134 
l^ROGRESS TO THE MINES. 
not presume to pry into the secret of her age, nor was she forward to dis^ 
close it, for this humble reason, lest I should think her wisdom fell short of 
her years. She contrived to make this day of her birth a day of mourning,, 
for having nothing better at present to set her affections upon, she had a dog 
that was a great favourite. It happened that very morning the poor cur had 
done something very uncleanly upon the colonel’s bed, for which he was con- 
demned to die. However, upon her entreaty, she got him a reprieve ; but 
■was so concerned that so much severity should be intended on her birth day, 
that she was not to be comforted; and lest such another accident might oust 
the poor cur of his clergy, she protested she would board out her dog at a 
neighbour’s house, where she hoped he would be more kindly treated. Then 
the colonel and I took another turn in the garden, to discourse farther on the 
subject of iron. He was very frank in communicating all his dear-bought 
experience to me, and told me very civilly he would not only let me into the 
whole secret, but would make a journey to James river, and give me his 
faithful opinion of all my conveniences. For his part he wished there were 
many more iron works in the country, provided the parties concerned would 
preserve a constant harmony among themselves, and meet and consult fre- 
quently, what might be for their common advantage. By this they might be 
better able to manage the workmen, and reduce their wages to what was 
just and reasonable. After this frank speech, he began to explain the whole 
charge of an iron work. He said, there ought at least to be a hundred 
negroes employed in it, and those upon good land would make corn, and 
raise provisions enough to support them.selves and the cattle, and do every 
other part of the business. That the furnace might be built for seven hun- 
dred pounJs, and made ready to go to work, if I went the nearest way to do 
it, especially since coming after so many, I might correct their errors and 
avoid their miscarriages. That if I had ore and wood enough, and a con- 
venient stream of water to set the furnace upon, having neither too much 
nor too little water, I might undertake the affair w’ith a full assurance of 
success. Provided the distance of carting be not too great, which is exceed- 
ingly burdensome. That there must be abundance of wheel carriages, shod 
with iron, and several teams of oxen, provided to transport the w’ood that is 
to be coaled, and afterwards the coal and ore to the furnace, and last of all 
the sow iron to the nearest water carriage, and carry back limestone and 
other necessaries from thence to the works ; and a sloop also would be useful 
to carry the iron on board the ships, the masters not being always in the 
humour to fetch it. Then he enumerated the people that were to be hired, 
viz.: a founder, a mine-raiser, a collier, a stock-taker, a clerk, a smith, a 
carpenter, a wheelwright, and several carters. That these altogether will 
be a standing charge of about five hundred pounds a year. That the 
amount of freight, custom, commission and other charges in England, comes 
to twenty-seven shillings a ton. But that the merchants yearly find out 
means to inflame the account with new articles, as they do in those of to- 
bacco. That, upon the whole matter, the expenses here and in England may 
be computed modestly at two pounds a ton. And the rest that the iron sells 
for will be clear gain, to pay for the land and negroes, which it is to be hoped 
will be three pounds more for every ton that is sent over. As this account 
agreed pretty near with that which Mr. Chiswell had given me, I set it down 
(notwithstanding it may seem a repetition of the same thing) to prove that 
both these gentlemen were sincere in their representations. We had a Mi- 
chaelmas goose for dinner, of Miss Theky’s own raising, who was now good- 
natured enough to forget the jeopardy of her dog. In the afternoon we 
walked in a meadow by the river side, which winds in the form of a horse- 
shoe about Germanna, making it a peninsula, containing about four hundred 
