On the 19th June, 1831,1 set out from the city of Norfolk about seven o'clock in the morning; my departure had been fixed at six: but who ever sets out at the hour at which he has determined? Nobody, certainly, in Virginia, where time and punctuality seem to be, in the opinion of all men, very impracticable abstractions, little worth the attention of reasonable men. First of all, Zed was too late in bringing up the horses, and he had at least a hundred good excuses for the delay. Next, we had forgotten, in buying the saddle-bags, to buy any straps to fix them to the saddles. Then, no stores--or shops, as we call them, were yet open to supply the deficiency. And again, no pack-thread was to be found to supersede the need of straps. Finally, all the gentlemen of the inn with whom I had formed acquaintance, and who happened to be up, must needs shake hands and drink a mint-julep with me before I departed. It seemed the good ancient custom of the stirrup-cup, and I was fain to lump my companions altogether, and take one deep draught to their health ere I rode on. It was a glorious morning; the sun had not yet heated the air, and the wind blew from the north-west. After crossing the river we journeyed very comfortably for between two and three hours. Zed, radiant as Ph[oe]bus, was proud of new clothes, a new master, and a new horse; and to say truth, rode very well, although not very gracefully. Indeed, his broken leg, which had been set somewhat crooked, apparently enabled him to grasp his beast with greater vigour, making a sort of hoop round the animal's body, which would have been very difficult to shake off. We made the best of our way while it was cool; but between nine and ten we began to have indications of what the weather intended to do with us. They may say what they like of Calcutta, Jamaica, and the African coast; but I am sure that Norfolk, in the summer season, is the hottest place upon the surface of the earth. I began to feel the perspiration dropping from under my hat; and the roads seemed full of ruts and irregularities which I had not perceived before. Suddenly, my horse put his feet into a deep gutter, and made an awful stumble, but did not come down.

"Ah, massa," cried Zed, who had been keeping nearly in a line with me, "you hold de middle of de road, or you get into tobacco-ruts."

"Tobacco-ruts!" I exclaimed, "what do you mean by tobacco-ruts? I see no tobacco, Zed." My new groom laughed aloud.

"Don't you know, massa," he cried, "people used to grow tobacco on this road? Take two cart-wheels and an axle, put tobacco between them, or round de axle, wid two coloured gentlemen to roll it on, and push for'ard all de way to Norfolk."

"They don't surely do so now, Zed?"

"Not very long ago," replied he. "I recoleck very well seeing hundreds of tons roll along here. Sometimes dere was a freshet. Den you would see--oh, gorry--a whole heap of wheels and tobacco, and de gentlemen all dancing and playing on de banjo on de bank. Oh, dose was merry times, massa; but dey all become so damn democratic now." I must here remark upon two points of the negro character. First, that they are exceedingly fond of expletives, and not very choice in their selection; and, secondly, that, to a man, as far as I have seen, they are exceedingly conservative, nay, aristocratical in their notions. I will not pause to inquire whether they have any very definite ideas upon the distinction of parties, or whether they attach any significance to the objurgations they use; but certain it is that they have an abhorrence for the name of democrat, and occasionally swear somewhat blasphemously without any special occasion. We were soon obliged to bring our horses to a walk; but we had made good speed over the first twenty miles of our journey. At the end of the next five, we had the happiness of seeing a house on the right-hand side of the road, which promised us rest and shelter from the hot sun till the coolness of evening might be expected. It was a long, low house of two stories--or rather one story and a half, for the second was only half as tall as the first--with a verandah or porch extending all along the front. Beneath the shade of this verandah, in a large arm-chair of plain maple wood, from which he seemed incapable of rising, sat an elderly man with white hair, leaden complexion, and a dull, heavy unprepossessing countenance. In girth he was enormous; and indeed his obesity seemed the effect of disease, for there was an unhealthy heaviness in his whole aspect which was painful to look upon. His dress was negligent; his waistcoat and his shirt were unbuttoned; he had not been shaved for many days; and his hat had fallen, by accident and negligence, into a variety of curious dents and twists, which left no vestige of its original shape. A long tobacco-pipe was in his mouth, from which he continued to inhale puffs of smoke, slowly and leisurely, without paying the slightest apparent attention to anything going on around him. He saw us dismount at the door in the most impassible mood in the world; and as all was still and silent about the house, I should have doubted whether it was a tavern or not, had I not seen a tall bare pole in front, and painted on the frieze of the porch,

Blackwater House. Andrew Gorbel.

