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waters, to wit, Petersburg on Appamattox, Richmond on James River, Newcastle on York River, Alexandria on Patomak, and Baltimore on the Patapfco. From these the diftribution will be to fubordinate fituations of the country. Accidental circumstances, however, may controul the indications of nature, and in no inftances do they do it more frequently than in the rise and fall of towns.'

To the foregoing general account, we add the following more paticular defcriptions.

ALEXANDRIA ftands on the fouth bank of Patomak river. Its fituation is elevated and pleasant. The foil is clay, and the water fo bad, that the inhabitants are obliged to fend nearly a mile for that which is drinkable. The original fettlers, anticipating its future growth and importance, laid out the streets upon the plan of Philadelphia. It contains upwards of 300 houfes, many of which are handfomely built. This town, upon the opening of the navigation of Patomak river, will probably be one of the most thriving commercial places on the continent.

MOUNT VERNON, the celebrated feat of GENERAL WASHINGTON, is pleafantly fituated on the Virginia bank of the river Patomak, where it is nearly two miles wide, and is about 280 miles from the fea. It is 9 miles below Alexandria, and 4 above the beautiful feat of the late Col Fairfax, called Bellevoir. The area of the mount is 200 feet above the furface of the river, and, after furnishing a lawn of five acres in front, and about the fame in rear of the buildings, falls off rather abruptly on those two quarters. On the north end it fubfides gradually into extenfive pasture-grounds; while on the fouth it flopes more fteeply, in a fhorter diftance, and terminates with the coach-houfe, ftables vineyard, and nurseries. On either wing is a thick grove of different, flowering forest trees. Parallel with them, on the land fide, are two fpecious gardens, into which one is led by two ferpentine gravel-walks, planted with weeping willows and fhady fhrubs. The Manfion-Houfe itfelf (though much embellished by, yet not perfectly fatisfactory to the chafte taste of the prefent poffeffor) appears venerable and convenient. The fuperb banquetting room has been finifhed fince he returned home from the army. A lofty portico, 96 feet in length, fuported by eight pillars, has a pleafing effect when viewed from the water; and the tout enfemble, the whole affemblage, of the green-houfe, fchool-houfe, offices, and fervants halls, when feen from the land fide, bears a resemblance to a rural village--especially as the lands on that fide are laid out fomewhat in the form of English gardens, in meadows and grafs grounds, ornamented with little copfes, circular clumps, and fingle trees. A fmall park on the margin of the river, where the English fallow-deer, and the American wild deer are feen through the thickets alternately with the veffels as they are failing along, add a romantic and picturefque appearance to the whole fcenery. On the oppofte fide of a fmall creek to the northward, an extenlive plain, exhibiting corn-fields and cattle grazing, affords in fummer a luxurious landscape to the eye; while the blended verdure of woodlands and cultivated declivities on the Maryland fhore variegates the prospect in a charming manner. Such are the philofophic fhades to which the late Commander in Chief of the American Armies has retired from the tumultuous fcenes of a bufy world.

FREDE

FREDERICKSBURGH is fituated on the fouth fide of Rappahannok river, 110 miles from its mouth, and contains about 200 houfes, principally on one fireet, which runs nearly parallel with the river.

RICHMOND, the prefent feat of government, ftands on the north fide of James river, juft at the foot of the falls, and contains about 300 houses; part of which are built upon the margin of the river, convenient for bufinefs; the reft are upon a hill which overlooks the lower part of the town, and commands an extenfive profpect of the river and adjacent country. The new houfes are well built. A large and elegant statehouse or capitol has lately been erected on the hill. The lower part of the town is divided by a creek, over which is a bridge, that for Virginia, is elegant. A handfome and expenfive bridge, between 3 and 400 yards in length, conftructed on boats, has lately been thrown acrofs James river at the foot of the falls, by Col. John Mayo, a wealthy and refpectable planter, whofe feat is about a mile from Richmond. This bridge connects Richmond with Manchefter; and as the paffengers pay toll, it produces a handfome revenue to Col. Mayo, who is the fole proprietor.

The falls, above the bridge, are 7 miles in length. A cannal is cutting on the north fide of the river, which is to terminate in a bafon of about two acres, in the town of Richmond. From this bafon to the wharfs in the river, will be a land carriage of about 400 yards. This canal is to be cut by a company, who have calculated the expence at 30,000 pounds, Virginia money. This they have divided into 500 fhares of 60 pounds each. The opening of this canal promifes the addition of much wealth to Richmond.

