PROGRESS TO THE MINES. 
141 
at Bristol they are both of equal price. The man strikes down the knife 
once at every motion of the screw, so that his hand and foot keep exact 
pace with each other. After the tobacco is cut in this manner, it is sifted 
first through a sand riddle, and then through a dust riddle, till it is perfectly 
clean. Then it is put into a tight hogshead, and pressed under the nut, till 
it weighs about a thousand net. One man performs all the work after the 
tobacco is stemmed, so that the charge bears no proportion to the profit. 
One considerable benefit from planting long green tobacco is, that it is much 
harder, and less subject to fire than other sweet scented, though it smells not 
altogether so fragrant. I surprised Mrs. Woodford in her housewifery in the 
meat-house, at which she blushed as if it had been a sin. We all walked about 
a mile in the woods, where I showed them several useful plants, and explained 
the virtues of them. This exercise, and the fine air we breathed in, sharpened 
our appetites so much that we had no mercy on a rib of beef that came attend- 
ed with several other good things at dinner. In the afternoon, we tempted all 
the family to go along with us to major Ben. Robinson’s, who lives on a high hill, 
called Moon’s Mount, about five miles off. Ori the road we came to an eminence, 
from whence we had a plain view of the mountains, which seemed to be no 
more than thirty miles from us, in a straight line, though, to go by the road, it 
was near double that distance. The sun had just time to light us to our jour- 
ney’s end, and the major received us with his usual good humour. He has a 
very industrious wife, who has kept him from sinking by the weight of gam- 
ing and idleness. But he is now reformed from those ruinous qualities, and 
by the help of a clerk’s place, in a quarrelsome county, will soon be able to 
clear his old scores. We drank exceeding good cider here, the juice of the 
white apple, which made us talkative till ten o’clock, and then I was conduct- 
ed to a bed-chamber, where there was neither chair nor table ; however, I 
slept sound, and waked with strong tokens of health in the morning. 
6th. When I got up about sunrise, I was surprised to find that a fog had cov- 
ered this high hill ; but there is a marsh on the other side the river that sends 
its filthy exhalation, up to the clouds. On the borders of that morass lives 
Mr. Lomax, a situation fit only for frogs and otters. After fortifying myself 
with toast and cider, and sweetening my lips with saluting the lady, I took 
leave, and the two majors conducted me about four miles on my way, as far 
as the church. After that, Ben. Robinson ordered his East Indian to conduct 
me to jCol. Martin’s. In about ten miles, we reached Caroline court-house, 
where Col. Armstead and Col. Will. Beverley, have each of them erected an 
ordinary, well supplied with wine and other polite liquors, for the worshipful 
bench. Besides these, there is a rum ordinary for persons of a more vulgar 
taste. Such liberal supplies of strong drink often make Justice nod, and drop 
the scales out of her hands. Eight miles beyond the ordinary, I arrived at 
Col. Martin’s, who received me with more gravity than I expected. But, 
upon inquiry, his lady was sick, which had lengthened his face and gave him 
a very mournful air. I found him in his night-cap and banian, which is his 
ordinary dress in that retired part of the country. Poorer land I never saw 
than what he lives upon ; but the wholesomeness of the air, and the good- 
ness of the roads, make some amends. In a clear day the mountains may 
be seen from hence, which is, in truth, the only rarity of the place. At my 
first arrival, the colonel saluted me with a glass of good Canary, and soon after 
filled my belly with good mutton and cauliflowers. Two people ^ere as 
indifferent company as a man and his wife, without a little inspiration from 
the bottle ; and then we were forced to go to the kingdom of Ireland, to help 
out our conversation. There, it seems, the colonel had an elder brother, a phy- 
sician, who threatens him with an estate some time or another ; though pos- 
sibly it might come to him sooner if the succession depended on the death of 
T 
