138 
of his friend andagent Mr.Fairfax. It may 
perhaps be iuppoled, that to a young 
nobleman poffeffed of a large fortune and 
endowed with liberal acquirements, fueh 
a country ‘as this would appear odious, 
and be confidered as a place of exile rather 
than an abode calculated for happinels. 
The contrary however is the fa&. The 
foil, the climate, the beauties of Virginia 
captivated his fancy, and he determined 
to fpend the remainder of his days there. 
Bui in order to do this with fatisfaction, 
it was néceflary that he fhould return to 
England, in order to fettle his affairs. 
He accordingly repaired to this country, 
and having gained a fuit with the crown, 
inftituted by Governor Gooch, relative to 
part of his proprietary lands, he failed 
once more for Virginia, in 1746 or 17475 
and remained for fome years with his 
friend and relation Mr. William Fairfax, 
Having built a beautiful houfe, called Bel- 
voir, * on the banks of the river Potow- 
mack, in Fairfax county. 
Being now removed to a confiderable 
diftance from the haunts of men, and con- 
fequently out of the reach of fociety, Lord 
Fairfax amufed his mind and eccupied 
his leifure with the management of his 
farms and plantation, and the enjoyment 
of his favourite diverfion, which appears 
to have been hunting. Belvoiir, however, 
did not altogether an{wer his expectations, 
for the lands did not turn out fo produc- 
tive as he could have wifhed ; and, what 
was till worfe for a fportfman, the foxes’ 
had become not only more fhy, but lefs 
numerous. He accordingly determined to 
remove to a fituatich more conformable 
to his wifhes,-and with this view pitched 
upon a fine traét of country on the north- 
ern fide of the Blue Ridge, or Apalachian 
~ Mountains, and fituate about halt way be- 
tween them and Winchefter. There he 
built a fmall but neat houfe, which from 
ihe beauty and luxuriance of the herbage 
was called Greenway Court. 
In this place he continued during the 
¥emainder of his life, imitating the Eng- 
lith fiyle and manner in his farms, mea. 
dows, and manner of living. His fiables 
contained feveral fine hunters; he kept 
many fervants, both white and black; and 
he lived in a flile of baronial hofpitality, 
more conformable, indeed, to the manners 
of the laf than the prefent age. After 
General Braddock’s unjortunate defeat in 
1755, his Lordfhip was expofed to confi- 
* Belvoir ftands.a little below Mount Ver-: 
_fon, the refdence of General Wathington: 
flower. 
Account of the late Thomas Lord Fairfax. (March 1 
derable danger from the incurfions of the 
Indians in the French intereft ; and it has 
been afferted with great probability, that 
the /calp of this nobleman became an ob- 
jeét of their ambition. Inftead, however, 
of removing, Lord Fairfax remained on 
the {pot, prepared for the worft, and thus 
gave confidence to all the fettlers mhis 
neighbourhood ; indeed, if he had fled on 
the firft rumour of danger, it has been 
fuppofed that all the inhabitants of any 
note would have followed the example, 
and. thus puta pericd to the cultivation 
and improvement of his property. ‘Ihe 
firft obje&t of his heart, was to behold a 
howling wildernefs converted into a fruit- 
ful territory, and filled with inhabitants.* 
* Dr. Burnaby, in his ‘* Travels through 
the Middle Settlements in North America, 
in the Years 1759 and 1760,” lias inferted 
the following paffage in his Tour through 
Virginia, 2d edit, 1798, p..4g_ yi 
*¢ My accommodations this evening were © 
extremely bad 3, I had been wet to the ikin 
in the afternoon, and.at the miferable plan- 
tation in which I had taken fhelter, I soutd 
get no fire, nothing to eat or drink but pure — 
water, and not even a blanket to cover me. 
I threw myfelf down upon my mattrefs, but 
fuffered fo much from cold, and was fo in- 
fefted with infeéts and vermin, that I could 
not clofe my eyes. . pee 
‘< I rofe early in the morning, therefore, 
and proceeded upon my journey, being diftant - 
from Colonel Wafhington’s not more than 
thirty miles. It was late, however, before 
I arrived there 3 for it rained extremely hard, 
and a man who undertook to fhew me the 
neareft way led nie among precipices and 
rocks, and we were loft for about two hours. 
It was not, indeed, without fome compenfa- 
tion, for he brought me through as beautiful 
and pitturefque a fcene as eye ever’ beheld. 
It was a delightful valley, about two miles 
in length, and a quarter of one in breadth, 
between high and craggy mountains, covered 
with chamedaphnes, or wild ivy in full 
Through the middle of the valley’ 
glided a rivulet about eight yards wide, ex- 
tremely lucid, and breaking into innumera- 
ble cafcades: and in different parts of it ftood 
fmall clumps of ever-greens, fuch as myrtles, 
cedars, pines, and various other forts. Upon 
the whole, not Tempé itfelf could have dif- 
played greater beauty, or a more delightful 
{cene, } 
*¢ At Colonel Wafhington’s I difpofed of 
my horfes, and having borrowed his curricle — 
and fervant, I took leave of Mount Vernon 
on the 11th of June.” ; 
«© General Wafhington’s family was con- © 
ne&ted with that of Thomas Lord Fairfax, 
of Leeds Caftle, inthe county of Kent, and 
poflefor cf that immente tract of country, 
‘ comprized 
