University of Virginia Library

As early as 1611, Sir Thomas Dale established a town at what is now Tuckahoe,
which, in honor of Prince Henry, he called Henrico. From this originated the name
of the county. It contained three streets of framed houses, with a good church, besides
storehouses, watchhouses, &c., and was defended by a palisade and several forts.
"Upon the verge of the river bank," says Stith, in his History of Virginia, published
about a century since, "stood five houses inhabited by the better sort of people, who
kept continual sentinel for the town's security.

"About two miles from the town, into the main, he ran another palisade, from river

to river, near two miles in length, guarded with several forts, with a large quantity of
corn ground impaled, and sufficiently secured. Besides these precautions, there may
still be seen, upon the river bank, within the island, the ruins of a great ditch, now overgrown
with large and stately trees; which, it may be supposed, was defended with a
palisade, to prevent a surprise on that side, by crossing the river; and for a still further
security to the town, he intended, but never quite finished, a palisade on the south side
of the river, as a range for the hogs; and he called it Hope in Faith and Coxendale.
It was about two miles and a half long, and was secured by five of their sort of forts,
called Charity fort, Elizabeth fort, fort Patience, and Mount Malady, with a guest-house
for sick people, upon a high and dry situation, and in a wholesome air, in the place
where Jefferson church now stands. On the same side of the river also, Mr. Whitaker,
their preacher, chose to be seated; and he impaled a fine parsonage, with a hundred
acres of land, calling it Rock Hall."

Although Richmond is comparatively a modern town, yet its site is frequently alluded
to in the early history of Virginia. The first mention of it is in 1609, when Master
West, in a scarcity of provisions, went up from Jamestown to the Falls of James River,
as the place was then called, to procure food, but found nothing edible except acorns.
In the same year West was sent with a colony of 120 men, to settle at the falls. Capt.
John Smith, then president of the colony, visiting West's settlement found his people
planted "in a place not only subject to the river's inundation, but round environed with
many intolerable inconveniences." This was, perhaps, where Rockett's now is, just
below Richmond.

"To remedy these inconveniences, Smith, by means of a messenger, proposed to
Powhatan to purchase from him the place of that name.[1] The settlers, however, disdainfully
rejected Smith's plan, and became so mutinous upon the occasion that Smith
landed among them and committed the ringleaders to confinement. At length, however,
overpowered by their numbers, he being only supported by five, was forced to retire
to a vessel in the river. At this time the savages daily supplied Smith with provisions,
in requital for which the disorderly English stole their corn, plundered their gardens, beat
them, broke into their wigwams and made them prisoners, so that the poor Indians complained
to Smith that those whom he had planted there as their protectors were worse
than their enemies the Monocans. Smith embarked for Jamestown. No sooner had he
sailed, than a handful of Indians assaulted West's people, and slew many of them.
However, before Smith had proceeded a mile and a half down the river, his vessel ran
aground, whereupon he summoned the malecontents to a parley, and with such a panic
were they struck at the assault of a few savages, that they submitted themselves to the
president's mercy. He arrested the ringleaders, and established the rest at Powhatan
in the Indian palisade fort there, which was so well fortified with poles and bark of trees
as to defy all the savages of Virginia. They found, also, there, dry wigwams, and near
200 acres of land ready to be planted. And from the strength and beauty of the place,
they called it `Nonsuch.' Smith being now on the eve of his departure, West arrived,
which renewed all the troubles, and the upshot was that they abandoned Nonsuch and
returned to the Falls. Smith, finding all his efforts frustrated, embarked for Jamestown
in his boat, for the vessel had sailed two days before."

In 1644-5, the Assembly of Virginia ordered a fort to be erected at the Falls of James
River, to be called "fforte Charles." In 1646 an act was passed, of which the following
is an extract:—

In March, 1675-6, war was declared against the Indians. Five hundred men were
ordered to proceed to the frontier, and eight forts garrisoned. "Fifty-five men out of
James City county to be garrisoned neare the ffalls of James River, at Captain Byrd's,
or at one ffort or place of defence over against him at Newletts, [or Howletts,] of which
fforte Coll. Edward Ramsay be captaine or cheife commander."

