The Norther?i Neck 



From hence we ascended up the river, about 

 fifteen miles, to Spotswood's iron-mines; and in our 

 way had a fine view of the Appalachian mountains, or 

 Blue Ridge, at the distance of seventy miles. At 

 this place I was much afi^ected by the following in- 

 cident. A gentleman in our company, which was 

 now increased, had a small negro boy with him, 

 about fourteen years of age, that had lived with him 

 in a remote part of the country some time as a ser- 

 vant; an old woman who was working in the mines, 

 and who proved to be the boy's grandmother, acci- 

 dentally cast her eyes on him; she viewed him with 

 great attention for some time; then screamed out, 

 saying that it was her child, and flung herself down 

 upon the ground. She lay there some seconds; rose 

 up, looked on him again in an ecstasy of joy, and fell 

 upon his neck and kissed him. After this, she re- 

 tired a few paces, examined him afresh with fixed 

 attention, and immediately seemed to lose herself 

 in thoughtful and profound melancholy. The boy 

 all this while stood silent and motionless, reclining 

 his head on one side, pale and aff"ected beyond de- 

 scription. It would not have been in the power of 

 painting to exhibit a finer picture of distress. 



We returned from this place the next day to 

 Fredericksburg; and ferrying over the Rappahannock 

 into the Northern Neck, travelled about seventeen 

 miles to a gentleman's house in Stafford county: in 

 the morning we proceeded through Dumfries, and 



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