about thirty of his faithful tenantry. In due time the emigrants landed on the shores of Virginia, and fixed their residence amid the till then unbroken forests of west AugustaJohn Lewis's settlement was a few miles below the site of the town of Staunton, on the banks of the stream which still bears his name. It may be proper to remark here, that when the circumstances of the affray became known, after due investigation, a pardon was granted to John Lewis, and patents are still extant, by which his majesty granted to him a large portion of the fair domain of western Virginia.

For many years after the settlement at Fort Lewis, great amity and good will existed between the neighboring Indians and the white settlers, whose numbers increased apace, until they became quite a formidable colony. It was then that the jealousy of their red neighbors became aroused, and a war broke out, which, for cool though desperate courage and activity on the part of the whites, and ferocity, cunning, and barbarity on the part of the Indians, was never equalled in any age or country. John Lewis was, by this time, well stricken in years, but his four sons, who were now grown up, were well quali. fied to fill his place, and to act the part of leaders to the gallant little band, who so nobly battled for the protection of their homes and families. It is not my purpose to go into the details of a warfare, during which scarcely a settlement was exempt from monthly attacks of the savages, and during which Charles Lewis, the youngest son of John, is said never to have spent one month at a time out of active and arduous service. Charles was the hero of many a gallant exploit, which is still treasured in the memories of the descendants of the border riflemen, and there are few families among the Alleghanies where the name and deeds of Charles Lewis are not familiar as household words. On one occasion, Charles was captured by the Indians while on a hunting excursion, and after having travelled some two hundred miles, barefoot, his arms pinioned behind him, goaded on by the knives of his remorseless captors, he effected his escape. While travel. ling along the bank of a precipice some twenty feet in height, he suddenly, by a strong muscular exertion, burst the cords which bound him, and plunged down the steep into the bed of a mountain torrent. His persecutors hesitated not to follow. In a race of several hundred yards, Lewis had gained some few yards upon his pursuers, when, upon leaping a prostrate tree which lay across his course, his strength suddenly failed, and he fell prostrate among the weeds which had grown up in great luxuriance around the body of the tree. Three of the Indians sprang over the tree within a few feet of where their prey lay concealed; but with a feeling of the most devout thankfulness to a kind and superintending Providence, he saw them one by one disappear in the dark recesses of the forest. He now bethought himself of rising from his uneasy bed, when lo! a new enemy appeared, in the shape of an enormous rattlesnake, who had thrown himself into the deadly coil so near his face that his fangs were within a few inches of his nose; and his enor mous rattle, as it waved to and fro, once rested upon his ear. A single contraction of the eyelid a convulsive shudder-the relaxation of a single muscle, and the deadly beast would have sprung upon him. In this situation he lay for several minutes, when the reptile, probably supposing him to be dead, crawled over his body and moved slowly away. "I had eaten nothing," said Lewis to his companions, after his return, " for many days; I had no fire-arms, and I ran the risk of dying with hunger, ere I could reach the settlement; but rather would I have died, than made a meal of the generous beast." During this war, an attack was made upon the settlement of Fort Lewis, at a time when the whole force of the settlement was out on active duty. So great was the surprise, that many of the women and children were captured in sight of the fort, though far the greater part escaped, and concealed themselves in their hiding places, in the woods. The fort was occupied by John Lewis, then very old and infirm, his wife, and two young wo men, who were so much alarmed that they scarce moved from their seats upon the ground floor of the fort. John Lewis, however, opened a port-hole, where he stationed himself, firing at the savages, while Margaret reloaded the guns. In this manner he sustained a siege of six hours, during which he killed upwards of a score of savages, when he was relieved by the appearance of his party.

Thomas Lewis, the eldest son of John Lewis and Margaret Lynn, labored under a defect of vision, which disabled him as a marksman, and he was, therefore, less efficient during the Indian wars than his brethren. He was, however, a man of learning and sound judgment, and represented the county of Augusta for many years in the House of Burgesses; was a member of the convention which ratified the constitution of the United States, and formed the constitution of Virginia, and afterwards sat for the county of Rockingham in the House of Delegates of Virginia. In 1765, he was in the House of Burgesses, and voted for Patrick Henry's celebrated resolutions. Thomas Lewis had four sons actively participating in the war of the revolution; the youngest of whom, Thomas, who is now living, bore an ensign's commission when but fourteen years of age.