In 1676, a party of Indians, evacuating a fort on the Potomac where they had been
besieged by the colonists, "took their route over the head of that river, and thence over
the heads of Rappahannock and York Rivers, killing whom they found of the upmost
plantations, until they came to the head of James River, where (with Bacon and others)
they slew Mr. Bacon's overseer, whom he much loved, and one of his servants, whose
blood he vowed to avenge, if possible."[2]

"Bacon's Quarter Branch and Bloody Run, near Richmond, still call to mind Bacon
and his rebellion. The term Bacon's Quarter, indicates that his plantation lay there.
Bloody Run, according to tradition, is so called from a bloody battle Bacon fought there
with the Indians. We have not been able to find any thing in the history of those
times to confirm this tradition, and it would seem more probable that Bloody Run derived
its name from the battle in which Hill was defeated, and Totopotomoi slain. The
stream is a small one, and is said during the battle to have run blood."[3]

In 1679, certain privileges were granted Capt. Wm. Byrd, upon the condition that he
should settle fifty able-bodied and well-armed men in the vicinity of the falls, to act as
a protection to the frontier against the Indians.

In the Westover mss. Col. Byrd mentions his plantations at the falls, as follows:
"September 18th, (1732,) for the pleasure of the good company of Mrs. Byrd and her
little governor, my son, I went about half-way to the falls in my chariot. There we
halted not far from a purling stream, and upon the stump of a propagate oak picked the
bones of a piece of roast beef. By the spirit which it gave me, I was the better able
to part with the dear companions of my travels, and to perform the rest of my journey
on horseback by myself. I reached Shacco's before two o'clock, and crossed the river
to the mills. I had the grief to find them both stand as still for the want of water, as
a dead woman's tongue for want of breath. It had rained so little for many weeks
above the falls, that the Naiads had hardly water enough left to wash their faces. However,
as we ought all to turn our misfortunes to the best advantage, I directed Mr.
Booker, my first minister there, to make use of the lowness of the water for blowing up
the rocks at the mouth of the canal. * * * The water now flowed out of the river
so slowly, that the miller was obliged to pond it up in the canal, by setting open the
flood-gates at the mouth, and shutting those close at the mill. By this contrivance, he
was able at any time to grind two or three bushels, either for his choice customers or for
the use of my plantations. Then I walked to the place where they broke the flax,
which is wrought with much greater ease than the hemp, and is much better for spinning.
From thence I paid a visit to the weaver, who needed a little of Minerva's inspiration
to make the most of a piece of cloth. Then I looked in upon my Caledonian
spinster, who was mended more in her looks, than in her humor. * * On the next
day, after I had swallowed a few poached eggs, we rode down to the mouth of the canal,
and from thence crossed over to the broad-rock island in a canoe. Our errand was to
view some iron ore, which we dug up in two places. That on the surface seemed very
spongy and poor, which gave us no great encouragement to search deeper, nor did the
quantity appear to be very great. However, for my greater satisfaction, I ordered a
hand to dig there for some time this winter. We walked from one end of the island to
the other, being about half a mile in length, and found the soil very good, and too high
for any flood less than Deucalion's to do the least damage. There is a very wild prospect
both upwards and downwards, the river being full of rocks, over which the stream
tumbled with a murmur loud enough to drown the notes of a scolding wife. This island
would make an agreeable hermitage for any good Christian, who had a mind to retire
from the world."

Richmond was established a town by law in the reign of George II., May, 1742, on
land belonging to Col. William Byrd, who died in 1744. The locality was anciently
called Byrd's Warehouse. That gentleman, at the time, had a warehouse near where
the Exchange Hotel now is. The seat of a Col. Byrd is thus described in Burnaby's
Travels in North America in 1759-60. He "has a small place called Belvidere, upon
a hill at the lower end of these falls, (James River,) as romantic and elegant as any
thing I have ever seen. It is situated very high, and commands a fine prospect of the

RICHMOND.

river, which is half a mile broad, forming cataracts in the manner above described.
There are several little islands scattered carelessly about, very rocky and covered with
trees, and two or three villages in view at a small distance. Over all these you discover
a prodigious extent of wilderness, and the river winding majestically along through the
midst of it."

In 1777, the assailable situation of Williamsburg to the aggressions of the enemy,
occasioned the Assembly of the state to remove the troops, arms, and ammunition, together
with the public records, to Richmond; and, partially from the same cause, and the
extension of the population westward, an act was passed, May, 1779, to remove the seat
of government here. At this time, Richmond was an insignificant place, scarcely
affording sufficient accommodations for the officers of government. The legislature
bestowed upon it the name of a city; but it was then only a city in embryo, with
scarcely any thing of interest except the grandeur of its natural scenery. The analogy
of the situation of the place to that of Richmond-on-the-Thames, in England, suggested
the name the town bears. The public buildings were temporary. The old capitol,
which was private property, stood on the site now occupied by the custom-house, and
some of the adjacent buildings. It was a wooden structure, long since destroyed.

