1 
Tern™, Five OolUm a Year. 
Ten Cents a Copy. 
NEW YORK. THURSDAY. JULY 13, 1876. 1., 
Jin* Forest and Straem. 
HALT! 
A REST lor the tollers, a respite from strife, 
From the burden and heat of the battle of life; 
The bogles ore sounding the “reveille” again, 
Bivouac and reeroitfor another campaign. 
Honest industry wisely may guide through the years; 
By plowing and sowing the harvest appears: 
But the reapers their nooning may pass in tlic shade, 
The rest fairly earned by the labor they paid 
Let the bow be unbent Horn the warp and the Strain; 
Call a halt for the nerves and the world-weary brain; 
Step down from the treadmill, its jostle and noise, 
And away to the woodland like true-hearted boys. 
“Gradgrind" may admonish of *'keeping the shop,” 
Begrudging the oil till the worn engine stop; 
Be it ours to enliven the moil of the day, 
And stroll in the green fields that border the way. 
Let the Sybarites crumple their loaves as they will; 
Not for them are the sheaves that the garnere do fill— 
Not for such the wild glen where the brawling brook runs, 
Whence the true “almamater" is calling her sous. 
Away to the windward among the old hills, 
Where the pine and the balsam are arching the rills; 
Where the sweet fern bends over the cool, dripping springs, 
And the apice-iaden breezes shed life from their wings. 
T, W. A, 
For Forest and Stream. 
Sporting iff the §alaninl §imes. 
THESFORTSMEN' Ol' THE PERIOD—‘'THE BELVOIR MEET. 
I T was tire Christmas of 17(50. T.he Ancient Dominion 
never before was in such a prosperous condition. 
Money, billB of exchange, trad crisp bank notes, ponred iu 
from Emil **' 1 ' in barter for the planter’s wheat and tobac- 
t o. All trades were in a flourishing state, and not even' s- 
muttering of the coming storm was heard. Williams berg, 
then the capital city, was in the very zenith of its glory, 
and fairly glittered with its varied crowd of cavaliers, of¬ 
ficers in brilliant costume, and the array of beauty and 
faghion. All the noted men of the Colony were in. the 
town, tlie House of Burgess had begun its session, and 
Gov. hvjottswood had formally opened his Vice Royal court, 
and signtJized the occasion by a series of magnificent fetes 
and enterta.omeiits. The array and navy of his Majesty’s 
service, schftfars from abroad, nobles from France, and 
gentlemen from, the Continent combined to grace and honor 
the occasion With their presence. Balls and parties, 
theatricals, and suppers, the grand reception of Gov. 
Spottswood, drills Cl' the troops, visiting, matinees, calls, 
dinner and rides filhd the day at Williamsburg, whilst at 
night one could stroll with a tender bewitching Colonial 
maiden, go to the student's ball, could dance after the music 
of the colored baud, led % old Jerry—and dance as wildly 
as did the ancient Dutch btlrghers after the pied piper of 
of Hamelin, or could don his court dress, and present him¬ 
self at the Governor’s mansion, and tread the stately 
“minuet de la cour,” with his "Excellency's fair lady her¬ 
self. 
With all these pleasures at his command, it must have 
been a potent charm indeed, that couh) allure the cavaliers 
from this scene of enchantment. Yet a large party of the 
pick of the men, (in a society term at lean) coolly ignoring 
the temptations of the Capital, turned tb;ir backs upon 
the old town at the very height of the season, and went to 
“Belvoir.” Fairfax, Earl of Cameron, had thrown open 
wide his hospitable doors, bade his friends come, eat, 
drink, and be merry; and they, knowing well the hearty 
enjoyment in store for them, flocked to the beautiful old 
place. Besides this there was another reason stronger, and 
more potent in the hearts of these men than the love of 
fine wine, good tables, and the minuet, and that was the 
“annual meet” at Belvoir. Ah! that was a thing that few 
could resist. Well they know that no pleasure, in town 
could compensate them for tho loss of the splendid display, 
exciting rivalry and dashing riding after the Belvoir 
bounds. Ail those gentlemen who could get away from 
Williarasburgh, left for his Lordship’s mansion several 
days before Christmas, when there was to be a big dinner 
followed by a grand ball in the evening, and two days 
sifter the hunts were to begin. So sending their packs of 
dogs in charge of the master, to the rendezvous at Belvoir, 
the cocked-hat gentry proceeded leisurely to the hall, 
mauy of them taking their family coaches, with the quar- 
terings and crest of the family painted on the door, whilst 
the gentlemen rode their own favorite coursers. Soon the 
old hall was crowded with guests, and Belvoir was in its 
brightest colors. 