By this time I had learned that such symptoms indicated an inn; and while Zed led away the horses, Heaven knows where, I stepped up to the fat smoker, and asked where I could find the landlord.

"I'm the proprietor," answered he. And, without even asking if I wanted anything, continued puffing away at his pipe with the utmost indifference. The fact is, that the people of this country are too thinly scattered for anything like what we call attention and civility. There is no competition amongst them. They feel that other men are more dependent upon them than they upon other men, and they are determined to make those whom they supply with anything feel that it is so. This is a good deal the case in the cities, but ten times more so in remote country places, where the solitary inn has the power of laying every traveller under contribution, or inflicting upon him the penalty of a long and inexpedient ride. I have come to this conclusion from remarking that in spots where commerce is beginning to centre, and two or three taverns have been set up side by side, the landlords, yielding to circumstances, have put on as much civility, if not obsequiousness, as any in the old world. Nothing like competition, my dear friends. It is what bows down most men to the worship of the golden calf, but is very comfortable and convenient for travellers.

"Pray, sir, can I get any dinner here, to-day?"

"I dar say you can." Puff--puff--puff--not a word more.

"What's the dinner hour?"

"One o'clock, if the lads have come back." Puff--puff--puff.

"Can I get anything to drink? I am very thirsty."

"Just in there you'll find the whisky-bottle, on the shelf in the bar. There's water in the pitcher, I think." I was turning away, to satisfy my thirst, when my fat friend hallooed after me--

"Hie! Will you jist hand me that newspaper off the bench." With a smile I could not repress, I did what he required, observing, in somewhat of the country language,--

"You seem somewhat troubled about the limbs, Mr. Gorbel."

"No, not a bit," said he; "my limbs is as strong as ever. It's what's above 'em is the trouble; they have got too much to carry. It's all come on in these cussed last three years, owing to the dry weather and the weevil, I think." I walked away, rather inclined to conclude it was the drought of his own palate, rather than that of the weather, which had brought him into that condition; and, with such an example before my eyes, contented myself with the cold water, without troubling the whisky. About a quarter past one o'clock, till which time I amused myself as best I might, I espied two young men coming up a cross road, or rather lane, through the wood, and another walking leisurely along through a field of Indian corn. On approaching the house, they walked at once into what the old man had called the bar, and rushed at a large tin washbowl. One washed his face and hands, and another did the same. All wiped on the same towel hanging behind the door, and most of them combed their hair with a universal comb which lay on the window-seat. All this was done in profound silence; for in this country, as well as most others, hunger does not tend to loquacity. Before the three first had finished their unfastidious ablutions, another and another had entered, till the bar-room was fuller of human creatures than I had imagined the whole country for twenty miles round could present. As I had come thither, I had seen nothing but forest and swamp, with the exception of a small village here and there, and a scattered house or two near it. A group of negroes, indeed, once or twice was seen looking over a ragged fence; but nothing of white humanity had been visible except in the aforesaid villages. Now, however, there were at least twenty white men about me. In a moment after, a little tinkling hand-bell rang, a door leading out of the bar-room opened, and in rushed the crowd, jostling each other like a pack of hungry hounds, into a large, low dining-hall, where each seized upon a seat, and helped himself to what was before him. It did not seem to matter what it was; to save time was the great object; one man seized upon a dish of cabbage; another snatched some pork and beans; a third thrust his fork into a potato; and a fourth emptied a dish of pickles upon his plate. In the meantime, a black lad of about sixteen, end two mulatto girls, were going round from guest to guest, repeating some mysterious words in a very quick tone, which caused each of the gentlemen to thrust out his plate, loaded as it was, with a single word of reply. When the boy came to me, I discovered that the talismanic words were simply, "roast mutton; corn beef; boiled mutton; roast shoat; roast turkey; chicken pie!" Happily, I had been warned as to the nature of shoat; but out of the rest I contrived to make a very good dinner, which, though it occupied not more than ten minutes to complete, was so slow of accomplishment in comparison with the time the others allowed themselves, that I found myself at the end left alone with the rotund landlord, who had rolled into a chair at the head of the table, and had gone on eating pork and cabbage up to that moment in profound silence. When I first perceived him, he was making a sign with his thumb over his shoulder, to the black boy, who instantly disappeared into the bar-room, and returned with the bottle of whisky in his hand. Mine host nearly filled his tumbler, and then pointed to me, saying, in a husky voice--

"Will you take a drink?--Good old rye--capital stuff--twenty year old, that. Though, may be, you'd like a julep. But I don't go in for juleps--the mint's over-heating, 'specially when one's dined."

