Tour to the Caves in Virginia. 65 



of the 12th inst. At Harrisonburg, formerly called Rocktown, 

 there resides a French family, emigrants from Strasburg, on the 

 Rhine, who settled here three 3^ears ago, with the intention of 

 cultivating the grape vine. Their vineyard has been totally 

 destroyed the present season, by the recent severe frost, just at 

 the moment they expected to reap the fruits of their labours. 

 The sudden vicissitudes of temperature to which this elevated 

 situation, as we are informed, is constantly liable, will at all 

 times render it unfriendly to the cultivation of the vine. 



We left this village at half past 7 A. M., and after a ride of 

 ten miles, arrived at the " Big spring," which should rather be 

 called a river, so large is the body of water which rises suddenly 

 from the foot of a limestone hill, and continues in a stream of 

 some yards in breadth, and half a foot deep, with force sufficient 

 to turn two large mills immediately below : this stream of water 

 is excceamgly cool, and does not contain any fish ; it is artesian, 

 or ever flowing, and is always very pure, excepting, as a Dutch 

 girl informed me, "just before it was going to rain," when, she 

 said, it became turbid. It has only ceased to flow once, in the 

 memory of the oldest settlers, when it remained dry three days, 

 to the great terror of the farmers who hold mill seats immediate- 

 ly on it. 



This stream is situate on the main valley route, Rockingham 

 county, about five miles west of the Massonetto mountain, which 

 ridge is parallel to the Blue mountains, and nearly fifty miles 

 long. Continuing our route, three miles from the " Big spring," 

 on a line with the mountain, we halted to dine at an inn, kept 

 by Mr. T. K. Fuller, an emigrant from the State of New York, 

 who says he has resided in Virginia nine years, and detests the sla- 

 very system, seeing that the Dunkards who reside in this vicinity, 

 and who abjure slavery, possess farms in every respect superior 

 to those of their neighbours. Mr. F. possesses a taste for natural 

 curiosities, and has his bar room filled with what, in your geo- 

 logical lectures, you styled " n. k's." Mr. Fuller appeared con- 

 cerned, to think that people will have it that he knows something 

 of the science of mineralogy, of chemistry, &c. &c. but he fre- 

 quently repeated, " it is all a mistake ; it is all natural.^^ 



We left this station, after having made an arrangement with 

 Mr. F. for exchange of N. K's, on our return to Philadelphia — 

 he possessed some fine specimens of Ammonites, and a Trilobite, 



Vol. I.— 9 



