LETTERS AND MISCELLANIES. LETTER I. FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF VIRGINIA. TO J. S. AND NIECE. Eagle Eyrie, Va., Aug. 19, 1828 or 9.* MY DEAR UNCLE AND SISTER, You will no doubt be surprised at my date, but it is even so―here I am on the banks of old Powhatan, though, with my eyes closed, I can scarce realize that I am not still standing on the soil of my native state. As no satisfactory explanation of this singular departure from the original, or rather ostensible plan of travel can be given, suffice it to say that such was Mr. B―'s pleasure; and further that the contre-temps of the first twenty-four hours, were a most appropriate prelude to the whole performance. It was not indeed productive of any incident peculiarly disastrous; but abounded in petty annoyances sufficient to rouse apathy itself into rage; being, as they generally were, the result of B's excellent contrivance, and his laudable effort, to see how disgusting a "would be wit, and can't be gentleman," could render himself, by enacting at sixty the beau of nineteen. * Dates omitted in first copy, are now doubtful. We left Geneva at the time appointed, spent two days in Utica, as many more inspecting the notabilities of Albany and its vicinity, visited Troy, Lansingburgh, the Falls of the Cohoes; and last, not least, attended service in a neat country church, imbosomed in one of the loveliest groves man ever consecrated to his Maker. It was a perfect gem of beauty; but that is nothing to B's encomium--namely, that the officiating clergyman "never varied but once (and that was probably a lapsus linguæ) from HIS standard of pronunciation." If that isn't honor enough, his reverence must have a very inordinate share of vanity; so I suppress all names for fear of endangering his humility. It will never do, though, to omit, among other unimportant items, a flying call on the father, brother, and cousins of the learned critic. We dined with one of the latter, and despite my predetermination to dislike the whole kith and kin, found some of them extremely polite and inteligent; all wealthy, respectable, and much, very much more agreeable than could have been expected, judging from the specimen previously exhibited of the family. August 1st, we left for New York; but taking Hudson en route, did not arrive until the evening of the 2d. On the following morning, I had the pleasure of hearing the old man (I can't find it in my heart to call him gentleman) announce his intention of proceeding to Virginia in the first packet that sailed for Norfolk. Remonstrance was useless, so I at length signified my intention to remain as long as I saw good-that is, until I had seen all the lions-unless he condescended to assign a reason, for this unexpected procedure. He had only a pretext, submission had to follow of course, so finding my power absolute, and knowing that it must inevitably be short; I resolved (as any good lover of authority would) to make the most of it while it lasted. And verily the way in which I proclaimed and executed my own good will and pleasure for three consecutive days, would have done honor to the Grand Seignior, or the Autocrat of all the Russias. Never was city more thoroughly reconnoitered in the same length of time by a single individual. Paul Pry himself could not have exceeded me in ferreting out things worthy to be looked at; and I believe the sexagenarian's brain fairly reeled with the rapidity of my evolutions; for if he didn't find the full significance of imperium ad imperio, illustrated-much to the benefit of future scholastics no doubtin a way he never imagined before, I am much mistaken. "Transit gloria" must have consoled him though, for even the Czar has only a quarter of a century, and I had considerably less; so my last act of absolutism (“oh lame and impotent conclusion") was, declining to take passage in the dirty old vessel which the dirtloving old Dutchman had selected-for the sake of cheapness I presume-and pronounced "nice and elegant." Fortunately my own choice fell on a packet, whose owner was going out to see how she made her first trip; and he, being an acquaintance of one of "mine hostess"" boarders, was brought round to Courtlandt street and introduced. This all sounds very puerile and commonplace; yet but for this apparently trivial incident, I should have been left entirely without protection. There had been fires in the city for two nights previous; the first, which destroyed a new and very valuable block of buildings on Laurens street, did not disturb the Benedict's equanimity in the least; but the |