PETERSBURG, 25 miles fouthward of Richmond, ftands on the fouth fide of Appamatox river, and contains nearly 300 hou.es, in two divifions; one is upon a clay, cold foil, and is very dirty-the other upon a plain of fand or loam. There is no regularity, and very little elegance in Peterburg. It is merely a place of bufinefs. The Free Mafons have a hall tolerably elegant; and the feat of the Bowling family is pleafant and well built. It is very unhealthy. About 2200 hog heads of tabacco are infpected here annually. Like Richmond, Williamsburg, Alexandria, and Norfolk, it is a corporation; and what is fingular, Peterburg city comprehends a part of three counties. The celebrated Indian queen, Pocahonta, from whom defcended the Randolph and Bowling families, formerly refided at this place.

WILLIAMSBURG is 60 miles eastward of Richmond, fituated between two creeks; one falling into James, the other into York river. The distance of each landing place is about a mile from the town, which, with the difadvantage of not being able to bring up large veffels, and want of enterprize in the inhabitants, are the reafons why it never flourished. It confits of about 200 houfes, going faft to decay, and not more than goo or 1000 fouls. It is regularly laid out in parallel ftreets, with a fquare in the center, through which runs the principal street, E. and W. about a mile in length, and more than 100 feet wile. At the ends of this ftreet are two public buildings, the college and capitol. Befides thefe there is an Epifcopal church, a prifon, a hofpital for lunatics, and the palace; all of them extremely indifferent. In the capitol is a large marble Aatue, in the likeness of Narbone Berkley, lord Botetourt, a man diftinguished

diftinguished for his love of piety, literature and good government, and formerly governor of Virginia. It was erected at the expence of the ftate, fince the year 1771. The capitol is little better than in ruins, and this elegant ftatue is expofed to the rudeness of negroes and boys, and is shamefully defaced.

Every thing in Williamsburg appears dull, forfaken, and melancholyno tradeno amufements, but the infamous one of gaming-no industry, and very little appearance of religion. The unprofperous flate of the college, but principally the removal of the feat of government, have contributed much to the decline of this city.

YORK-TOWN, 13 miles eastward from Williamsburg, is a place of about 100 houles, fituated on the fouth fide of York river. It was rendered famous by the capture of Lord Cornwallis and his army, on the 19th of October, 1781, by the united forces of France and America.

Colleges, Academies, c.] The college of William and Mary is the only public feminary of learning in this ftate. It was founded in the time of king William and queen Mary, who granted to it 20,000 acres of land, and a penny a pound duty on certain tobaccoes exported from Vir. ginia and Maryland, which had been levied by the statute of 25 Car. 2. The affembly alfo gave it, by temporary laws, a duty on liquors imported, and fkins and furs exported. From thefe refources it received upwards of £.3000 communibus annis. The buildings are of brick, fufficient for an indifferent accommodation of perhaps 100 ftudents. By its charter it was to be under the government of 20 vifitors, who were to be its legillators, and to have a prefident and fix profeffors, who were incorporated. It was allowed a reprefentative in the general affembly. Under this charter, a profeffor hip of the Greek and Latin languages, a profefforship of mathematics, one of moral philofophy, and two of divinity, were esta blished. To thefe were annexed, for a fixth profefforfhip, a confiderable donation by a Mr. Boyle, of England, for the inftruction of the Indians, and their converfion to chriftianity. This was called the profefforship of Brafferton, from an eftate of that name in England, purchafed with the monies given. The admiffion of the learners of Latin and Greek filled the college with children. This rendering it difagreeable and degrading to young gentlemen already prepared for entering on the fciences, they were discouraged from reforting to it, and thus the fchools for mathematics and moral philofophy, which might have been of fome fervice, became of very little. The revenues too were exhaufted in accommodating thofe who came only to acquire the rudiments of science. After the prefent revolution, the vifitors, having no power to change thofe circumftances in the conftitution of the college which were fixed by the charter, and being therefore confined in the number of profefforfhips, undertook to change the objects of the profefforfhips. They excluded the two fchools for divinity, and that for the Greek and Latin languages, and fubftituted others; so that at prefent they stand thus:-A profefforship for Law and Police-Anatomy and Medicine-Natural Philofophy and Mathematics -Moral Philofophy, the Law of Nature and Nations, the Fine ArtsModern Languages-For the Brafferton.

And it is propofed, fo foon as the legiflature fhall have leifure to take up this fubject, to defire authority from them to increase the number of profefloríhips,

profefforfhips, as well for the purpofe of fubdividing thofe already inftituted, as of adding others for other branches of fcience. To the profefforfhips ufually established in the univerfities of Europe, it would feem pros per to add one for the ancient languages and literature of the North, on account of their connection with our own languages, laws, customs, and hiftory. The purposes of the Brafferton inftitution would be better anfwered by maintaining a perpetual miffion among the Indians tribes, the object of which, befides inftructing them in the principles of christianity, as the founder requires, fhould be to collect their traditions, laws, customs, languages, and other circumftances which might lead to a difcovery of their relation with one another, or defcent from other nations. When thefe objects are accomplished with one tribe, the miffionary might pass

on to another."