"I thought you Virginian gentlemen took all your liquor before dinner," I answered, helping myself to a small portion of the whisky, which was, indeed, excellent.

"Some do, and some don't," he said, rather shily. "For my own part, I only take a glass or two of apple-jack before dinner; but I always have my glass of whisky-and-water after;" and, he added, about a spoonful of water to the tumblerful of spirits. "You see I'm a great sufferer from the dispepsy--indeed, most of us are about here." I thought it was no wonder, if they all ate as I had seen the people at that table. I literally saw one man pile up his plate with the following articles, in the order I put them down:--About a pound of boiled pork; the same quantity of cabbage; two large spoonfuls of a sort of French beans; a whole plateful of raw, undressed cucumber, cut in slices; a quantity of pickles, and a slice of ham. All this was consumed, I recollect, in the space of five minutes. However, my worthy host seemed to become gayer and more communicative upon the strength of his dinner; and in the course of a long chat with him in the porch, I obtained a good deal of information in regard to all the families for many miles around. He told me he had lived there for thirty years; he had built himself two houses, and knew everybody in the neighbourhood--man, woman, and child; white, black, and yellow. Amongst the rest, he had been well acquainted with Aunt Bab; and from some facts he told me, I am inclined to feel glad that I came over here--not, perhaps, to enrich myself, but to spoil a very nefarious scheme for the appropriation of her property by others. Besides much other intelligence, I learned that the spot about which was congregated most of my hitherto unknown relatives, was still at a distance of some twenty-five to thirty miles; and, consequently, as soon as the sun had declined sufficiently to throw some shade upon the road, I looked eagerly about for my friend Zed, and directed him to bring out the horses. Not a little patience is needed all over the world in the minor affairs of life. I do believe they affect us more, and more permanently, than those of greater importance. We cut the diamond with dust, which we cannot even scratch with steel; and I am confident that many a man's spirit is worn away and brought down with petty cares and small annoyances, who would have struggled manfully against great evils. The kind of servitude, too, of this country is peculiarly abundant in such trifling discomforts, proceeding from the character of the different classes of people and their relations to each other. As far as I have seen, there is no order, no system, no regularity;--a total absence of that military discipline and punctuality which makes everything roll smoothly. My friend Zed was full three-quarters of an hour before he had brought out the horses and got everything else ready. First, he had forgotten what they call here the hitching-reins, for tying the horses up to any fence or gate where it may be needful; then he had left in the stable my gun, which I had given him to carry; then he had got one of the girths twisted; and, in short, there were innumerable little things to set right which should never have gone wrong. The day was intensely hot, however--more so than any one out of Virginia can possibly conceive; and, though resolved to cut this sort of thing short at once, I could only speak a few words of remonstrance.

"Beg pardon, massa," said Zed. "Things not got accustomed to me yet; they'll all come right by-and-by." Trusting that it would be so, I rode on. The next five-and-twenty miles seemed the longest journey I had ever made. I will not attempt to describe it, for that is impossible. The air was suffocating. Not a breath of wind moved the trees or came along the road. The long unwatered dust rose up at every footfall of the horses; the poor beasts were in a lather, though going at a very easy trot, and I myself was in that condition which, though it may be healthy enough, is very ungentlemanly in its aspect. What would I not have given for the coldest breeze that ever blew across the Scottish moors!--What would I have given for a good heavy gray cloud!--What for a drenching shower! But none of these things were to be had; and I went on with a sort of desperation, knowing that unless I slept in one of the marshes, where the evening frogs were already beginning to croak, I had no place of refuge for several miles ahead. All this while, Zed looked as cool as a cucumber. It was really quite provoking to see the glossy black shining of his skin, and his crisp, white wool, while I was dropping from every pore, "and larding the lean earth as I rode along." But the good man seemed really to have compassion upon me; and, about half-past five o'clock, he pointed with his hand to the left, saying,

"You look tire, massa Richard. Dere's a house. Better go in and stop dere."

"But whose house is it, Zed?" I asked.

