194 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 



this ground, which is altogether so interesting as 

 the closing scene of the vvar of the American re- 

 volution; and twenly-seven years ago, when 1 

 first saw it, the greater part of the outer walls and 

 three of the chimneys were still standing. All 

 has since been demolished, merely lor the use of 

 the materials; and the site is distinguished only 

 by a greater quantity of rubbish, scattered by the 

 side of the British line of defence. 



The present owner of Rosewell was not at 

 home; but still I was obliged by the kind welcome 

 which he had prepared lor my expected visit. If 

 it was not so mucli out of the way of travellers, I 

 doubt not but that Rosewell would be considered an 

 object of interest, which would probably expose 

 the owner to many such intrusions as mine, and 

 which would become, by their number, more an- 

 noying than welcome. 



Gloucester-town, (which has not the semblance 

 of a town,) lies immediately opposite Yorktown ; 

 and the former as well as the latter place was Ibr- 

 tified by part of the British army under Cornwallis. 

 and invested by a part of the American forces. 

 The remains of four redoubts, which defended the 

 point ol'land, still are seen, in quadrangular mounds 

 of about 8 leet elevation ; and these, like the in- 

 treuchments of both besieged and besiegers sur- 

 rounding Yorktown on the opposite side of the 

 river, and even the large holes in the ground 

 which were made by exploding bomb-shells, will 

 probably continue visible until Yorktown itself shall 

 have reached the end of the decay and ruin to 

 which it has long been making progress. Another 

 redoubt, standing alone, is on the road, about a 

 mile from Gloucester Point. This probably was 

 an outpost of the investing force. The mound 

 furnishes an agricultural lesson to those who main- 

 tain that any barren sub-soil, brought up by deep 

 ploughing, will become fertilized by exposure. 

 The sandy sub-soil, thrown up in erecting this 

 work fifty- seven years ago, is still bare ol' vegeta- 

 tion. 



The most valuable thinir now in Yorktown, 

 (supposing antiquities and historical memorials to 

 be worth nothing,) is the body of rich marl which 

 under-lies tlie town, and is exposed on the river 

 side. It is perfectly dry, and of a texture more 

 like very soft rock, than shell-marl or earth. It is 

 in this that the artificial cavern was made which is 

 called Cornwallis' cave, and which tradition tells 

 was his lordship's quarters after Secretary Nel- 

 son's house was no longer habitable. But like 

 most, other traditionary accounts, the fsict is dis- 

 puted. When I first saw the cave, in my boyhood, 

 it was entered by a doorway of small size, and 

 consisted of a square apartment, from which ano- 

 ther door led to a second room of smaller size. 

 The walls and ceilings were shaped well and 

 neatly ; and the firmness of both showed that the 

 excavation might be continued safely, to any ex- 

 tent, without any other props than walls of the marl 

 itself. This quality, and its ijreat richness, would 

 make the bed valuable for shipping marl lor sale ; 

 which has already been done, without the need of 

 excavating, from a place a few miles lower down. 

 But until within late years, I think it most proba- 

 ble that nobody in York county knew any thing of 

 the composition or value of the earth in question ; 

 and still, judging from their works, but little value 

 is yet attached by them to the use of ilie manure. 

 When 1 last entered Cornwallis' cave, one of the 



apartments was nearly filled with fodder, and the 

 other was converted to a hog-sty, which, in the 

 darkness, I could not know by sight, but was soon 

 m formed, by the grunting and the stench, of the 

 presence of the successor of Lord Cornwallis. 



STATEMENT OF SUCCESSFUL FARMING, ON A 

 SMALL SCALE, ON GLOUCESTER LOW-GROUND. 



By the Editor. 



The farm of Jefferson B. Sinclair was referred 

 to in the preceding article (at page 181, No. 3,)' 

 and the more important of the peculiar circum- 

 stances, and qualities of the soil described general- 

 ly. In addition to what is there stated, as part of 

 a general sketch of the soils and agriculture of 

 Gloucester, and to which I beg to refer, as prefato- 

 ry to this statement, I will here report more par- 

 ticularly on the labors expended on, and profits de- 

 rived from, the cultivation of the farm. The choice 

 of this liirm for more particular notice, is not di- 

 rected by any of the considerations which might be 

 supposed usually to operate; and Avhether it is 

 well or ill-directed, it will at least be manifest to 

 those best acquainted in the county, that the 

 choice of the writer is not directed by consider- 

 ations of self-interest, or by a desire to pay 

 court to those enjoying high station, or exercising 

 extensive influence. Mr. Sinclair, notwithstand- 

 ing ills considerable gains, is not yet one of the 

 rich men of Gloucester, nor one who makes any 

 pretension to fiishionable, expensive, or " stylish" 

 living; neither has his system, or general plan of 

 farming, any thing commendable, nor is its execu- 

 tion of that neat and perfect kind to please the 

 eye, and command admiration. He was quite a 

 poor man, who, by unremitting industry and care, 

 and by making good use of some of the peculiar 

 advantages of his land, has greatly improved 

 both his income and his farm, and who now 

 shows very heavy crops, and derives large profits. 

 Others, in the county, with greater advantages of 

 spare capital, and more extended agricultural in- 

 formation, have performed operations in cultivat- 

 ing or improving their lands far more likely to at- 

 tract and gratity the observer, and to command 

 his applause. But the past and present circum- 

 stances of this farm will better serve to show, by 

 example, the capacity for improvement and in- 

 creased product of the land, and the profit which 

 may be counted on to revk'ard steady industry and 

 economy. Whatever has been done here is the 

 result of labor, almost alone, at first; and since, 

 of labor united with the capital produced by the 

 earlier bestowed labor. 



This farm, as in the foregoing article stated, lies 

 on the shore of Mobjack bay, and, with two or 

 three adjacent farms, forms the "neck" or point 

 between the mouths of Ware and Severn rivers. 

 The greater part of the neck, as well as the great- 

 er part of Mr. Sinclair's arable part of it, is so 

 little above the level of the sea, that it has been 

 sometimes, though rarely, covered by storm or 

 gust-tides. The greater part is probably not more 

 than three feet above ordinary high tide. 



The lather of the jiresent owner was a regular 

 seaman, and in command of a vessel in the mer- 

 chant service. He came fiom a very different 



