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coolness, and determination which he displayed on this arena, made him general-in-chief, when the crisis came, of the forces of the Revolutionary struggle. Lord Fairfax had given him the impetus; from him Washington received the direction of his genius-and to the attentive student of these early events, the conviction becomes more and more absolute, that Lord Fairfax was the great "influence" of his life.

Delighted with the accounts given him of the Shenandoah country by the young surveyor, Lord Fairfax determined to remove beyond the Blue Ridge, and take up his permanent lodging at his "quarters." No one resided here but his steward or land bailiff, with such negroes as were necessary on the tract; but Lord Fairfax had soon built the house known now as Greenway Court, and here he regularly fixed himself. The tradition is that he designed building a grand manor-house-that

this edifice was intended only for his steward-but, if such was the nobleman's intent, he never realized it; he occupied, almost to the day of his death, the small cabin to which we have alluded. Here, as we have said, in the midst of his hounds, the old lord slept on a rude couch. At last he had realized his dreams in leaving Englandhe was far away from courts and civilization, alone in the great wilderness, with panthers and more bloody Indians -content to hunt, and eat, and sleep, never desiring to return to England any more!

What, now, was the charm which drew Lord Fairfax, not only from the comfort and elegance of England, but also from the pleasant fireside of Belvoir ? The irresistible attraction lay in the lovely land which held out its beautiful arms to greet him. Of the valley of the Shenandoah little has been written; but wherever we have

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whole." The Shenandoah, he says, "is exceedingly romantic and beautiful, forming great variety of falls, and is so transparent that you may see the greatest variety of pebbles at the depth of eight or ten feet. I could not but reflect with pleasure on the situation of these people, and think, if there is such a thing as happiness in this life, that they enjoy it. Far from the bustle of the world, they live in the most delightful climate and richest soil imaginable; they are everywhere surrounded with beautiful prospects and sylvan scenes, lofty mountains, transparent streams, falls of water, rich valleys and majestic woods. . . . . They live in perfect liberty, and. possess what many princes would give half their dominions for-health, content, and tranquillity of mind."

Such is the picture drawn by the good Barnaby in 1759, soon after Lord Fairfax took up his residence at Greenway Court-and with the simple addition of a multitude of wild animals, and regular inroads of the savages, the sketch is perfectly accurate. Standing to-day upon a spur of the Blue Ridge, almost the same landscape lies before you. To the left and right the Blue Ridge, with its covering of pines, mottled with alternate light and shadow as the clouds are driven onward, disappears like a line of ocean waves in the far horizon; across the valley stretches the North Mountain along the west; and in the middle of the plain the great Mossinutton range soars into the sky like an azure billow, turning to amethyst in the golden dawn or crimson sunset. Through the green fields and gently undulating hills, dotted with forests, the bright Shenandoah glides, like a stream of molten silver-and over all droops the mellow and magical atmosphere of the delicious climate, rounding every outline, and communicating to the scene an unimaginable beauty. The Indians loved the fair fields of this enchanting region, and bestowed upon the "bright and abounding river" which flowed through it one of their sweetest and most musical names. The word Shenandoah signifies The Daughter of the Stars;" and, perhaps, in the "unremembered ages, some lovely maiden, as in Hiawatha, fell from the moon, and gave her name to the river.

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In the times of Lord Fairfax, the

valley possessed the further attraction of magnificent prairies; and within the memory of men now living, the sloping meadows were covered with grass so tall that "a man might tie it before him as he sat on horseback." Over these vast fields roamed herds of deer and elk-and, in the dense shade of the great forest, panthers, wild-cats, bears, and other wild animals, were found in abundance--not to make mention of that more dangerous "game," the lurk. ing savage. Few settlers had been attracted to the region then. and it was almost an unknown world of which Lord Fairfax took possession: that it was a beautiful world, however, our picture, we think, has made apparent.

Perhaps a few personal details of the old nobleman's mode of life here may be found of interest, before we conclude our sketch. As we have said, Lord Fairfax did not occupy the main building, a description of which has been given in the commencement of this paper. He continued to sleep in the small cabin near at hand, surrounded by his deer and fox-hounds, which-like other noted men, the victims of disappointed hopes-he seemed to prefer to the society of his own species. He was not, however, alone. His numerous dependents, tenants, and rough visitors enabled him to secure as much social intercourse of a certain description as he seems to have cared for. These consisted of backwoodsmen-the rude hunters of the region clad in fox-tail caps, deer-skin leggins, and moccasins, and armed with the “long-knife," and the deadly rifle; Indians who had abandoned their tribes, and joined themselves to the whites; half-breeds, pioneers, German squatters, and thrifty Scotchmen, seeking rich lands to settle upon.