Andrew, the second son of John Lewis and Margaret Lynn, is the Gen. Lewis who commanded at the battle of Point Pleasant. (See his memoir in Bottetourt co.)

Charles Lewis, the youngest of the sons of John Lewis, fell at the head of his regiment, when leading on the attack at Point Pleasant. Charles was esteemed the most skilful of all the leaders of the border warfare, and was as much beloved for his noble and amiable qualities as he was admired for his military talents.

William, the third son, was an active participator in the border wars, and was an officer of the revolutionary army, in which one of his sons was killed, and another maimed for life. When the British force under Tarleton drove the legislature from Charlottesville to Staunton, the stillness of the Sabbath eve was broken in the latter town by the beat of the drum, and volunteers were called for to prevent the passage of the British through the mountains at Rockfish Gap. The elder sons of Wm. Lewis, who then resided at the old fort, were absent with the northern army. Three sons, however, were at home, whose ages were 17, 15, and 13 years. Wm. Lewis was confined to his room by sickness, but his wife, with the firmness of a Roman matron, called them to her, and bade them fly to the defence of their native land. "Go my children," said she, "I spare not my youngest, my fair-haired boy, the comfort of my declining years. I devote you all to my country. Keep back the foot of the invader from the soil of Augusta, or see my face no more." When this incident was related to Washington, shortly after its occurrence, he enthusiastically exclaimed, "Leave me but a banner to plant upon the mountains of Augusta, and I will rally around me the men who will lift our bleeding country from the dust, and set her free."

I have frequently heard, when a boy, an anecdote related by an old settler, somewhat to this effect: The white, or wild clover, is of indigenous growth, and abounded on the banks of the rivers, &c. The red was introduced by John Lewis, and it was currently reported by their prophets, and believed by the Indians generally, that the blood of the red man slain by the Lewises and their followers, had dyed the trefoil to its sanguine hue. The Indians, however, always did the whites the justice to say, that the red man was the aggressor in their first quarrel, and that the white men of western Virginia had always evinced a disposition to treat their red brethren with moderation and justice.

Weyer's Cave, is 17 miles N. of Staunton, in a hill a short distance west of the Blue Ridge. It derives its name from Bernard Weyer, who discovered it in 1804, while hunting,

Within a few hundred yards of it, is Madison's cave, described by Jefferson. This, however, has superior attractions. No language can convey an adequate idea of the vastness and sublimity of some, or the exquisite beauty and grandeur of other of its innumerable apartments, with their snowy-white concretions of a thousand various forms. Many of these, with their striking and picturesque objects, have names exceedingly inappropriate, which to mention would degrade any description, however well written, by the association of the beautiful and sublime, with the vulgar and hackneyed. Washington Hall, the largest apartment, is 250 feet in length. A foreign traveller who visited the cave at an annual illumination, has, in a finely written description, the following notice of this hall:

"There is a fine sheet of rock-work running up the centre of this room, and giving it the aspect of two separate and noble galleries, till you look above, where you observe the partition rises only 20 feet towards the roof, and leaves the fine arch expanding over your head untouched. There is a beautiful concretion here, standing out in the room, which certainly has the form and drapery of a gigantic statue; it bears the name of the Nation's Hero, and the whole place is filled with those projections, appearances which excite the imagination by suggesting resemblances, and leaving them unfinished. The general effect, too, was perhaps indescribable. The fine perspective of this room, four times the length of an ordinary church; the numerous tapers, when near you, so encumbered by deep shadows as to give only a dim religious light; and when at a distance, appearing in their various attitudes like twinkling stars on a deep dark heaven; the amazing vaulted roof spread over you, with its carved and knotted surface, to which the streaming lights below in vain endeavored to convey their radiance; together with the impression that you had made so deep an entrance, and were so entirely cut off from the living world and ordinary things; produces an effect which, perhaps, the mind can receive but once, and will retain forever."