On the 3d of January the fleet came to anchor at Jamestown, and on the 4th it
reached Westover, where about 900 men, but then supposed to be a much larger force,
landed under the command of the notorious Arnold, and proceeded on their march towards
Richmond. Until then, it was not known whether that town or Petersburg was
the object of attack. The governor, [Jefferson,] on the same day, called out the whole
of the militia from the adjacent counties; but having no means of present resistance,
he endeavored to secure that part of the public property which could be removed, by
having it transported to the south bank of James River. Such of it as had been previously
sent to Westham, six miles above Richmond, was also ordered to cross the river.
That night the enemy encamped at Four-mile creek, 12 miles below Richmond. At
half after seven o'clock at night, the governor set out for Westham, and, having stopped
to hasten the transportation of the arms and stores, he proceeded to join his family at
Tuckahoe, eight miles further, which place he reached after midnight.

The next morning, having taken his family across the river, and sent them to a place
of safety, he rode down to Britton's, opposite to Westham, and gave further orders concerning
the public property, the transportation of which had been continued through the
whole night, and part of the next day, until the approach of the enemy. He then proceeded
to Manchester, from whence he had a full view of the invading force. They
had reached Richmond at 1 o'clock in the afternoon of that day, at which time there
were only 200 militia, including those of the town, embodied.

The governor wishing to advise with Baron Steuben, then commanding the new levies
in the state intended for the south, and which then amounted to 200 recruits, went to
Chetwood's, his head-quarters, a few miles from Manchester, but learning he was at
Col. Fleming's, the governor proceeded to that place, where he continued that night.
While there, some of the citizens of Richmond waited on him, to tender an offer from
Arnold not to burn the town, provided British vessels were permitted to come to it unmolested,
and take off the tobacco there deposited. The offer was unhesitatingly rejected.
As soon as Arnold reached Richmond, he sent a detachment under Col. Simcoe
to destroy the cannon foundry above the town—which having done, they advanced
to Westham; but finding that all the public property sent thither had been transported
over the river, they returned to Richmond the same day. On the 6th, the governor returned
to Britton's, and having given orders respecting the public archives, rejoined his
family in the evening at Fine creek. The British, after burning some public and some private
buildings, as well as a large quantity of tobacco, left Richmond about 24 hours after
they entered it, encamped at Four-mile creek, and on the 7th, at Berkley and Westover;
having thus penetrated 33 miles into the country from the place of debarkation, and
completed their incursion, without loss, in 48 hours from the time of their landing. On
the 7th, the governor went to Manchester, where he remained that night, and the next
day returned to Richmond.

The bare communication of the fact, that a force of 1,000, or at most 1,500 men,
was able to invade a country containing at that time a population of more than half a
million, and 50,000 enrolled militia—march to its metropolis—destroy all the public and
much of the private property found there, and in its neighborhood—and to leave the

country with impunity, is, at first, calculated to excite our surprise, and to involve both
the people, and those who administered its affairs, in one indiscriminate reproach. But
there seems to be little ground for either wonder or censure, when it is recollected that
these 50,000 militia were scattered over a surface of more than as many square miles;
that the metropolis, which was thus insulted, was but a village, containing scarcely
1,800 inhabitants, half of whom were slaves; and that the country itself, intersected by
several navigable rivers, could not be defended against the sudden incursions of an enemy
whose naval power gave it the entire command of the water, and enabled it to approach
within a day's march of the point of attack.

On the arrival at Westover, the troops were immediately disembarked: at first, from
the reports of the country of the force that was assembling to defend Richmond, Gen.
Arnold hesitated whether he should proceed thither or not, his positive injunctions being
not to undertake any enterprise that had much risk in it; but Lieut.-Cols. Dundas and
Simcoe, concurring that one day's march might be made with perfect security, and that
by this means more perfect information might be obtained, the troops were immediately
put in motion, and proceeded towards Richmond, where the enemy was understood to
have very considerable magazines. It was above 30 miles from Westover; several transports
had not arrived, and Gen. Arnold's force did not amount to 800 men. On the
second day's march, while a bridge was replacing over a creek, the advanced guard
only having passed over, some of the enemy's militia, who had destroyed it the evening
before, and were to assemble with others to defend it, were deceived by the dress of the
Rangers, and came to Lieut.-Col. Simcoe, who immediately reprimanded them for not
coming sooner, held conversation with them, and then sent them prisoners to Gen. Arnold.
Within seven miles of Richmond, a patrol of the enemy appeared, who, on being
discovered, fled at full speed: the Queen's Rangers, whose horses were in a miserable
condition from the voyage, could not pursue them. Soon after, Lieut.-Col. Simcoe
halted, having received the clearest information that a road, made passable by wood-carts,

