1836] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



515 



the existing causes are suffered to operate. The 

 streams which How from the western highland are 

 sucked up by the earth, which Irora the nature 

 of Its composition, absorbs and liolds water like a 

 sponge: and it is thus filled or very slightly over- 

 Mowed by water, and yet no part cov^ered deeply, 

 because the superfluous water finds or (orms chan- 

 nels to escape into rivers, which head at various 

 adjacent and much lower points. This continual 

 wetness, and the extreme richness of the soil, 

 combine to produce a prodigious growth of aqua- 

 tic plants, oi" various kinds, and of all sizes, Irom 

 tiie diminutive moss to the gigantic cypress. The 

 wet soil causes more evaporation than would take 

 place from water alone — and evaporation causes 

 cold — and the heat of the sun is in great mea- 

 sure excluded by the thick cover of trees. Hence, 

 a coldness of the earth suitable to a far more 

 northern climate is produced, and maintained. 

 The leaves and moss, and other vegetable matters 

 that fall, are hut partially decomposed, and thus 

 add annually to the thickness of the soil. 



As might be interred ti'om the operation of the 

 causes named, but little of the surface o' tlie 

 swamp is many inches either above or below 

 the water, though the level of the swamp is 

 in some places five feet lower than in others, and 

 perhaps much more. Standing, but shallow wa- 

 ter tends to raise the earth to its surface : and if, 

 by drainage, drought, or any other circumstance, 

 a part of the land should be so tnuch higher than 

 the water as to become quite dry, the first acci- 

 dental fire would reduce it to a lower level. 



It may well be supposed, from the foregoing 

 general description, that the swamp furnishes very 

 difficult ground to travel upon. But I had no ad- 

 equate conception of the magnitude of the difficul- 

 ties before personally making the trial. In addi- 

 tion to the general wetness of the earth — the most 

 dry being a mire, from sinking in which the trav- 

 eller is guarded only by the mat of living roots' — 

 the undergrowth of evergreen shrubs, and vines or 

 reeds, cause still greater impediments to his pro- 

 gress. 



It is difficult to imagine a sufficient motive to 

 have induced any man to penetrate a mile into the 

 swamp, before paths wee cut and made solid 

 enough, for the purpose of getting the timber. 

 And these obstacles long prevented any person 

 from going far from the borders. It was as late as 

 some twenty years before the revolutionary war, 

 that the lake, which is the most beautiful and mag- 

 nificent feature of the region, was first discovered by 

 a hunter, named Drummond, who had lost his 

 way, and therefore wandered miles through this 

 "Slough of Despond." He could not have reach- 

 ed the lake in the shortest line from the main land 

 in less than three miles — and probably it was 

 many more. What must have been the sensa- 

 tions of a man, so lost in such a gloomy labyrinth, 

 when he came suddenly upon the border of this 

 splendid sheet of wide water ! Lake Drummond 

 is nearly oval — seven miles long, and more than 

 five wide. It has no beach, thetliick and tall for- 

 est being at and in its margin. The water is gen- 

 erally even with, and often gently overflowing" 

 hs banks — and the banks (if such they may be 

 called) sink perpendicularly, so that whether the 

 Avaters of the lake are higher or lower than is 

 usual, it makes no difliirence in the breadth of the 

 water, and but little difference in the general ap- 



pearance of the shores. There may be a differ- 

 ence between the highest and lowest water, li-oni 

 the opposite effects of the wettest and drvest sea- 

 sons, of three or four feet — and there would not be 

 as amch, perhaps, but for the artificial reducing of 

 the water, in the dryest seasons, to supply the 

 great canal for the purposes of navigation. 



This beautiful lake — and which no doubt seems 

 the more beautiliil on account of the gloomy sce- 

 nery passed to roach its borders — is so much like 

 belonging to fairy land, that it is not strange that 

 it should have been connected with sundry popu- 

 lar delusions. Some persons at first had affirmed, 

 and others believed, that the lake had no bottom — 

 or that it communicated Avith the neighboring 

 ocean by a subterraneous passage. There was 

 but slender ground for this delusion, as the lake 

 is quite shallow, and the level of the bottom very 

 regular. Mr. JNlills Uiddick sen. of Suffolk, told 

 me that he assisted Commodore Barron in sound- 

 ing across the lake. The depth about the middle, 

 where greatest, was 15 feet. The bottom is of 

 mud like the swamp, but sometimes a pure white 

 sand covers the mud a foot, or perhaps more, 

 in depth. 



About the time that the lake was discovered, 

 another event took place which produced ultimate- 

 ly the present proprietary state, and peculiar busi- 

 ness and manaixement of the swamp. This was 

 the '"taking up" by Gen. Washington, and a few 

 other gentlemen acting upon his suggestion, of all 

 the then unappropriated lands of the Dismal 

 Swamp in Virginia. Before that time no persons 

 had taken possession (b)- course of law,) of any 

 lands, but those at and near the margin of' the 

 high land, because tlie interior lands were not 

 deemed worth paying the lowest taxes on. Gen. 

 Washington whose business as a land surveyor 

 gave him many opportunities of acquiring posses- 

 sion of valuable public lands, and who obtained 

 much of his wealth in that manner — saw a rich 

 farm on the border, which had been rendered pro- 

 ductive by being drained. Thiid<ing that the 

 whole swamp was equally available for cultiva- 

 tion, he formed the association above named, 

 bought the farm in question, and took up all the 

 remaining state lands, estimated then at 40,000 

 acres, but which are now supposed to be much 

 more. They excluded the lake fi'om their patent, 

 though it was completely surrounded by their 

 land, considerins it not worth paying a tax for. 

 By this ill judired economy the company has since 

 suffered. When the Dismal Swamp Canal Com- 

 pany was afterwards chartered, they were grant- 

 ed by the commonwealth the exclusive use of the 

 water of Lake Drummond to feed their canal — 

 and this grant serves to shackle the efforts of the 

 Land Company, (since also incorporated,) and 

 would prevent the adoption of any general plan 

 for draining. As is usually the case wtih corpora- 

 tions that come in contact, they seem more fond of 

 squabbling with and opposinir each other, than 

 of unitmg in any general procedure for the good of 

 both. 



The only objects of the Land Company at first 



were agricultural — and they commenced, and for 



years carried on tillage on their farm, and drainage 



to extend it. For the latter purpose, they dug a 



1 canal of some miles in length from the high land 



I to the lake, which is siill large enough for the pas- 



i sage of boats. This is now known as the "Wash- 