In the midst of this motley crowd were seen, from time to time, the richly-clad forms of young Virginians from the Tide-water, wearing laced cocked hats, snowy ruffles, and silken knee-breeches after the fashion of the period-come, like their ruder companions, to procure land, and partaking like them of the profuse cheer of the nobleman.

Through the animated and heterogeneous crowd, we see making his way, with a surveyor's compass in his hand, a boy of seventeen, fresh from the wilds of the South Branch of the Potomacrobust in frame, with a clear, bright eye,

determined carriage, and self-possessed bearing. It is young George Washington going to report to his lordship, and relate the details of his last expedition. At dawn the old lord is roused by his body-servant, and mounting his English hunter, he is soon dashing at full speed on the track of the hounds, whose "gallant chiding" echoes in a "musical discord and sweet thunder," from the fir-clad heights of the mountain; and we may feel well assured that the bright boy of seventeen is close at the side of his friend, flushed with the sport, and giving full rein to his delight. Tradition relates that Lord Fairfax delighted to play practical jests upon his brother huntsmen. He would send them all off at full speed on the heels of the fox, and then, taking his post with an old servant at a particular point which the game was accustomed to pass, would be in at the death, and secure the tail, which he afterwards paraded in triumph.

After the chase came a profuse dinner served in the English style-then con

versation or reading-after which his lordship retired to rest in his cabin, guarded by his hounds-such guests as remained occupying the larger edifice. We chance to possess a list of the books at Greenway Court, and perhaps it may interest the reader to know the names of some of them. His lordship's library contained the Gentleman's Magazine, 15 vols.; the London Magazine, 20 vols.; Peerage of Scotland; the Island of Barbadoes; Court Calendar; Common Prayer Book; Ovid's Metamorphoses; Letters of Lady Montague; Joseph Andrews; Adventures of a Valet; Young Man's Best Companion; Peregrine Pickle; Puffendorf; Spectator; Young's Night Thoughts; Amelia; Hervey's Meditations; Greek and Latin Dictionaries; Bolingbroke's Letters; Swift, Pope, Horace; Political Register; Shakespeare; Sir Walter Raleigh's Works; and many others which we have not space to mention. In the cellar, we are told, were "seven double barrels whisky;" and in the iron chest were

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county lieutenant of Frederick, and took interest in every local proceeding. An amusing example of this is given in the contest which took place, about the year 1752, for the selection of a county seat. Lord Fairfax preferred Stephensburg which was near Greenway Court, and used all his influence to insure its adoption. He was defeated, however, by Col. James Wood, who preferred the village of Winchester. This gentleman secured the casting vote by treating one of the justices to a bowl of punch. Winchester was chosen for the county seat, and Lord Fairfax never afterwards spoke to Col. Wood.

We shall here insert, in a brief parenthesis, one or two things which will, doubtless, be of interest to a large number of the inhabitants of the region, who may not be familiar with these old events. Lord Fairfax conveyed to Col. Robert Carter-called "King Carter," for his great possessions about sixty-three thousand acres of the finest land upon the Shenandoah; and this is now held by numerous respectable families, the connections or friends of the original grantee, who preserve all the old traditions of Tide-water hospitality and courtesy. Another tract of thirteen thousand acres, somewhat

lower down the valley, was conveyed to a gentleman who was afterwards forced to sell it, to pay debts contracted at the gaming-table, or upon the race-course. This was just before the Revolution, and General Washington being present at the crying in Williamsburg, advised Mr. Ralph Wormley to purchase it; which he did, for the sum of five hundred guineas. Mr. Wormley afterwards became dissatisfied with his bargain, and deplored it in the presence of General Washington. The General offered at once to take it from him at the price he paid, but advised him to retain it, declaring that no richer land existed in Virginia. The advice was taken-and the tract thus purchased for five hundred guineas would constitute, at present, almost a magnificent principality.

We have thus presented all the facts which we have been able to collect, relating to the eccentric old nobleman, with the exception of his death. This took place in the autumn of the year 1781, soon after the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. As soon as he heard of this event, he called to his old body-servant, Joe, to assist him to bed murmuring: "It is time for me to die!" His body lies in the old Episcopal church at Winchester--the ground for

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