Before the revolution, Williamsburgh was the capital of Virginia; the removal of the legislative body to Richmond has reduced this town to a deserted, forlorn condition.

The Capitol, which is falling to ruins, and the College of William and Mary, are relics of its former consequence. Law, medicine, natural and moral philosophy, mathematics, and modern languages, are taught to the students, who are not numerous. But little trade is carried on at this place; and the society is thought very genteel. I paid a visit, myself, to the hospital for lunatics, but cannot praise it for good management.

York is a small town, not very flattering to the feelings of an Englishman; as it was here that Lord Cornwallis surrendered his army to the united forces of the Americans, and their allies the French.

A flat, uninteresting country, lies between these towns and Hampton, a small place situated at the mouth of James River; across which we were ferried to Norfolk, the only sea-port of consequence in Virginia. Having no rival, its trade to Europe, the northern states, and the West Indies, is flourishing. The exports chiefly consist of tobacco, flour, and various kinds of lumber. The town is an irregular, dirty, ill-built group of wooden houses, chiefly surrounded by unwholesome swamps, from which arises an intolerable stench, that causes grievous maladies to the inhabitants. The yellow fever frequently carries off great numbers; and I

believe

believe they increase the evil, by the immoderate use of wine and strong liquors by way of pre

vention.

The day after our arrival being Sunday, we went to church, and were hurt at observing that the negroes are not suffered to mingle with the whites, but are confined to a particular place; as if the universal Father of all distributed his blessings in proportion to the complexion of his creatures, when we are expressly told, that "every man shall be rewarded according to his works." I have since heard that this custom prevails throughout Georgia, Carolina, and Virginia. From the ruinous state of the churches in general in this part of Virginia, and the negligence of the duties of the sabbath, I am led to suspect that religion has not its due influence on the people. Many of the churches stand in the midst of solitary woods, and it does not appear that any persons are appointed to attend to them. Grave-yards are often private property, and very profitable to their owners, in Norfolk. In different parts of the country I have observed, near large plantations, burying grounds for the family, walled in; an accommodation, when church-yards are scattered at a great distance from each other.

The tobacco of Virginia is in high repute, which, in some degree, may be attributed to the houses of inspection that are established in every district where it is cultivated. The inspectors 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 Jetter 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 ball 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 themselves from the sun, make them appear 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 dissipation, such as gaming and horse-racing. Cards and dice would be a punishment to me; but the delights of the chase 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

ᎠᏎ

mecting 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 inany 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, which 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 supe riority, 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

་