led through the thickets to the rear of the heights on which the town of Richmond
was placed, where they terminated in a plain, although they were almost inaccessible
by the common road. On giving this information to Gen. Arnold, he said it was not
worth while to quit the road, as the enemy would not fight. On approaching the town,
Gen. Arnold ordered the troops to march as open, and to make as great an appearance,
as possible; and the ground was so favorable, that a more skilful enemy than those who
were now reconnoitring, would have imagined the numbers to have been double. The
enemy at Richmond appeared drawn up on the heights to the number of two or three
hundred men: the road passed through a wood at the bottom of these heights, and then
ran between them and the river into the lower town. Lieut.-Col. Simcoe was ordered
to dislodge them: he mounted the hill in small bodies, stretching away to the right, so
as to threaten the enemy with a design to outflank them; and as they filed off, in appearance
to secure their flank, he directly ascended with his cavalry, where it was so
steep that they were obliged to dismount and lead their horses. Luckily, the enemy
made no resistance, nor did they fire; but on the cavalry's arrival on the summit, retreated
to the woods in great confusion. There was a party of horsemen in the lower
town, watching the motion of Lieut.-Col. Dundas, who, the heights being gained, was
now entering it. Lieut.-Col. Simcoe pushed on with the cavalry, unnoticed by the
enemy in the lower town, till such time as he began to descend almost in their rear,
when an impassable creek stopped him, and gave the enemy time to escape to the top
of another hill beyond the town. Having crossed over lower down, he ascended the hill,
using such conversation and words towards them as might prevent their inclination to
retreat. However, when the Rangers were arrived within twenty yards of the summit,
the enemy, greatly superior in numbers, but made up of militia, spectators, some with
and some without arms, galloped off; they were immediately pursued, but without the
least regularity: Capt. Shank and Lieut. Spencer, who had met with good horses in the
country, far distanced the rest of the cavalry. Lieut.-Col. Simcoe left an officer to
mark the position he meant his infantry to take on their arrival, and collecting all the
men he could overtake, followed Capt. Shank, anxious lest his ardor should prove fatal:
he had pursued the enemy four or five miles, six or seven of whom he had taken, with
several horses—a very well-timed capture. On Lieut.-Col. Simcoe's return, he met with
orders from Gen. Arnold to march to the foundry at Westham, six miles from Richmond,
and to destroy it; the flank companies of the 80th, under Major Gordon, were sent as
a reinforcement. With these, and his corps, he proceeded to the foundry: the trunnions
of many pieces of iron cannon were struck off; a quantity of small arms, and a
great variety of military stores, were destroyed. Upon consultation with the artillery-officer,
it was thought better to destroy the magazine than to blow it up. This fatiguing
business was effected, by carrying the powder down the cliffs, and pouring it in the
water; the warehouses and mills were then set on fire, and many explosions happened
in different parts of the buildings, which might have been hazardous, had it been relied
on that all the powder was regularly deposited in one magazine; and the foundry, which
was a very complete one, was totally destroyed. It was night before the troops returned
to Richmond; the provisions which had been made for them were now to be cooked:
fatigued with the march, the men in general went to sleep; some of them got into private
houses, and there obtained rum.

It "contains about 300 houses. The new houses are well built. A large and elegant
state-house, or capitol, has lately been erected on the hill. The lower part of the town
is divided by a creek, over which there is a bridge which, for Virginia, is elegant. A
handsome and expensive bridge, between 300 and 400 yards in length, has lately been
thrown across James River at the foot of the falls, by Col. John Mayo, a respectable
and wealthy planter, whose seat is about a mile from Richmond. This bridge connects
Richmond with Manchester; and as the passengers pay toll, it produces a handsome
revenue to Col. Mayo, who is the sole proprietor. The falls above the bridge are seven
miles in length. A canal is cutting on the north side of the river, which is to terminate
in a basin of about two acres, in the town of Richmond. The opening of this canal
promises the addition of much wealth to Richmond." In the year 1794, the canal was
so far completed that the difficulty of passing the rapids was removed. At this period,
the principal merchants of Richmond, and, indeed, of all the large towns in Eastern
Virginia, were Scotch and Scotch Irish. The inhabitants of this town have been
described by Paulding as being then generally "a race of most ancient and respectable

planters, having estates in the country, who chose it for their residence for the sake of
social enjoyment. They formed a society now seldom to be met with in any of our
cities. A society of people not exclusively monopolized by money-making pursuits, but
of liberal education, liberal habits of thinking and acting; and possessing both leisure
and inclination to cultivate those feelings, and pursue those objects which exalt our
nature, rather than increase our fortune."

