FARMERS' REGISTER 



417 



claimed (or ihe increase of fertility, of wealth, 

 education, and general refinement. Until re- 

 cently, the public worship of the episcopal church 

 was mainly, though indirectly, maintained at the 

 expense of the college. The president of the 

 college, or one of the professors, always was an 

 episcopalian clergyman, and one ol' such grade 

 of learning or of reputation as could not other- 

 wise have bpen obtained here ; and thus the ser- 

 vices of the church were maintained at very small 

 additional expense to the inhabitants. The most 

 venerable old church in Virginia, and an excellent 

 and costly building, they inherited from the old 

 establishment. The other denominations of Chris- 

 tians were much worse off, and their public reli- 

 gious services on the most humble fooling. Now 

 all are greatly advanced, and are still advancing. 

 The former connexion between the college and 

 the church has been effectually severed, we trust 

 for the good of both parties ; but certainly and 

 greatly to the benefit of the college. The mem- 

 bers of the episcopal congregation now pay for, 

 and entirely support their own church and its ser- 

 vice, and that too with a degree of liberality, and 

 to an amount of expenditure, which are remarka- 

 ble for so scanty a population. The most costly, 

 and what is deemed the greatest improvement 

 thus made, the thorough alteration and repair of 

 the interior of the old church, we could well have 

 spared, and indeed cannot but regret the change. 

 Compared to the old fashion of the church, with its 

 ppacious area, and its long and gloomy aisles, 

 floored with stone and interspersed with old mo- 

 numental inscriptions, and the general simplicity, 

 and absence of decoration, the present interior 

 has the elegance and luxury of a modern draw- 

 ing room. But the unquestionable beauty and 

 comforts of the newly modelled interior do not ade- 

 quately compensate for the loss of the severe and 

 simple grandeur of the old structure. More than 

 S3000 have been recently expended to repair and 

 dandify the church, and at the sacrifice of half its 

 space, and the destruction of every appearance of 

 what was antique, solemn, and venerable. For- 

 tunately, the exterior of the building could not be 

 damaged by modern improvement and decoration; 

 and therefore the church retains its ancient form, 

 and is now, as always to our taste and feelings, 

 more admirable and impressive in its simple and 

 even rude style of architecture, than the roost 

 costly and highly adorned of modern churches. 



The present prosperous and excellent condition 

 of the College of William and Mary will be the 

 most highly appreciated by those who are most 

 intimately acquainted with the existing facts ; and 

 will be deemed most remarkable by those who best 



time of greatest prosperity. Then, when without 

 a rival in Virginia, or scarcely in the south, about 

 70 students was the highest average number; and 

 no one then questioned or doubted the received 

 opinion, that the institution was highly prosperous, 

 and in entirely successful operation. Afterwards 

 various causes concurred to depress the institution, 

 and to bring it to the brink of ruin. After nearly 

 20 years of fluctuation and adversity, and of ge- 

 neral decline, as late as 1834 there were but 17 

 students. Then commenced the fortunate change; 

 and a very regular and rapid increase has brought 

 the number this year to 140 students in the law 

 and scientific classes, or to double the number of 

 the greatest average of old times. Yet now Wil- 

 liam and Mary is so surrounded and pressed upon 

 by rival and successful and growing institutions, 

 that ail that can be now deemed its proper pro- 

 vince is the tide-water region of Virginia; and 

 even of that, very many of the young men are 

 sent by their mistaken parents to northern col- 

 leges of far less worth than now may be just'y 

 claimed for William and JVlary, both in regard to 

 the ability of its professors and the excellence of 

 the course of instruction. A course so mistaken, 

 and so opposed to patriotism, as well as to the pri- 

 vate interests and welfare of the individuals so 

 acting, cannot long continue ; and we predict that, 

 even if no more extended ground should be occu- 

 pied by this college, the tide-water and marl 

 region of Virginia alone will still more swell the 

 number of its pupils. But, in fact, its present field 

 of operations is much more extensive ; and more 

 than half its students still come from the upper 

 country. 



But to return from this digression. Any stran- 

 ger to this part of the country, who may read and 

 believe these or other published statements of the 

 improvements here made by marling, would na- 

 turally infer that the whole marl region of Virgi- 

 nia was pursuing the like profitable course. But 

 such is not the case. It is true that nobody now 

 denies the value of marl, and the profit of apply- 

 ing it as manure. But still, so slow is the pro- 

 gress of the most valuable and undoubted improve- 

 ments upon old practices, that often years are re- 

 quired (or a new practice to extend a kw miles. 

 Wherever some one intelligent and energetic 

 farmer in lower Virginia has gone to marling on a 

 large scale, his example has gradually spread to 

 all the farms around him. But vviihout such an in- 

 telligent and spirited pioneer, to exhibit to the eyes 

 of his neighbors the benefits and profits of the 

 practice, the experiments are small and few, and 

 but little is done for general or extensive operations. 

 The neighborhood of Williamsburg, and extend- 



knew it formerlv, in what was then deemed its ing to more than 12 miles above, is one of the 

 Vol. VIII-53 



