218 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 4 



location, nor to induce even the proposition to re- 

 move the colony, or afterwards its seat of i^overn- 

 ment, to a much hiirher or more healthy siiualion. 

 The unavoidable inference seems to be, that the 

 preat sicl<liness of the early settlers was not attri- 

 buted by themselves, to the climate. Yet, this 

 was a question on which they could not possibly 

 have been deceived. And even if most others 

 had been deceived, by iijnorance, and the want of 

 experience of the efiects of malaria, this could not 

 have been the case with Smith, the most efficient 

 director, and the true founder of the colony; who 

 would have known better, not only by his general 

 intelligence, but also by his experience of such ef- 

 fects, gained in his campaigns against the Turks. 

 It may be alledged, that fear oi' the savages, 

 stronger than the dread of dise'dse, caused the 

 choice of, and afier-continnance on, an unhealthy 

 spot, because it was more easily guarded on the 

 land-side, and perfectly accessible to ships. But 

 spots equally favorable for defence, and on deep 

 water, might have been selected at first, much 

 higher up the river ; and yet Jamestown and its 

 immediate neighborhood continued to be the chief 

 place in Virginia, after the power of the savages 

 had been crushed, and settlements had been ex- 

 tended to distant and inland places. The proof of 

 my position would be sufficiently proved by any 

 attempt made now to settle Englishmen, just ar- 

 rived, on the border of almost any of our tide-wa- 

 ters, and especially about the junction of the salt 

 and fresh waters. Several such trials have been 

 made with foreign laborers ; but the first autumn 

 was enough to put an end to each experiment, by 

 inflicting so much disease and death as to prevent 

 any of the foreigners remaiifmg through another 

 season, who could possibly move awav. 



There can be but little doubt also, but there was 

 much less of autumnal diseases, or at least of vio- 

 lent and fatal diseases', before the revolutioisary 

 war than now. There was no such thing then, as 

 the healthy residents leaving home in summer, as is 

 so usual now, to spend the sickly season among 

 the mountains, or at the north ; nor, does it ap- 

 pear, that there was much suffering for want of 

 such resources, although, the climate must even 

 then have become very tar more unhealthy than 

 in the earlj' times of the colony. 



Another striking proofof the increased tendency 

 of the country to produce disease, even within the 

 last sixty years, is presented by history, in the cir- 

 cumstances of the occupation of Yorktown by the 

 British army in 1781, and the siege carried on by 

 the American army; and especially in regard to 

 the hastily-levied militia from the niountains, and 

 other high and healthy parts of Virginia. Corn- 

 wallis chose his position first in Portsmouth, and 

 afterwards in Yorktown, with a view to health, as 

 well as defence, to await the arrival of reinforce- 

 ments from New York. His army was concen- 

 trated at Yorktown, August 22. Washington 

 reached Williamsburg, September 14, and the 

 American army moved on thence to invest York- 

 town, Sept. 30, and the surrender of the British 

 army was made on Oct. 19th. Thus, both armies 

 were exposed to the worst part of'the malaria sea- 

 son, and the British army to the whole of it. 

 Among the besiegers, were raw militia just raised 

 for the occasion, from Rockbridjie county, (of 

 which portion i have been more particularly in- 

 formed,) and probably from sundry others of the 



mountain-counties. There was certainly much 



sickness, and especially among the British troops; 

 but not more than is usual in camps and especi- 

 ally in besieged camps, suffering all the priva- 

 tions incidental to the confined siiualion. It does 

 not appear, from the very slight notices in history, 

 that there was more sickness than might have 

 been expected if the same circumstances had oc- 

 curred in the hilly middle region of Virgmia. 

 Yet, if the like circumstances could occur now, it 

 can scarcely be doubted but that every soldier, not 

 already acclimated, and accustomed to malaria, 

 would be made sick ; and that probably half of 

 those just brought from breathing the pure moun- 

 tain-air, would never return home. 



Anotlier indirect proof is presented in the great 

 and deplorable decline of most of the lower coun- 

 ties of Virginia in wealth, and in the usual accom- 

 paniments of wealth, which formerly made a resi- 

 dence delightful in many neighborhoods in which 

 there is nothing now left to invite any one to re- 

 main. It is true that other causes, political and 

 economical, have concurred to produce this result. 

 But the most potent of the several causes, was the 

 slovvf and silent, but continual and increasing war- 

 fare on the health of body and mind, made by the 

 action of malaria. By its operation, when scarce- 

 ly amounting in effect to positive and known dis- 

 ease, the mind is sickened even more than the 

 body. The buoyant spirits are tamed — energy is 

 relaxed — the keen appetite for enjoyment, (which 

 is the greater part of happiness,) is lost ; and the 

 victims ot' malaria cease to strive, or to enjoy; and 

 either sink into apathy and listlessness, or urged 

 by discontent, more than by any remains of ener- 

 gy, take the final step of emigration to the west- 

 ern wilderness. 



But the upper country furnishes still stronger 

 evidence, because of positive and unquestionable 

 facts, to prove an increase of the product and ef- 

 i'ect of malaria. The hilly country between the 

 fiills of the rivers and the nearast mountain-range, 

 with the exception of some comparatively small 

 spots, on swamps and rivers, was formerly as free 

 from this scourge as is now the mountain region. 

 But the number and ttie extent of the imhealthy 

 places have greatly increased, within the memo- 

 ry of those now living; and some large districts 

 have been, in particular seasons, as subject to bil- 

 ious diseases, and still more to violent ones, than 

 the tide-water region. Indeed, in very many 

 places, universally believed (unless by the mill- 

 owners,) to be injuriously affected by the neigh- 

 borhood of mill-ponds, these effects of malaria 

 are of as regular recurrence in autumn, as on places 

 near to any of the marshes of the low country ; 

 and are much more dangerous. 



The third and highest region seems destined, 

 notwithstanding its better defence in mountain 

 sides and peaks, and the rarity of flat surface on 

 which to form wide and shallow ponds, to take its 

 turn next, as the victim of malaria. Already, in 

 that part of the mountain-region in and about 

 Frederick county, there have been particular au- 

 tumns which seemed almost pestilential. And 

 though such cases of general and virulent disease 

 are rare, particular cases of autumnal diseases are 

 now frequent in many such places where they 

 were rarely heard of thirty years ago. 



These statements may be considered by some 

 as exaggerated or unfounded — and, by others, if 