"The picturesque falls and rapids of the river, which extend more than six miles; the
islands; the town of Manchester, connected by two bridges with Richmond; the rich
plantations adjoining the town; the river, winding and stretching below to a great
extent; the waving hills on its north side, and the valley through which Shockoe creek
passes, are the principal objects on which the eye fixes; and from every eminence they
are seen in some new form, and under some new coloring of light and shade; the whole
presenting the three great requisites of landscape, viz., grandeur, beauty, and variety.
Besides, Richmond is one of the healthiest cities in the United States. The annual
amount of deaths, on an average, is one in eighty-five."

With some trifling exceptions, the streets of Richmond intersect each other at right
angles. The city plot has been greatly extended within a few years, and it now has an
outline of 7½ miles in length, and an area of 3½ square miles, the larger portion of which
is unoccupied by buildings. James River, immediately in front of the principal improvements,
is interrupted by a ledge of rocks, which occasions a considerable fall in the
stream. Some of these rocks rise into beautiful little islands. The navigable communication
around the falls, by means of a canal and locks, opened many years since, now
forms the outlet of James River Canal, with which it is connected by a capacious
basin, situated near the centre of business in the city.

In the western division of the city, on Shockoe Hill, stands the capitol, on a commanding
situation, in the centre of a beautiful square of about eight acres. It is a
spacious and showy building. The statue of Washington, in the area of the capitol, was
the work of Houdon, a French sculptor. It was made by the order of the Virginia
Assembly, at Paris, under the direction of Jefferson, a few years after the close of the
American revolution. The costume of this statue is the military dress of the revolution.
One hand holds a cane, the other rests upon the fasces, with which are united
the sword and ploughshare, and over it a martial cloak. The inscription, by James
Madison, on the pedestal, is as follows:

Near the statue of Washington is a marble bust of Lafayette. In one angle of capitol
square stands the city-hall, decorated at each end by a fine Doric portico of four
columns. On the eastern part of capitol square is a house erected for the residence of

the governor of the state. In another angle of the same square is the county courthouse.
In the western suburbs of the city is the state penitentiary, a large building in
the form of a hollow square, 300 feet long and 110 feet broad, with several acres of
ground connected with it. In the suburbs of the city, on the N., is the almshouse, a
spacious building, surrounded by extensive grounds. Among the other public buildings
are a county and city jail, an orphan asylum, a theatre, a museum, two markets, an
armory 320 by 280 feet, an academy, and a masonic hall. The city is supplied by
water, which is elevated, by water-power and two forcing-pumps, into three large reservoirs,
containing 1,000,000 gallons each, from which it is distributed over the city, and
forms a great resource in case of fire, as well as a supply for the inhabitants. The cost
of these works was about $120,000. There are two banks in the city.

Richmond is well situated for commerce. Vessels drawing 10 feet of water come to
Rocket's, about a mile below the centre of the city; and those drawing 15 feet, to Warwick,
3 miles below the city. The falls in James River are obviated by the canal, and
above them it is navigable to Lynchburg. Regular lines of packets connect this city
with New York and other places, and it is connected by steamboats to Norfolk. The
principal articles of exportation are wheat, flour, and tobacco. The exports amount to
about $3,000,000 annually. The tonnage of this port in 1840, was 6,911.

The manufactures of Richmond are also extensive. The falls of the James River
afford a water-power of unlimited extent. There were in 1840, 17 foreign commercial
and 29 commission-houses, cap. $3,062,000; 256 retail stores, cap. $1,646,450;
3 lumber-yards, cap. $24,000; 4 furnaces, and 8 forges, &c., cap. $317,900; machinery
produced amounted to $128,000; 1 cotton factory, 5,810 sp., cap. $175,000; tobacco
manufactories, cap. $492,250; 1 paper factory, cap. $75,000; 21 flouring-mills, 2 gristmills,
3 saw-mills, total cap. $61,000; 8 printing-offices, 1 bindery, 2 daily, 6 weekly,
and 2 semi-weekly newspapers, and 1 periodical, cap. $48,700. Total cap. in manufactories,
$1,372,950.

Richmond contains 23 churches—4 Protestant Episcopal, 4 Baptist, 4 Methodist,
3 Presbyterian, (one of them a Bethel,) 1 Catholic, 1 German Lutheran, 1 Disciples, or
Campbellite, 1 Universalist, 1 Friends, or Quakers, 1 African, 2 Jewish Synagogues.