His Lordship, throwing asido his rough backwoods dress 
and his backwoods manner, appeared in a costume befit¬ 
ting his rank and station, and did the duties of the hos) 
with all the ceremonious politeness and urbanity that Ye 
could so well assume when occasion required. I haw be¬ 
side me an engraviug of the gentleman of that yean 
and what a dress! The homeliest man would shipkln/Aeh 
costume. Velvet coat with gold buttons mu* elug» a 
embroidered; satin vest, worked in elabo”* 10 
from which appeared dainty ruffles of lacpr skor *?~ 
ing to the knee and slashed with gold; 
lied at the knee with a garter; long po^ed 6hoes w h 
jeweled buckles ;-sucb was the t 
Dver the right shoulder hung emboasod j' 
was attached a ffibdo .upmr in a bn“ht steel scabbard. 
The three-cow-^ cocked-hat, generally earned under the 
irm -Hiuu-flot in uso » completed tho outfit, unci made a gal- 
Ural and striking figure, so utterly uulike our modern dress, 
which confounds all distintion between a gentleman and a 
waiter I will not describe the Christmas teativities at 
Belvoir, though strongly tempted to do so. I could detail 
mu amove lb'* splendid dinner, the old mahogany table 
groanjas"Under the good things; 1 could speak of the old 
Dresden china, the massive family plate, the huge Christ¬ 
inas turkey, the smoking haunch of venison, and the Vir¬ 
ginia cured hams, as sweet as sugar. Wild fowl from the 
Chesapeake, fish from Hog Island inlet, rare old wines from 
famous cellars, and the ancient Cameron punch-bowl, of 
massive silver, always filled with that generous liquor on 
festive occasions. And of the Christmas hall, where the 
proudest, the fairest and best of the colonists met; where 
satin rustled, velvet trailed, and brocade swept over the 
polished floor; where pearls gleamed, rubies shone, dia¬ 
monds sparkled, and jewels rich and rare, catching the 
light of the silver lamps, flashed everywhere. I could tell 
of men, famous in the airaais of their country, who surren¬ 
dered that night, captured by the bright, passionate, yet 
shy and tender eyes of the Colonial dames. Especially 
would I like to draw a portrait of sweet Mary Cary, who 
won the heart of Washington at Belvoir, and won it so 
well that he really never cared for any other woman, and 
cherished her memory as long as life lasted; it grieve.d her 
gentle heart that she could not respond to the young sur¬ 
veyor’s passion, for she was engaged to young Ned Ambler. 
At last the festivities of the hall were over, and the 
ladies had all left. It was a frosty, winter morning, just 
such a one as would cause the scent to lie well, or, as the 
old couplet had it:— 
“A Bonlherly wind, and a cloudy sky, 
Gave promlae or o hunting morning." 
The whole place was in an uproar, the different kennels 
were being brought out on the lawn and tlie sportsmen 
were mustering, each wearing his colors, and mounted on 
his erack horse. There were over fifty gentlemen at the 
Meet and a description of some of tho most noted will be 
proper. We will begin with young George Washington. 