"Weyer's Cave," says the writer above quoted, "is in my judgment one of the great natural wonders of this new world; and for its eminence in its own class, deserves to be ranked with the Natural Bridge and Niagara, while it is far less known than either. Its dimensions, by the most direct course, are more than 1,600 feet; and by the more winding paths, twice that length; and its objects are remarkable for their variety, formation, and beauty. In both respects, it will, I think, compare, without injury to itself, with the celebrated Grotto of Antiparos. For myself, I acknowledge the spectacle to have been most interesting; but, to be so, it must be illuminated, as on this occasion. I had thought that this circumstance might give to the whole a toyish effect; but the influence of 2,000 or 3,000 lights on these immense caverns is only such as to reveal the objects, without disturbing the solemn and sublime obscurity which sleeps on every thing. Scarcely any scenes can awaken so many passions at once, and so deeply. Curiosity, apprehension, terror, surprise, admiration, and delight, by turns and together, arrest and possess you. I have had before, from other objects, one simple impression made with greater power; but I never had so many impressions made, and with so much power, before. If the interesting and the awful are the elements of the sublime, here sublimity reigns, as in her own domain, in darkness, silence, and deeps profound.”

There died in this county, in February, 1844, a slave, named Gilbert, aged 112 years. He was a servant to Washington at the time of Braddock's defeat, and was afterwards present, in the same capacity, at the surrender of Cornwallis.

BATH.

BATH was formed in 1791, from Augusta, Bottetourt, and Greenbriar. It is about 35 miles long and 25 broad. It is watered by the head-branches of the James, Cow Pasture and Jackson Rivers. Some of the valley lands are very fertile, but the greatest proportion of the county is uncultivated, and covered with mountains. Pop. 1830, 4,008; 1840, whites 3,170, slaves 347, free colored 83; total 4,300.

Warin Springs, the county-seat, is 164 miles W. of Richmond, and 40 miles N. E. of the White Sulphur Springs of Greenbriar.

Besides the county buildings, and the elegant hotels for the accommodation of visiters at the springs, there are but a few dwellings. The situation of the place is delightful, in a narrow and fertile valley, between two high mountains, and offers numerous attractions to its many visiters.

The tradition respecting the discovery of the springs is, that a party of Indians hunting, spent a night in the valley. One of their number discovering the spring, bathed in it, and being much fatigued, he was induced, by the delicious sensation and warmth imparted by it, to remain all night. The next morning he was enabled to scale the mountain before his companions. As the country became settled, the fame of the waters gradually extended and at first, visiters from the low country dwelt here in rude huts. For a long time, both this and the Hot Spring were only surrounded by brush, and open at top. The subjoined analysis of these waters was made by Prof. Rogers:

"The bath is an octagon, 38 feet in diameter, and 16 feet 9 inches inside-its area is 1163.77 feet. The ordinary depth of water being 5 feet, the cubic capacity is 5818.86 feet, or 43533.32 gallons. Notwithstanding the leaks, this quantity of water will flow into the reservoir in one hour. The average temperature of the bath is 98 deg. Fahrenheit. The gas which rises in the bath consists of nitrogen, with minute quantities of sulphuretted hydrogen and carbonic acid.

"Besides this gas, each gallon of water contains 4.5 cubic inches of gas, consisting of nitrogen, 3.25 cubic inches; sulphuretted hydrogen, 0.25 do. ; carbonic acid, 1.00 do. "The saline contents of one gallon of the water, are as follows: muriate of lime, 3.968; sulphate of magnesia, 9.984; carbonate of lime, 4.288; sulphate of lime, 5.466; a trace of soda, no doubt, in the state of muriate.

"While the Warm Springs afford the most luxurious bath in the world, they contain neutral salts and various gases, which act as a gentle aperient, diuretic and sudorific, and give tone and vigor to the human system. It is well ascertained in other countries, that waters of a high temperature tend more to strengthen the digestive organs than those of a low temperature; but it is found, by actual experiment, that the water at the Warm Springs retains a considerable portion of its useful qualities when bottled in the spring, and then cooled by immersing the bottles in cold water, or even ice; and this plan is adopted by many of those who have a repugnance to the use of warm water."

