230 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA. : 
visited, and the walls blackened by the smoke, 
its beauty, I was told by some of the old in¬ 
habitants, was great indeed, for the petrifac¬ 
tions on the roof and wall# are all of the dead 
white kind. 
The country immediately behind the Blue 
Mountains, between Bottetourt Country and 
the Fatowmac River, is agreeably diversified 
with hill and dale, and abounds with exten¬ 
sive tracts of rich land. The low ground^ 
bordering upon the Shenandoah River, which 
runs contiguous to the Blue Ridge for up¬ 
wards of one hundred miles, are in particular 
distinguished for their fertility. These low 
grounds are those which, strictly speaking, 
constitute the Shenandoah Valley, though in 
general the country lying for several miles 
distant from the river, and in some parts very 
luily, goes under that name. The natural 
herbage is not so fine here as in Bottetourt 
Country, but when clover is once sown it 
grows most luxuriantly; wheat also is pro¬ 
duced in as plentiful crops as in any part of th* 
United States. Tobacco is not raised except¬ 
ing for private use, and but little Indian corn 
is sown, as it is liable to be injured by the 
nightly frosts, which are common in' the 
spring. 
The climate here is not so warm as in the 
lower parts of the country^ on the eastern side 