Young George was a protege of Lord Fairfax, who took a 
great interest in the lad; aud gave him his first lift in 
the world, in the way of a commission to survey his Lord¬ 
ship’s farm, a neat piece of land of some hundred or so 
miles in extent, and which comprised over a score of coun¬ 
ties. The youth was elated at the piece of work, and well 
he might be. It not only would fill his purse, hut give 
, him a name aud distinction in his profession. It was a 
pleasant task enough in lower Vira5'“*> w * tk every door 
open to him, but when he billowed ,ke track of tke com¬ 
pass further west into the moug 41 * 13 was really a hard 
life lie led, and a rough set he, - as thrown amon S* Tradi¬ 
tion tells us that he was his '- m cook > havm S 110 spit but a 
forked stick, no plate hut rar £ e chip; roamiDg oyer the 
spurs and ridges of thgAIleghany and Blue Ridge, and 
along the banks of u, Shenandoah, spending a large per- 
lion of his time in MOim B and flskin S ! often straying 
with the Indians jr wlUl uncouth emigrants who could 
not spent En/- k - Rare, y sleeping in a bed, holding a 
hear sldn a <ri e ndid couch, living j n the woods and forests, 
thisAtriph'S 8urve y° r P assed kis "me with no companion* 
bvi his fettered associates, performing his duties all un- 
Aonsf» u “8 of the grandeur of his future. Washington ac¬ 
complished the task so well that the Earl was more than 
^tisfied with the result of his labors; and recognizing also in 
“the young man those great traits of character for which he 
was noted in after years, Fairfax conceived a great friend¬ 
ship for his surveyor, which was cordially returned, and 
lasted through many years. The two houses of the Earl 
were always to Washington as so many homt,^ and his 
room was always ready for him, When ever he i at! time to 
stop; it was at Belvoir that he met and courted Mistress 
Mary Cary. He tried his best to win her, burbot lii« 
conge. Itipade him very biuei' again ol l;or\some 
time, and i\had the effect at least of making him ihemost. 
reckless of alt riders after the hounds. He also trod exsutly 
in his illustiioua patron’s footsteps in regard to theVo- 
men. There (are a dozen men living in Fairfax couiiy 
now, who proudly but unthinkingly boast that they ac 
dirc< .tly-but what is the use of reviving old scat 
dais. They migi\t not he true after all. But he rode fat 
with the hounds, ft any rate, and shirked not fence, no^ 
craned at a water-jump. He, like all other riders, wore' 
the regulation top-boot, lmck-skin breeches, square coat, \ 
and cooked hat. Be was mounted on a superb stallion, , 
“Prince Charles," tli? gift of the Earl. Prince Charles’ \ 
sire was Rupert, whose dam was Nell Gwin, a famous racer \ 
belonging to the princely Buckingham, the boon eompan- \ 
ion of the Merry Monarch. Washington used the light \ 
English saddle and Pelham bit. He was au ardent and \ 
entbusiastic fox hunter, as was Lord Fairfax himself. I 
pave already so fully described his Lordship that I will 
only add that he was mounted on a horse of Immense size 
and power, the only one in his stable that could carry his 
weight all through a long run, One peculiarity about the 
Earl’s costume must not he omitted; that was his hunting 
horn. It was of pure silver, in shape nearly a perfect 
curve, and about as round and long as a barrel hoop—the 
master of the hounds always wore this style of horn, hut 
of course made of brass. They gave a deeper and incom¬ 
parably more mellow note than the little cow horns now in 
use. 
Next to his Lordship was young Byrd from Westover, a 
celebrated country seat on the James River, which the 
Marquis de Chastellux, who paid a lengthened visit (here 
in 1782, said surpassed all Hie seats in the country round 
about. Young Byrd brought his pack with him, and they 
were said to be the crack hounds of the J ames River region, 
and numbered some twenty couples. 
One most noticeable figure in the group is Major Bullet, 
who knows, and is known by, everybody in tho colonies, 
and is a favorite with all the hoys and girls for miles 
around; a singular paradox loved by the children and old 
women, but feared by the men. A roariug blade is the 
Major, who loves the wine cup, the chase, and delights to 
hear the dice rattle. He is about thirty-five years of age, 
tall, slender, and graceful, with soft brown eyes, a sweet 
voice, aud classic face; not a desperate looking fellow, 
though the Major was in the army, and was noted for his 
cool bravery and determined nerve. He waB not a bully 
by any means, nor even quarrelsome, but was quick and 
fiery tempered, a devout believer in the “code” as a means 
of righting difficulties, and consequently the most famous 
duelist in Virginia. A crack shot and accomplished 
swordsman, it made little difference to him at the hostile 