The Monumental (Episcopal) Church is a handsome octagonal edifice, erected upon
the spot once occupied by the Richmond Theatre, which was burnt in 1811. The
remains of the unfortunate victims in that sad catastrophe, are deposited in a marble
urn which stands in the front portico of the church, and from which it derives its name.
The Right Rev. Bishop Moore preached here during his whole residence in Richmond.

The Monumental congregation are now building a new structure, to which they intend
removing, to be called St. Paul's Church. Its model is St. Luke's, in Philadelphia,
of the Corinthian order, much elaborated. The spire is to be 208 feet high.

Last night the play-house in this city was crowded with an unusual audience. There
could not have been less than 600 persons in the house. Just before the conclusion of
the play, the scenery caught fire, and in a few minutes the whole building was wrapped
in flames. It is already ascertained that sixty-one persons were devoured by that most
terrific element. The editor of this paper was in the house when the ever-to-be-remembered
deplorable accident occurred. He is informed that the scenery took fire in the
back part of the house, by the raising of a chandelier; that the boy who was ordered by
some of the players to raise it, stated that if he did so, the scenery would take fire,
when he was commanded in a peremptory manner to hoist it. The boy obeyed, and
the fire instantly communicated to the scenery. He gave the alarm in the rear of the
stage, and requested some of the attendants to cut the cords by which the combustible
materials were suspended. The person whose duty it was to perform this became panicstruck,
and sought his own safety. This unfortunately happened at a time when one
of the performers was playing near the orchestra, and the greatest part of the stage,
with its horrid danger, was obscured from the audience by a curtain.

The flames spread with almost the rapidity of lightning; and the fire falling from the
ceiling upon the performer, was the first notice the audience had of their danger. Even
then, many supposed it a part of the play, and were a little time restrained from flight
by a cry from the stage that there was no danger. The performers and their attendants
in vain endeavored to tear down the scenery; the fire flashed in every part of the house
with a rapidity horrible and astonishing; and, alas! gushing tears and unspeakable
anguish deprived me of utterance. No person who was not present can form any idea

of this unexampled scene of distress. The editor, having none of his family with him
and not being far from the door, was among the first who escaped.

Burning of the Richmond Theatre.

[The above engraving of the burning of the theatre at Richmond, on the night of December 26th, 1811,
is a reduced copy from one published at Philadelphia, by B. S. Tanner, in the February following.]

No words can express his horror when, on turning round, he discovered the whole
building to be in flames. There was but one door for the greatest part of the audience
to pass. Men, women, and children were pressing upon each other, while the flames
were seizing upon those behind. The editor went to the different windows, which were
very high, and implored his fellow-creatures to save their lives by jumping out of them.
Those nearest the windows, ignorant of their danger, were afraid to leap down, while
those behind them were seen catching on fire, and writhing in the greatest agonies of
pain and distress. At length those behind, urged by the pressing flames, pushed those
who were nearest to the window, and people of every description began to fall one upon
another, some with their clothes on fire, some half roasted. Oh, wretched me! Oh,
afflicted people! Would to God I could have died a thousand deaths in any shape,
could individual suffering have purchased the safety of my friends, my benefactors, of
those whom I loved! . . . The editor, with the assistance of others, caught several of those
whom he had begged to leap from the windows. One lady jumped out when all her
clothes were on fire. He tore them burning from her, stripped her of her last rags, and,
protecting her nakedness with his coat, carried her from the fire. Fathers and mothers
were deploring the loss of their children, children the loss of their parents; husbands
were heard to lament their lost companions, wives were bemoaning their burnt husbands.
The people were seen wringing their hands, beating their heads and breasts; and those
that had secured themselves, seemed to suffer greater torments than those enveloped in
the flames.

Oh! distracting memory! Who that saw this can think of it again, and yet retain
his senses! Do I dream? No, no! Oh, that it were but a dream. My God! who
that saw his friends and nearest connections devoured by fire, and laying in heaps at the
door, will not regret that he ever lived to see such a sight? Could savages have seen
this memorable event it would even soften their hearts.

A sad gloom pervades this place, and every countenance is cast down to the earth.

The loss of a hundred thousand friends on the field of battle could not touch the heart
like this. Enough. Imagine what cannot be described. The most distant and implacable
enemy, and the most savage barbarians, will mourn our unhappy lot. All of
those in the pit escaped, and had cleared themselves from the house, before those in the
boxes could get down; and the door was for some time empty. Those from above were
pushing each other down the steps, when the hindermost might have got out by leaping
into the pit. A gentleman and lady, who otherwise would have perished, had their lives
saved by being providentially thrown from the second boxes. There would not have
been the least difficulty in descending from the first boxes into the pit.

St. John's Church.

