116 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



given to a belief that there is no way of avoiding fre- 

 quent sickness, and consequently they take little trouble 

 to be rid of their plagues, regarding it as matter of fact 

 that no physician can cure their ' fever and ague.' 

 They try a few doses of quinquina, and if this does not 

 help they give themselves up to the fever, hoping that 

 with the approach of winter they will grow sound. 

 It is remarkable that among the multitude of fevers, 

 the quartan should be extremely rare. 



We lived in the same house with a doctor who, like 

 many country-doctors in America, had all his medi- 

 cines exposed in the window ; his store was very re- 

 stricted, little besides tartar-emetick, flowers of anti- 

 mony, tartar, saltpetre, Peruvian bark, and a few other 

 mixtures of sorts. He complained of slow and small 

 pay. As yet there are no medical regulations in 

 America, and if any one thinks his doctor's charge too 

 high it is the custom to submit the matter to some 

 neighboring practicioner, or to several of them, who 

 allow or reduce the amount according to the circum- 

 stances or the degree of friendship or spite they have 

 for their colleague. But if injustice is done, the 

 charge can be very easily made good by an affidavit. 



In Virginia as w r ell as in Carolina there are in most 

 of the houses hand-mills by which the maize, for the 

 beloved homany, is ground small by the negroes. The 

 mill-stones used are for the most part shell-stones, and 

 having to be of a sufficient hardness are obtained only 

 in certain places. Those used here come mainly from 

 a place this side the falls of the Roanoke ; at first sight 

 they seem not at all adapted for the purpose, the shells 

 weathered out having left large holes and flaws ; but 

 the stones are hard and firm, the shells bound together 



