58t Tour to the Caves in Virginia, 



adopted by the Greeks, and of which the letters of the Roman 

 alphabet, and our own, are imitations. Previous to these emi- 

 grations, science, which had originated during the Africo-asiatic 

 period of society we have briefly glanced at, had not been able 

 to advance beyond the sacred circle, which the priesthood had 

 drawn around it : the Brahminical and Egyptian priests, were 

 alike the sole depositaries of all knowledge, sacred and profane. 

 This circle being now broken through, the human mind, released 

 from its trammels, soon entered upon the philosophical period of * 

 the early stages of society, as contra-distinguished from the sacer- 

 dotal period which had preceded it. 



( To he continued). 



TOUR TO THE CAVES IN VIRGINIA. 



In a letter from Dr. Richard Harlan to the Editor. 



Washington, May 28, 1831. 



My dear Sir, — In answer to your request, to have some de- 

 tails of our tour through part of the state of Virginia, I think I 

 can do no better than send you a copy of my Journal ; assured 

 that you will make full allowance for the inadvertencies oc- 

 casioned by the rapidity of our progress, and the very limited 

 time at our disposal. 



I left this city, with a friend, on the 17th inst. ; the bridge 

 across the Potomac having been destroyed by ice during the 

 winter, we were obliged to cross at Georgetown in a flat boat, 

 and arrived at Fairfax court-house at 9 P. M. on a dark night, 

 and over a very bad road. The principal hotel here, had re- 

 cently been destroyed by fire ; we succeeded, however, in getting 

 tolerable lodgings. I was awoke during the night by the Capri- 

 mulgus Vociferus, (Whip-poor-will,) which perched for some 

 time in the vicinity of my window. Thus far, this bird has ap- 

 peared to us, more common in Virginia and Maryland, than in 

 Pennsylvania : but the notes of the partridge we have not once 

 heard ; they appear all to have perished during the severe snow 

 storm of last winter.* 



* We are afraid this will be found to have been very generally the case. Our fa- 

 vourite retreat, Brandywine springs, in Delaware, was last year the paradise of 

 partridges ; they were abundant, and having been but little disturbed, were very 

 confiding. But we have received sad accounts, this season, from the farmers, of 

 their skeletons being found under the fences. — [Editor. 