In addition to the list now given, it is believed that at least sixty others perished,
whose names are not yet ascertained:

It was here, in the Virginia convention of '75, that Patrick Henry thundered against
the common oppressor of America, and uttered that immortal sentence, "Give me liberty,
or give me death!"

The celebrated Virginia convention of '88, that met to ratify the federal constitution,
assembled within its walls. The transcendent talents engaged in its discussion, "tempted
industry to give up its pursuits, and even dissipation its objects," for the high intellectual
feast here presented. Among the crowd from far and near, who filled the hall, "no
bustle, no sound was heard, save only a slight movement when some new speaker arose,
whom they were all eager to see as well as to hear; or when some master-stroke of eloquence
shot thrilling along their nerves, and extorted an involuntary and inarticulate
murmur. Day after day was this banquet of the mind and the heart spread before them,
with a delicacy and variety which could never cloy." Among its illustrious members
were Madison, Marshall, and Monroe; and "there were those sages of other days, Pendleton
and Wythe; there was seen the Spartan vigor and compactness of George Nicholas;
and there shone the radiant genius and sensibility of Grayson; the Roman energy
and the Attic wit of George Mason was there; and there also the classic taste and
harmony of Edmund Randolph; `the splendid conflagration' of the high-minded Innis;
and the matchless eloquence of the immortal Henry!"

The medical department of Hampden Sidney College was established in the year
1838, and has succeeded beyond the expectations of its most sanguine friends. The necessity
of an institution where the young men of Virginia might prosecute the study of
medicine without incurring the expense of a winter's residence in a northern city, had
long been keenly felt, and the projet was carried into effect by a few enterprising members
of the faculty resident in Richmond. Unassisted by legislative appropriation, this
college struggled nobly through an infancy of six years, and "now presents to the student
of the healing-art advantages not to be surpassed by any other establishment in the
Union." The hospitals of the penitentiary and almshouse are under the supervision of
the professors; and the most abundant opportunities for clinical study are thus afforded.
Attached to the college building is an extensive infirmary. The college building recently
erected, is a fine specimen of the Egyptian style of architecture, admirably arranged for
the purposes of lecture and dissection. The following is the faculty:—Augustus L.
Warner, M. D., Dean of the faculty, John Cullen, M. D., Jeffries Wyman, M. D., S.
Maupin, M. D., L. W. Chamberlayne, M. D., R. L. Bohannan, M. D.

St. Vincent's College, under the control of the Catholic clergy, is pleasantly situated
about a mile east of the city. The Rev. Bishop Whelan is president. There is a very
respectable number of students, who attend mass every morning at the chapel in Richmond.

Richmond College, a Baptist institution, was incorporated by act of legislature
in the year 1832. The Rev. Robert Ryland is president of the institution. It contains
five or six professors, and about one hundred students. The buildings are delightfully
situated, about a mile west of the city, on the Fredericksburg rail-road.

The Richmond Academy, Wm. Burk principal, is a school for the preparation of
youth for college in the higher branches of classical and mathematical education. There
are five teachers, and some ninety or one hundred pupils. The pupils are allowed the
privilege of being enrolled in a corps of cadets, at their option, in which the exercises of
drill and military tactics are taught by a competent professor.

The Orphan Asylum is an institution under the direction of the "Ladies' Humane
Association," for the education and support of female orphans. A large number of this
unfortunate class are maintained there annually. A commodious and elegant building
has been recently erected, out of a munificent bequest of the late Edmund Walls, Esq.

There is also, in Richmond, a Lancasterian free school for the use of the poor.

Convention of Virginia.—I attended the debates of this body a fortnight. The capitol,
in which the convention sat, is a fine building, nobly situated—more so than any

