great favorite with all the prisoners, and they, as well as his uncle, stood in silent terror, expecting soon to see their beloved compatriot pinned to the earth by many bayonets, for expostulation had been exhausted. "My wife, or death!" was the watch word. But he had carefully observed the sentinel's movements, and as he turned from the prison and marched towards the gate, Captain C. darted from the door of the house, overtook him before he turned, and knocked him down at his full length, by a butt of the head, for which he was famous.It was now nearly dark. It would be useless to attempt a description of the astonishment, and instantaneous uproar and confusion, which the conduct of this dauntless man caused to the senses and feelings of all present. The soldiers, with their officers, as soon as they came sufficiently to their reason to act, ran out in the direction that the prisoner had taken, but he was gone! he had reached a marsh at the south end of the house, and was no where to be found. Volley after volley was fired, and some of the balls whistled about his head; but all in vain.

On reaching the southern branch of Elizabeth river, he plunged in and swam over, a little below the Navy Yard, at Gosport, and keeping along its margin until he came to the deserted residence of his father-in-law, about threequarters of a mile above, he ventured to approach the house, and there found two faithful old servants, who assisted him to equip the only animal, (an old horse,) then remaining on the plantation; they gave him a direction to the northwest woods, where they said he would find the family and his wife, and where he found her indeed to his heart's delight.

J. B.

SMYTH'S TRAVELS IN VIRGINIA, IN 1773.

[We begin here some extracts which we propose to make in this and following numbers from a work entitled 66 A Tour in the United States of America, &c., by J. F. D. Smyth, Esq. 2 vols., 8 vo., London, 1784," and which will be found to contain some lively and agreeable views and sketches of our State as first seen by the author in or about the year 1773, &c. We know nothing of the writer; but the books from which we copy are from the Library of the late John Randolph, of Roanoke, who, we are told, esteemed them as valuable and reliable memorials of the past.]

CHAPTER I.

First Appearance of Land. Capes of Virginia. Chesapeake Bay. Hampton-Roads. Musketoes. Norfolk. JamesRiver. James-Town. Plantation. Williamsburg.

We came in sight of land, on the fourth day of August, in the forenoon, in a fine day, with a clear serene sky. It appears at a distance like the tops of the trees just emerging above the horizon, on the surface of the water; and as the ship approached arose higher, but only the height of the pines, with which all the land on the sea board is covered; for the whole coast is very low, and foundings are found at a great distance from the shore, which gradually decrease as you advance nearer the land.

This regular decrease of the soundings, and the change of colour in the water, are the only preservatives of ships, in the night and hazy weather, from running on this dangerous, shallow, flat coast, without perceiving it until too late; for there is no light-house near the Capes of Virginia: a most laudable intention of erecting one on Cape Charles having been frustrated by a disagreement between the assemblies or parliaments of Virginia and Maryland, at

whose joint expence it was to have been built and supported.

We soon sailed within the Capes of Virginia, Cape Henry and Cape Charles, which last is an island named Smith's. We past Lynhaven Bay on our left, and the opening of the Chesapeake on the right, and in the evening anchored in Hampton Roads, which appears to be very safe.

The distance between the Capes is about twelve miles, but the vast bay of Chesapeak widens after you enter, until it becomes about thirty miles over, near thirty-five English leagues within land; then the breadth decreases from thence to the head of it, and is generally from fifteen to five miles, which is the breadth of it at its extremity, where the Elk and the mighty river Susquahannah fall into it, at about three hundred miles distance from the sea, through the whole of which vast extent the tide ebbs and flows.

The night being calm we were assaulted by great numbers of musketoes, a very noxious fly, which seems to be of the species of gnats, but larger and more poisonous, leaving a hard tumor wherever they bite, with an intolerable and painful itching; they penetrate the skin, fill themselves with blood, and make their principal attacks in the night, accompanied by a small, shrill, disagreeable note, the very sound of which effectually prevents you from sleep, after you have been once bit.

On the day following, the captain of the ship, Mr. R— and I went up Elizabeth Biver, in the yaul, to Norfolk, about twenty miles, where we dined very agreeably, and returned that evening to the ship in Hampton Roads, so that I had not at this time an opportunity of seeing much of the town. However, it appears to be charmingly situated at the forks of a very pleasant river, the Elizabeth, on the north-east side, Mr. Sprowle's little village of Gosport being on the south, and the pretty town of Portsmouth

On the south-west side or a

tance of about eigi mums VIEL I

of the river there; va sfces EL I

of the line.

whose joint expence it was to have been built and supported.

We soon sailed within the Capes of Virginia, Cape Henry and Cape Charles, which last is an island named Smith's. We past Lynhaven Bay on our left, and the opening of the Chesapeake on the right, and in the evening anchored in Hampton Roads, which appears to be very safe.

The distance between the Capes is about twelve miles, but the vast bay of Chesapeak widens after you enter, until it becomes about thirty miles over, near thirty-five English leagues within land; then the breadth decreases from thence to the head of it, and is generally from fifteen to five miles, which is the breadth of it at its extremity, where the Elk and the mighty river Susquahannah fall into it, at about three hundred miles distance from the sea, through the whole of which vast extent the tide ebbs and flows.

The night being calm we were assaulted by great numbers of musketoes, a very noxious fly, which seems to be of the species of gnats, but larger and more poisonous, leaving a hard tumor wherever they bite, with an intolerable and painful itching; they penetrate the skin, fill themselves with blood, and make their principal attacks in the night, accompanied by a small, shrill, disagreeable note, the very sound of which effectually prevents you from sleep, after you have been once bit.

On the day following, the captain of the ship, Mr. R— and I went up Elizabeth Biver, in the yaul, to Norfolk, about twenty miles, where we dined very agreeably, and returned that evening to the ship in Hampton Roads, so that I had not at this time an opportunity of seeing much of the town. However, it appears to be charmingly situated at the forks of a very pleasant river, the Elizabeth, on the north-east side, Mr. Sprowle's little village of Gosport being on the south, and the pretty town of Portsmouth