"Don't know, massa," answered Zed. Then, in pity of my ignorance, he added, "Nebber mind dat. They very glad to see you, whoever it be. All gentlemen do de same." I looked in the direction in which he pointed, and clearly enough could see the house of which he spoke. His suggestion came at a very opportune moment, for we had just got out of the forest and come upon a large space of open ground some thousand acres in extent, which seemed rich and well cultivated, and the sun, then declining in the west, threw his full beams upon us, almost blinding me. The house seemed inviting, too. It was a large, red, brick building, somewhat like an old English manor-house, with a number of sheds and stables and outhouses scattered irregularly around it, and a backing of copse, not forest, but apparently consisting of orchards and shrubberies. I could not resist it, and, turning to Zed, asked, "Where is the road?"

"Oh, pull down de fence," answered Zed, "and ride straight ahead." He was off his horse in a moment to perform the office he proposed; but the fence was not high; my horse took it easily, and Zed and his nag scrambled over the best way they could. The house was about half a mile from the road; and, not liking to ride over the grain, I had to thread my way through a somewhat narrow path, which made the distance greater. This path, however, led into a road, and that road to the bank of a very pretty stream, over which was a bridge of rather primitive construction. A gentle slope led from the little river to the front of the house, covered, if not exactly with turf, with green grass, shaded by fruit trees. The whole reminded me of Old England--dear, never-to=be-forgotten Old England! There was so much of a home-look about it that I felt sure of a welcome, and, throwing the reins to Zed, sprung off my horse and mounted the old stone steps to the door. I had no occasion to ring any bells--my coming had been espied. The door was open before I could stretch out my hand, and, besides the nice-looking negro who opened it, I could see two black girls going up a large oak staircase and looking over their shoulders.

"Walk in, sir," said the man; "massa very glad to see you." And, without more ceremony or inquiry, he opened a large door to the right of the hall. My only hope was now that I should find the master of the house alone, for I began to feel all the awkwardness of the proceeding. It was not to be so, however. The scene presented, as I entered the room, was very pleasant in the abstract, but not altogether so in the circumstances then existing. I had evidently come upon a little party of gentlemen just after dinner. The room was a fine, old-fashioned room, large and lofty, with the windows all open and the blinds all shut. In the centre was a mahogany table, large enough to seat ten or twelve people, though only four now surrounded it, and on that table were some dishes of preserves and early fruits, glasses and decanters, and some curious old articles of silver ware. The gentleman at the head of the table was a tall, dignified, hale-looking man, with hair nearly white, an aquiline nose, and rather heavy eyebrows. His dress was somewhat between morning and evening costume. He wore a narrow black handkerchief around his neck, and a snowy white shirt, with a collar cut a good deal back from the chin, and a small, neatly-plaited frill in front. His coat was black and swallow-tailed, but he had on leather breeches and top-boots. The upper part, with its white waistcoat, might have graced a lady's evening drawing-room; the lower part was quite fit for cover-side. On the right of him was a gentleman in black, with a very thick white neck-cloth, hair like spun silver, and a mild, benevolent face. On the other hand was a gentleman of rather odd attire and appearance, with his hair combed flat and far down upon his forehead, who, in expression, rather than in features, reminded me more strongly of a parrot than any human thing I ever saw. A good-humoured, jolly-looking, fat fellow, about ten years younger than the rest, with a blue coat and bright gilt buttons, sat a little lower down, and completed the party. I would have given all Aunt Bab's fortune to be out of the house again. I am not by any means habitually shy; but there are moments when a cloud of shyness will come over me, and then, I believe, I am as stiff as a poker. I was soon, however, set at my ease. The master of the house arose (be was six feet three at least), and with an air of the utmost cordiality and urbanity, came forward to meet me, holding out his hand.

"Very glad to see you, sir," he said. "Pray take a seat. Will, put some glasses for this gentleman." (This was addressed to the servant.) "We have had a very hot day--singularly hot for this early time of year. That is Madeira; that is claret. But I dare say you stand in need of other refreshment. Let me order you some dinner." All this was said with an air of unceremonious ease and kindness which broke down all restraint; and I answered with a slight laugh:--

"Three minutes ago, my dear sir, I would have given a great deal to be out of your house again; but now, I am very glad I believed the report I have received of the hospitality of Virginian gentlemen. I must apologize first for appearing here in this traveller's guise, and next for appearing here at all. The truth is, I have ridden a long way, and, not accustomed to such tremendous heat, felt quite exhausted by it. Moreover, I knew not my road very well, or where I might find accommodation for the night."

