1839] 



FARMERS '/REGISTER. 



703 



more and more elevated. The mills on the canal, 

 and some other large buiklliip-s had narrowed the 

 view ahead ; but when these were passed, and the 

 upper teriDination of the canal nearly reached, its 

 great and maunificent source, Lake Scuppernong, 

 opened gloriously to my view, and a lew moments 

 alter hrouirht us to its margin. The position of 

 the mansion house barely permits the passage ol' 

 the road between it and the canal ; and the house 

 is also so near the lake, that the spray Irora its 

 billows in great storms would cover the space be- 

 tween, but lor the lew cypresses standing in the 

 edge of the water, and other barriers against the 

 violence of the waves. 



Across the lake Irom the canal stretches the 

 great savanna on the opposite shore, and which is 

 scarcely visible, owing to the low size ol" its gene- 

 ral though dense growth. The few scattering 

 high trees thereon, seem to be standing in water, 

 and not on land. The other sides are closed with 

 a dense cypress forest, of the usual great height. 

 In general appearance, at the first glance, this lake 

 is alike to Lake Drummond in the Great Dismal 

 Swamp of Virginia. But the first impressions of 

 both still are very different. Over the latter, it 

 Avould seem to a stranger that nature reigned in 

 gloomy solituile that had never before been dis- 

 turbed. With Lake Scuppernong, the works of 

 man stand in strong and conspicuous contrast to 

 the natural scenery and the general condition of 

 the vast and impenetrable morass in which are 

 concealed both this beautilijl creation of nature 

 and that of the rare exertion of the industry and 

 intelligence of man ; and in a region where these 

 qualities, or their proper direction, seemed scarcely 

 ta be in existence. 



Of course, I had been prepared in some mea- 

 sure by previous but very inaccurate report, for 

 the remarkable scene now spread before my view. 

 But if it were possible for a person not so inform- 

 ed to find his way to this spot, by a journey over 

 the only practicable path — and siill more if the 

 last few miles were through the interveninff track- 

 less swamp, yet remaining in its natural wild state 

 — ihe unexpectedness of the objects Ibund would be 

 even more striking to such an observer than even 

 the actual romantic and peculiar beauties of the 

 scene. 



The first discovery and earliest knowledge of 

 this lake was in 1755. Some hunters who had for 

 years dwelt within three miles of iis shore, on 

 some of the small " islands " or spots of firm 

 ground, had observed that the deer when pursued, 

 usually ran off" in a particular direction, from 

 which the dogs soon returned, as if bafHed in their 

 pursuit. Thence it was inlerred that some wide 

 water lay that way, in which the deer found a 

 safe refuge. These hunters at last determined to at- 

 tempt the arduous labor of penetrating the swamp, 

 scarcely passable as it was then even to them, 

 and to find the great water, if it existed within the 

 short distance that they suspected it to be. They 

 set out for this purpose, and worked their slow and 

 toilsome way through the day, and lodged, as well 

 as might be, where night overtook them. The 

 next morning, discouraged by the difficulty of fur- 

 ther progress, and fearing to add more to the toil 

 and danger of their return, it was agreed to aban- 

 don the adventure forthwith. But before turning 

 their steps homeward, as a lost resource, one ol 

 :the party. Tarkinton, climbed one of the tallest 



trees, and from its top, had the first view of the 

 broad waters of the lake, and at no great distance. 

 His joyful exclamations, announcing the discovery, 

 and its direction, induced one of his less zealous 

 companions to try to seize upon the honor of first 

 reaching the lake ; and he immediately pushed 

 on in the direction indicated, and liad leaped into 

 the water and claimed for it his own name, be- 

 Ibre Tarkinton could descend the tree and overtake 

 him. Thus was the name of Phelps attached to 

 the lake, as contrary to justice, as lo euphony and 

 good taste. Bu' in old records it was also some- 

 times called by -the Indian name ol Scuppernong, 

 being the source of the river before and still so 

 called; and that name, of better sound and belter 

 application, ought by all means to supersede the 

 use of the other. 



(To be continued.) 



MANAGEMENT BETTER THAN BEATING. 



From ttie American Farmer. 

 A truckman in Boston, who had a refractory 

 horse, that would not move forward, beat him un- 

 mercifully. A gentleman came along, who told 

 him that he must not beathim any more. " What 

 shall I do? " said the man ; " my horse has stood 

 here these two hours. Shall I stand here all day? " 

 "Oh no, the horse must go, but you must not beat 

 him any more. Get me a rope twice as long as 

 the horse." The rope was brought, tied to its 

 tail, and then passed between his legs forward ; 

 then he gave a pull upon the rope ; the horse was 

 frightened, and showed signs of kicking ; he con- 

 tinued to pull ; the horse suddenly started forward, 

 and went off without any more beating. The 

 gentleman had seen that method tried on jack- 

 asses in South America with full success. If you 

 doubt it, try for yourself. 



OF THE [ancient] CURRENCY AND VALUA- 

 TION OF COINS IN VIRGINIA. 



From Beverley's History of Virginia, 



"The coin which chiefly they have among 'em, 

 is either gold, of the stamp of jlrabia, or silver' 

 and gold oi" the stamp ol" the Spanish America: 

 but they have now very little money there, and 

 are still like to have rather less than more, while 

 matters remain in the ill condition they are. For 

 while they are forbid raising the coin, and the 

 neighbouring governments all around, are allow'd 

 to enhance the rate of it with them, to above thirty 

 per cent, more than the intrinsick value, all their 

 money will be carry'd thither, which seems to be 

 the greatest hardship in the world, upon that 

 colony. It were much to be wish'd, that all the 

 colonies of the continent under the dominion of 

 England, were oblig'd to have one and the same 

 standard for their coin: that so one government 

 might not sufier by the unreasonable advances of 

 another. The inconveniences to Virginia by the 

 drawing away all the specie are inexpressible, 

 b^or people want money for travelling expenses, 

 and (or paying the small jobbs of labourers and 

 artificers, who could otherwise have abundance ol 

 time to themselve-!, which is now lost in looking: 

 alter trivial debt?, besides the disadvantage of not 



