238 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



4. If no one fulfils the requisite conditions, the prize shall be 

 divided among those who come nearest to the conditions pre- 

 scribed. 



Oct. 1853. By the Emperor, 



The Marshal of France, Minister Secretary of 

 State for the Department of War. 

 (Signed,) A. De Saint Arnaud. 



PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS, LONDON, 1731. 

 Extrdcts hy Henry Meigs, 1854. 



SOME ACCOUNT OF VIRGINIA BY THOMAS GLOVER. 



" Virginia is bounded west by the ^ppal-lean mountains. The 

 country lieth within a bay called the bay of Chisepeck. Into 

 this bay do issue so many large, pleasant and commodious rivers, 

 as I verily believe no space of ground of equal dimensions in tlie 

 whole world, can boast of the like. At the head of the bay do 

 enter three large rivers, one whereof is called Sus-cahannah,from 

 the name of a nation of Indians so called, bordering on the same. 



In the rivers are great plenty and variety of fish. One kind 

 whereof is by the English called a sheep's head from the resem- 

 blance the eye of it bears with the eye of a sheep. It is about 

 15 or 16 inches long and about half a foot broad, it is a whole- 

 some and pleasant fish and of easy digestion. There is another 

 sort called a drum, many of which are two and three feet long — 

 plenty of them. At the heads of the rivers are sturgeon, perches, 

 crokers, taylors, cells and divers others; and such plenty of 

 oysters as they may load ships with them. At the mouth of 

 Elizabeth river, when it is low tide, they appear on rocks a foot 

 above water. On the bay and rivers feed so many wild fowl as 

 in winter time they do in some places cover the water for two 

 miles. The chief of which are wild swans, geese, cormorants, 

 brants, shield-fowls, duck and mallard, teal,wigeons, with many 

 others. There likewise keep in the rivers, bevers and otters. 



They distinguish their soil into three sorts (viz) high, low and 

 marshy land, all of which have some sand mixed in them. Their 

 high lands are most sandy but do notwitlistanding bear very good 

 crops of tobacco only it does not hold its strength so long as the 

 low ground, which is very rich, being a blackish jnould about a 

 foot deep or somewhat more and will hold its strength for seven 

 or eight crops without manuring. When the strength of tlieir 

 land is worn out, they never manure it to bring it in heart but 