"Where but here?" said my host, with a frank laugh. "I understand it all, my dear sir; make no further explanations. These things occur to us every day, and very gratifying they are; for, besides breaking a little the quiet routine of our country circle, they occasionally introduce us to pleasant acquaintances which sometimes ripen into friendships." Just as he spoke, who should put his head into the door but Master Zed, asking, unceremoniously, "Where shall I put de saddle-bags, Massa Richard?"

"Ask for Will, uncle, and tell him to show you the blue room," said my host. Then turning to me with a somewhat puzzled air, as if the familiarity of my servant prompted the question, he observed, "You are not a Virginian, I think?"

"No, sir," I answered; "I am an Englishman, come to wander for a month or two through the Old Dominion."

"Sir, you are most welcome here," responded my new friend. "My name is Thornton--Henry Thornton. This is my reverend friend Mr. Alsiger. This, Mr. Hubbard; and this, Mr. Byles--familiarly known amongst us as 'bold Billy Byles;' for a bolder man at a fence, a swamp, or a cane-brake, is not to be found between this and Charleston." This was said with a good-humoured laugh, and a nod to the gentleman in the blue coat and gilt buttons, who, for his part, shook hands heartily with me, and filled my glass full of claret. But nobody asked my name; and I was glad to find that this remnant of old chivalrous courtesy still prevailed in hospitable Virginia. After a pause of a few moments, such as is naturally produced when conversation has been interrupted, and has not had time to resume its course, Mr. Thornton observed:--

"I am always glad to meet an English gentleman, for my mother's brother married a lady from that country, who died not long ago; and the dearest, best, most charming old woman she was that ever the world saw."

"She was indeed," echoed the clergyman, from the other side. A smile, though it might be somewhat of a grave one, came up in my face, to find that I had so unexpectedly dropped in amongst dear Aunt Bab's connections. The quick eye of my host caught sight of the smile directly, and he readily drew his own conclusions; for he gave it me back again with a very slight inclination of the head, saying, sotto voce----

"Ah, ha!" None of the rest took any notice; and the wine continued to circulate round the table, until, suddenly, I heard from another room the tones of a piano, apparently very well played.

"Bessy thinks we are too long at our wine, and that is the way the gipsy calls us," said Mr. Thornton. "But we won't let her saucy tricks interrupt us. Fill your glasses, gentlemen. I will give you a toast. Here's eternal peace and good-will between old England and old Virginia; and may the kindred streams which flow in the veins of both never warm to anything but mutual friendship." All drank the toast with apparent alacrity and good feeling; and, although I am quite sure, from what I have seen and heard in this country, that a great many Americans remember with sore and irritable feelings, not only the war of the revolution, but the last war; and others who, for the purpose of pandering to the worst feelings of the basest of the population, affect enmity towards England; yet the majority of the wise and well-thinking would fain cultivate a good understanding between two countries, each of which bestows benefits upon and receives benefits from the other; ay and many, who have not forgotten all kindred ties, still look upon Great Britain as the birthplace of their race. Remembering, at length, after a very pleasant hour, that it was the custom in this country for a stranger to take the lead in departing from any scene of festivity. I rose, and proposed to retire to my room, saying:--

"I am not in fit guise to join any party of ladies, Mr. Thornton; but, if you will permit me, I will change my dress, and join you presently where those sweet strains are pouring forth."

"Let me show you the way," he said, taking a candle from the table; "and remember this is a place perfectly without ceremony. If you feel too much fatigued to-night for society, we shall expect to see you to-morrow at breakfast. If not, there is the room where you will find us assembled till ten o'clock this evening." And he pointed to a door on the other side of the hall, which was shut, notwithstanding the heat of the night. He now guided me up the stairs to a large, handsome room on the first floor, where I found everything that could be required for comfort, or even luxury; and, setting down the candle, for it was now twilight, he was about to leave me, still without asking my name. I stopped him, however; and a slight explanation ensued, which, notwithstanding my previous determination, I found myself bound to afford to one who had received me with such courteous hospitality. But I abstained from disclosing my name. He did not suffer me to go on long. "Say no more," he replied; "say no more. Your secret, if it be one, is safe with me. I dare say you have your reasons for remaining incog.; and, to tell you the truth, I am both glad you are come, and glad you are come quickly; for you have a good deal to hear and see about this place, and, perhaps, a little to do, which may require some thought as to the mode of doing it. My domestics will look to your general wants; and your own servants, I dare say, will take care of your more particular requirements." Thus saying he left me; and I sat down to think of the events of the day, before I went below to join what I could not but hear was a gay party.