other I have seen in this country. Richmond is a picturesque place; the James looks
beautiful there in a spring morning; the rocks and islands, and foaming rapids, and murmuring
falls, and floating mists, all light and glorious, under a clear blue sky. The
convention boasted several men of distinction—Madison, Monroe, Giles, Marshall, Randolph,
Leigh, Tazewell, &c. Mr. Madison sat on the left of the speaker, Mr. Monroe
on the right. Mr. Madison spoke once for half an hour; but although a pin might have
been heard to drop, so low was his tone, that from the gallery I could distinguish only
one word, and that was, "Constitution." He stood not more than six feet from the
speaker. When he rose, a great part of the members left their seats and clustered
around the aged statesman, thick as a swarm of bees. Mr. Madison was a small man,
of ample forehead, and some obliquity of vision, (I thought the effect probably of age,)
his eyes appearing to be slightly introverted. His dress was plain; his overcoat a faded
brown surtout. Mr. Monroe was very wrinkled and weather-beaten—ungraceful in attitude
and gesture, and his speeches only common-place. Mr. Giles wore a crutch—was
then governor of the state. His style of delivery was perfectly conversational—no gesture,
no effort; but in ease, fluency, and tact, surely he had not there his equal; his
words were like honey pouring from an eastern rock. Judge Marshall, whenever he
spoke, which was seldom, and only for a short time, attracted great attention. His appearance
was revolutionary and patriarchal. Tall, in a long surtout of blue, with a face
of genius, and an eye of fire, his mind possessed the rare faculty of condensation; he
distilled an argument down to its essence. There were two parties in the house; the
western or radical, and the eastern or conservative. Judge Marshall proposed something
in the nature of a compromise. John Randolph was remarkably deliberate, distinct, and
emphatic. He articulated excellently, and gave the happiest effect to all he said. His
person was frail and uncommon—his face pale and withered—but his eye radiant as a
diamond. He owed, perhaps, more to his manner than to his matter; and his mind was
rather poetical than logical. Yet in his own peculiar vein, he was superior to any of
his cotemporaries. Benjamin Watkins Leigh cut a distinguished figure in the convention,
as the leader of the lowland party. His diction is clear, correct, elegant, and might
be safely committed to print just as spoken. Yet high as he stands, he is not perhaps in
the highest rank of speakers. He never lightens, never thunders; he can charm, he
can convince, but he can hardly overwhelm. Mr. Tazewell I never saw up but once, for
a moment, on a point of order; a tall, fine-looking man. P. P. Barbour presided over
the body with great dignity and ease. Of these seven extraordinary men, four have
since died, to wit: Monroe, Giles, Randolph, and Marshall. Mr. Leigh is now a United
States senator, and Mr. Tazewell governor of Virginia.

The foundation of this pillar was laid in the calamitous year 1771, when all the great
rivers of this country were swept by inundations never before experienced; which
changed the face of nature, and left traces of their violence that will remain for ages.

On Monday last, being court-day, the Declaration of Independence was publicly
proclaimed in the town of Richmond, before a large concourse of respectable freeholders
of Henrico county, and upwards of 200 militia, who assembled on that grand occasion.
It was received with universal shouts of joy, and re-echoed by three volleys of
small-arms. The same evening the town was illuminated, and the members of the
committee held a club, where many patriotic toasts were drunk. Although there were
near one thousand people present, the whole was conducted with the utmost decorum,
and the satisfaction visible in every countenance, sufficiently evinces their determination
to support it with their lives and fortunes.

"Edmund Randolph was an eminent lawyer, and a warm friend of the revolution.
After having filled several honorable stations in the state, he was, in 1779, elected to a
seat in Congress, and held it until 1782. In 1787, he was a member of the convention
which formed the federal constitution, but voted against its adoption. The next year
he was chosen governor of Virginia, and in 1789, was appointed attorney-general of the
United States; and in 1794, secretary of state, which office he resigned the succeeding
year. He died Sept. 12th, 1813." His personal and intellectual characteristics are
described in the British Spy.

It is the residence and property of Mrs. Elizabeth Welsh, and has been in the same
family for six generations. Mr. Jacob Ege, her great-grandfather, was a native of Germany,
who settled upon this spot when there were few or no inhabitants on the site of
the town, and previous to the erection of Byrd's warehouse. Mr. Ege had originally
intended to have settled further up the country, but was so well pleased with the place,
that he took up some land for a garden, and built this house. When President Monroe
was a young man, attending school in Richmond, he boarded here. Mr. Samuel Ege,
the father of Mrs. Welsh, resided in this house during the revolution. At that time
it was one of the best houses in Richmond. It has been honored by the visits of Washington,
Jefferson, Lafayette, Madison, Henry, and other distinguished personages. This
part of the town was first settled, and it gradually extended to the capitol, which building
was commenced in 1780, and was several years in constructing. It was a question
whether it should be on Richmond Hill, or where it now is. It was decided by a
gentleman's giving all the land included in the capitol square.

When the British, under Arnold, invaded Richmond in 1781, Mr. Ege was absent on
duty, as a commissary in the American army. The first his wife (Mrs. Welsh's
mother) knew of their approach, was the seeing a body of their cavalry galloping down
Richmond Hill, then much steeper than at present. She described it as the most beautiful
sight she ever witnessed. One of their officers quartered with her. The enemy
broke open the stores, and emptied the liquors and provisions into the gutters. The
spirits ran into the creek and gutters. The cows and hogs, having partaken of the
liquid, were seen staggering about the streets.