9150. WINES, Making.—[continued].
An experiment was made
in Virginia by a Mr. Mazzei, for the raising
vines and making wines. He was an Italian,
and brought over with him about a dozen laborers
of his own country, bound to serve him
four or five years. We had made up a subscription
for him of £2,000 sterling, and he
began his experiment on a piece of land adjoining
mine. His intention was, before the
time of his people should expire, to import
more from Italy. He planted a considerable
vineyard, and attended to it with great diligence
for three years. The war then came on, the
time of his people soon expired, some of them
enlisted, others chose to settle on other lands
and labor for themselves; some were taken
away by the gentlemen of the country for gardeners,
so that there did not remain a single one
with him, and the interruption of navigation
prevented his importing others. In this state
of things he was himself employed by the State
of Virginia to go to Europe as their agent to do
some particular business. He rented his place
to General Riedesel, whose horses in one week
destroyed the whole labor of three or four
years; and thus ended an experiment which,
from every appearance, would in a year or
two more have established the practicability of
that branch of culture in America.—
To Albert Gallatin. Washington ed. iii, 505.
(Pa.,
1793)