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The college edifice is a huge misshapen pile, which, but that it has a roof, would be taken for a brick-kiln.' In 1787, there were about 30 young gentlemen members of this college, a large proportion of which were law-ftudents.

There are a number of flourishing academies in Virginia-one in Prince Edward county-one at Alexandria-one at Norfolk-one at Hanover, and others in other places.

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Since the declaration of independence, the laws of Virginia have been revised by a committee appointed for the purpofe, who have reported their works to the affembly. One object of this revifal was to diffuse knowledge more generally through the mafs of the people. The bill for this purpofe propofes to lay off every county into small districts of five or fix miles fquare, called hundreds, and in each of them to establish a fchool for teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. The tutor to be fupported by the hundred, and every perfon in it entitled to fend their children 3 years gratis, and as much longer as they pleafe, paying for it. Thefe fchools to be under a vifitor, who is annually to choose the boy, of best genius in the school, of those whofe parents are too poor to give them further education, and to fend him forward to one of the grammar fchools of which twenty are proposed to be erected in different parts of the country, for teaching Greek, Latin, geography, and the higher branches of numerical arithmetic. Of the boys thus fent in any one year, trial is to be made at the grammar fchools one or two years, and the beft genius of the whole felected, and continued fix years, and the refidue difmiffed. By this means twenty of the best geniuffes will be raked from the rubbish annually, and be inftructed at the public expence, fo far as the grammar schools go. At the end of fix years inftruction, one half are to be difcontinued (from among whom the grammar schools will probably be fupplied with future mafters); and the other half, who are to be chofen for the fuperiority of their parts and difpofition, are to be sent and continued three years in the ftudy of fuch sciences as they fhall choose, at William and Mary college, the plan of which is propofed to be enlaged, as will be hereafter explained, and extended to all the ufeful fciences. The ultimate refult of the whole fcheme of education would be the teaching all the children of the state reading, writing, ahd common arithmetic: turning out ten annually of fuperior genius, well taught in Greek, Latin, geography, and the higher branches of arithmetic :

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arithmetic turning out ten others annually, of ftill fuperior parts, who, to those branches of learning, fhall have added such of the sciences as their genius fhall have led them to the furnishing to the wealthier part of the people convenient fchools, at which their children may be educated at their own expence. The general objects of this law are to provide an education adapted to the years, to the capacity, and the condition of every one, and directed to their freedom and happiness. Specific details were not proper for the law. Thefe must be the bufinefs of the vifitors entrusted with its execution. The firft ftage of this education being the schools of the hundreds, wherein the great mafs of the people will receive their inftruction, the principal foundations of future order will be laid here. Inftead therefore of putting the Bible and Teftament into the hands of the children, at an age when their judgment are not fufficiently matured for religious enquiries, their memories may here be stored with the most useful facts from Grecian, Roman, European and American hiftory. The first elements of morality too may be inftilled into their minds; fuch as, when further developed as their judgments advance in ftrength, may teach them how to work out their own greatest happiness, by fhewing them that it does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed them; but is always the refult of a good confcience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits.-Those whom either the wealth of their parents or the adoption of the ftate fhall deftine to higher degrees of learning, will go on to the grammar schools, which conftitute the next ftage, there to be instructed in the languages. The learning Greek and Latin, I am told, is going into difufe in Europe. I know not what their manners and occupations may call for but it would be very ill-judged in us to follow their example in this inftance. There is a certain period of life, fay from eight to fifteen or fixteen years of age, when the mind, like the body, is not yet firm enough for laborious and clofe operations. If applied to fuch, it falls an early victim to premature exertion; exhibiting indeed at firft, in thefe young and tender fubjects, the flattering appearance of their being men while they are yet children, but ending in reducing them to be children when they should be men. The memory is then moft fufceptible and tenacious of impreffions; and the learning of languages being chiefly a work of memory, it feems precifely fitted to the powers of this period, which is long enough too for acquiring the moft ufeful languages antient and modern. I do not pretend that language is fcience. It is only an inftrument for the attainment of science. But that time is not loft which is employed in providing tools for future operation: more especially as in this cafe the books put into the hands of the youth for this purpofe may be fuch as will at the fame time imprefs their minds with ufeful facts and good principles. If this period be fuffered to pass in idlenefs, the mind becomes lethargic and impotent, as would the body it inhabits if unexercifed during the fame time. The fympathy between body and mind during their rife, progress and decline, is too ftrict and obvious to endanger our being mifled while we reafon from the one to the other. As foon as they are of fufficient age, it is supposed they will be fent on from the grammar fchools to the univerfity, which conftitutes our third and laft ftage, there to ftudy thofe fciences which may be adapted to their views. By that part of our plan which pre

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