CHAPTER LXV.

Interesting Object - Lake Drummond-Hotel-Boundary Line-Connubial Parties-Location of the Lake-Dismal Swamp-William Wirt's StatementExtent-Soil, Trees, &c.-Beasts-Undergrowth-Reeds, Vines, &c.—Dismal Swamp Canal-Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad-Jericho Canal-Lumber Trade-Draining the Swamp-Peat-The Lake-Interesting Scene-Graphic Description-The Poet Moore-Love Affair-Touching Lines-Deep CreekHouses - Trade-Inhabitants-Washington Point-St. Helena-Lands— U. S. Government Buildings-Concluding Remarks.

THERE is in the vicinity of our city an object of considerable interest, of which little is known, even by many of the inhabitants. We allude to Lake Drummond, or, as the poet Moore called it, "The Lake of the Dismal Swamp." It lies about twentytwo miles from Norfolk, and four miles west of the canal, in which its waters are emptied through a lateral branch, two miles from the Hotel, which is situated on the east branch of the canal, with its centre on the boundary line of Virginia and North Carolina a convenient stopping-place for connubial parties from the former State. The quiet and unruffled waters of the lake are to be found in the interior of the Dismal Swamp, through which, by the way, runs the dividing line of the two adjoining States, the larger portion of the swamp being in Virginia, and extending in a northerly and southerly direction about thirty miles, and averaging in breadth about ten miles. Mr. Wirt styled it the "Great Dismal Swamp," and in an account of the running of the boundary line, he stated that it was "more than forty miles in length, and twenty in breadth; its soil, a black, deep mire, covered with a stupendous forest of juniper and cypress trees, whose luxurious branches, interwoven throughout, intercept the beams of the sun, and teach the day to counterfeit the night." "This forest," continues that writer, "which, until that time, no human foot had ever violated, had become the secure retreat of ten thousand beasts of prey. Below is a thick, entangled undergrowth of reeds, woodbine, grape vines, mosses, and creepers, shooting and twisting spirally around, interlaced and compli

cated." The Dismal Swamp Canal, to which allusion has been made, runs through it from north to south, and "the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad passes like a grand and densely shaded avenue for five miles across its northern part." Jericho Canal, a ditch about eighteen feet wide and ten miles long, also connects with Lake Drummond. Immense quantities of staves, shingles, &c., are transported through it on "flats," from whence they are conveyed in wagons or carts to the Nansemond River, distant about one and a half miles, and navigable for schooners of seventy or eighty tons.

This swamp, it is thought, might be drained, the fertile lands reclaimed, and, as the soil is vegetable, it is believed by some persons that it might be used as peat.

In this singular swamp, not very far from its western borders, strangely scooped out by the hand of Nature, is the concavity, averaging about twelve feet deep, that forms the bed of the Drummond Lake, which reposes peacefully in its romantic retirement. A solemn stillness pervades the shores-a silence broken only by the melancholy dirges of the breeze in the thick foliage above, the notes of the feathered songsters, the hiss of the venomous reptile, or, perchance, the splash of the leaping, fluttering perch. "It is delightful," adopting the language of the facetious editor of the Herald, "to drive along its banks, or skim its surface in the morning or evening of a summer's day, when the sun is just above the horizon; the mirror-like surface below reflects the trees, whose limbs embracing above, form umbrageous vistas, beyond which the eye now and then catches a view of an opening in the blue firmament; and the gilding of the sunbeams is relieved by the lengthened shadows of the objects upon which they rest. Then to inhale the delicious fragrance of the jessamine, the laurel, the eglantine, the wild rose, and various other aromatic shrubs and flowers with which the swamp abounds— not even the spicy gales of Arabia can surpass it, and no effort of the pictorial art can do it justice."

Thomas Moore, the Irish Poet, who, as already stated, visited this place in 1805, composed some touching lines on a legendary love affair connected with Lake Drummond. We shall give them a place, although they have been often published.

A BALLAD.

THE LAKE OF THE DISMAL SWAMP.

[WRITTEN AT NORFOLK, IN VIRGINIA.]

They tell of a young man who lost his mind upon the death of a girl he loved; and who, suddenly disappearing from his friends, was never afterwards heard of. As he frequently said in his ravings, that the girl was not dead, but gone to the Dismal Swamp, it is supposed that he had wandered into that dreary wilderness and died of hunger, or been lost in some of its dreadful morasses.

Till he hollowed a boat of the birchen bark,
Which carried him off from shore;

Far he followed the meteor spark;

The wind was high and the clouds were dark,
And the boat returned no more.

But oft from the Indian hunter's camp,

This lover and maid so true,

Are seen at the hour of midnight damp,
To cross the lake by a firefly lamp,

And paddle their white canoe!

Deep Creek, a pleasant village at the northern terminus of the Canal, is about eight miles from Norfolk. It contains about fifty houses, and carries on some trade in shingles, staves, firewood, &c. It is distinguished for the generous and social character of its inhabitants.

Washington, commonly called Washington Point, or Ferry Point, which occupies a portion of the angle formed by the confluence of the southern and eastern branches of our river, is a neat and pleasant little village. At St. Helena, situated on the south of Washington Point, and on the eastern shore of the Southern Branch, the lands have recently changed hands, and have been enclosed and much improved. The United States Government has purchased this property, which is immediately opposite the Navy Yard. Several large and substantial brick buildings, intended for store-houses, &c., have been erected, and the appearance of the grounds in this direction is rapidly improving.

We now bring these sketches to a close, and respectfully take our leave of the reader, whose clemency, we trust, has prompted him to make all due allowances. The sparsely scattered materials of historical and statistical information embraced in the work, were collected amid a variety of cares and duties, which tended greatly to interrupt the patient labour and attention so requisite, especially in preparing them for the press. An enlightened public will decide impartially, we believe, with regard to the performance of the task, and the character, interest, utility, and probable influence of the work. The consciousness that he has, at least, endeavoured to perform the duty as faith

fully as attending circumstances would permit, will enable the writer patiently and cheerfully to abide by that decision, whether favourable or unfavourable.

With regard to his opinion of the present prospects of the City, as expressed on some of the preceding pages, and coinciding as it does, with that of many judicious and experienced individuals, both at home and abroad, he is constrained to express the sincere hope, that time may not prove it to be erroneous. May a full tide of prosperity, such as has never before been witnessed here, ere long roll in upon Norfolk, Portsmouth, and all the surrounding country! the merchants, tradesmen, and mechanics, all, increasingly busy and successful; the husbandman annually gathering in abundant harvests; and the members of all trades, professions, and classes, enjoying the reward of their labour and industry-receiving ample compensation for their toils, whether mental or physical.

May the borders of the City and all the neighbouring towns and villages be widened-new avenues opened, built upon, and occupied! May the principles of true religion and morality be spread abroad, and exert their genial influence upon the people, that no sad, calamitous visitation of Providence may ever be necessary to teach them their duty to the great I AM! May the number of spacious temples be increased-temples consecrated to Him who is the great and only source of all true happiness, of every blessing; so that the foundations of knowledge and virtue may be laid deep, wide, and strong, and many a noble, firm, and lofty mental and moral structure reared; so that the protecting care of Heaven may continue over all the inhabitants; for "except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." May our beautiful town continue to increase in wealth, influence, and righteousness, until the mighty Heavenly messenger shall descend, and, with "his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth," swear, in tones louder than sevenfold thunder, "that time shall be no longer!"

And when the affairs of this life shall all be wound up, its toils and cares over, the din of business for ever silenced, and the wonders and realities of the eternal world shall be revealed, may