIII.

Arthur Middleton to his Brother Edwin.

DEAR EDWIN,

Norfolk.

AS Mr. Franklin is preparing a packet for England, I must add my remarks on that part of Virginia we have already seen.

The houses, in many places, have an antique appearance, like the old manor houses in England, and are built with brick and stone; but most of the modern ones are only of wood, and always have a porch, or pent-house, in the front, which is often carried all round the dwelling, and affords a shady retreat, in the heat of the day, from the scorching rays of the sun, which, in bright weather, are

intense

intense at noon; though the atmosphere is as variable here as in other parts of America, often changing from hot to cold several times in the same day. In the centre of genteel houses there is mostly a hall or saloon, furnished like a parlour, with sofas, &c. where the family pass much of their time, for the sake of enjoying a thorough draught of air.

The heat and unwholesomeness of the climate give the common people, especially, most sallow complexions; but few of the women are handsome, and the bonnets they wear to shade them. selves from the sun, make them look still plainer than nature has formed them: the caul sits close to the back of the head, and the front projects, like an umbrella, over the face; so that they cannot look at any thing behind them without turning the whole body round. The rich are extremely fond of pleasure, or what my mother would call dissipa tion, such as gaming and horse-racing. Cards and dice would be a punishment to me; but the delights of the chace and the course I like very well: and were it not for my mentor, Mr. Franklin, I could never resist an invitation to either. He tells me that I look only at momentary gratifications, without considering the consequences; that racing leads to gambling and bad company; and that hunting mostly ends in a carousal.

The common people are extremely fond of an entertainment called a barbacue, which is the

meeting of a jovial party, often in the woods, to partake of a sturgeon, or a pig roasted whole in the open air, on a sort of hurdle, over a slow fire. The feast is too generally succeeded by plenty of liquor, and the guests separate, unable to walk home in a straight line. Drinking is one of their vices, and runs away with great part of their gains. As a counterbalance to these defects, they are lively and hospitable, and have humanely adopted a code of laws, in some respects similar to that of Pennsylvania, by which no crime but premeditated murder is punished with death. Virginia is intersected by numerous rivers and creeks, and in many parts covered with forests of maples, pines, cedars, the climbing trumpet-flower tree, the Carolinian allspice, cornel trees, walnuts, laurels, bay trees, tulip trees, poplars, oaks, sumachs, acacias, and many others it produces also a great variety of fragrant plants and flowering shrubs; and the groves are inhabited by multitudes of birds, who sing charmingly, and some of them delight the eye with their beautiful plumage. The notes of the mocking bird are the most melodious of any. It is about the size of a lark, has a long tail, and the colour of the body is a deep blue. This bird imitates the song of every bird he hears, but excels them all; and so conscious are they of his superiority, that when he begins to follow any particular bird, he flies away, as if ashamed of his own performance. There are none, however, but the mocking

mocking bird, to be compared to our English songsters. The blue bird and the red bird are both very handsome; the first is not bigger than a linnet, but its dark bright-blue head, wings, and back, when it flies, make a brilliant appearance. The red bird is of a fine vermilion colour, with a small tuft of feathers on his head. I have seen a few humming birds, fluttering about like butterflies, but their colours are not so bright as those more to the southward. The whip-poor-will is a bird whose note resembles those words, which he utters in the dusk of the evening, in the most plaintive manner, and often continues his complaint till almost morning. From birds, which you know are my favourites, I must descend to frogs, which, in the low grounds, make such an extraordinary noise, that it resembles a whistle; whilst some of their companions, called bull frogs, from their great size, croak so harsh and loud, you would hardly believe the sound came from a frog. We were one day spectators of a scene terrific and extraordinary to us, though not very unusual in this country. Some negroes had been ordered to set fire to large quantities of brushwood, in different places, which is a common practice. That day was chosen, because it was perfectly calm, and the sky serene; but in the afternoon it became sultry, and streams of hot air gave tokens of an approaching storm: the horizon grew dark, and a dreadful whirlwind arose We dismounted,

and got upon an eminence to observe its progress. It advanced towards us with great swiftness, carrying with it clouds of dust, dry leaves, and pieces of rotten wood; and in many places it levelled the fence-rails, and unroofed the sheds for cattle. Alarmed for our safety, we made every endeavour to reach a place of shelter, but in vain; in two minutes the whirlwind overtook us. The shock was violent. It was hardly possible to keep our feet; and we nearly lost our breath. In a very short space, however, it was passed; but a storm of thunder and lightning succeeded, accompanied by heavy rain, which drenched us to the skin. As soon as we could recover ourselves, we looked found to observe the course of the whirlwind, and were astonished to see a prodigious column of fire, in a part of the wood, where we afterwards found that the brushwood had been lighted. The flames rose, in some spots, above the trees. We had now a new enemy to avoid, as the fire gained upon us so rapidly, that we were afraid of being overtaken, in spite of our utmost speed. A general alarm took place. The negroes from several neighbouring plantations assembled; and in order to check its progress, and prevent one surrounding conflagration, set fire to the underwood on all sides. a-head of that already kindled, so as to meet it, and by destroying every thing that could serve it for food, to extinguish it. These new fires were carefully watched by a number of men, with hoes and

rakes,