The approach to the Warm Springs from the east, is over the mountain of the same name. The road which leads across it is five miles, four-fifths of which is on the east side of the ridge, where to the traveller a succession of deep precipices and glens present themselves, environed with gloomy woods and obscure bottoms. From the summit of the mountain at the Warm Spring Rock, which is much visited, there is a sublime view of parallel ridges of mountains, extending for 40 or 50 miles, one behind the other, as far as the eye can reach, “like a dark blue sea of giant billows, instantly stricken solid by nature's magic wand." Some 70 years since, the principal route of emigration was across this mountain, at which time there was no wagon-road over it. The emigrants came in wagons to "the camping-ground," a level spot near what is now Brinckley's tavern, at the eastern base of the mountain. From thence they transported their baggage to the west on pack-horses, while their wagons returned east loaded with venison, hams, &c.

One mile west of the little village of Milboro' Spring, and 12 miles east of the Warm Springs, on the road between the two places, in a high ledge on the bank of the Cow-Pasture River, is the celebrated "blowing-cave," described in Jefferson's Notes. The mouth of the cave is 20 or 30 feet above the road, in shape semicircular, and in height about 4 feet. It has been explored for a

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considerable distance. It is said that a small dog who entered found his way out through some unknown passage. When the internal and external atmosphere are the same, there is no perceptible current issuing from it. In intense hot weather, the air comes out with so much force as to prostrate the weeds at the entrance. In a warm day in June, in 1843, as Dr. John Brockenbrough, the principal proprietor of the Warm Springs, was passing in his carriage, he sent a little child to the mouth of the cave, who let go before it a handkerchief, which was blown by the current over the horses' heads in the road, a distance of 30 or 40 feet. In intense cold weather, the air draws in. There is a flowing and ebbing spring on the same stream with the blowing-cave, which supplies water-power for a grist-mill, a distillery, and a tan-yard. It flows irregularly. When it commences, the water bursts out in

a body as if let loose from a dam.

GEN. SAMUEL BLACKBURN, who resided in this county, was born about the year 1758. He was one of the most successful orators and criminal lawyers of his time in Virginia. He was the father of the anti-duelling law of the state, which we believe was the first passed in the country after the war of the revolution. Among other penalties, it prohibited any one who had been engaged in a duel from holding offices of trust in the gift of the state. Some years after, a gentleman who had challenged another was elected to the legislature. When he came forward to take the customary oath, his violation of this law was urged against him. Some, however, contended that the circumstances of the case were so aggravating that its provisions ought to be disregarded, and fears were entertained that this sentiment might prevail. Then it was that Gen. Blackburn, who was a member, came forward with a speech of great power in opposition. The result was the triumph of the law in the rejection of the member. Gen. B. died in 1835, aged about 77. He was a man of much benevolence. At his death, he by will manumitted all his slaves, and provided for their transportation to Liberia.

The Hot Springs are 5 miles from the Warm, in the same beautiful valley with the latter. These springs stand high in public favor. There are several baths here, called the Hot Spouts. Their highest temperature is 106 degrees.

"The beneficial effects of hot spouts, topically applied, are so miraculous, in many painful and obstinate complaints, that words cannot adequately describe them; therefore the prisoners of pain are strongly recommended to expose their rheumatic joints, gouty toes, and enlarged livers, to the comfortable outpourings of these healing steams. The water of the Hot Springs contains nitrogen and carbonic acid, carbonate of lime, sulphate of lime, sulphate of soda, sulphate of magnesia, muriate of soda, silica, and a trace of oxide of iron. It may be taken internally with much advantage, particularly as a sure and gentle diuretic.

"The effect of this bath on rheumatic and gouty affections, and on old deep-seated and chronic complaints, that medicine does not seem to reach, is very beneficial. It restores the surface to a good condition, and promotes the healthy action of the skin; and every person who drinks the water of the various sulphur springs, should afterwards stop here two or three weeks, and try the virtue of the boiler. There are, near the hotel, a hot and cold spring issuing so near each other, that you can dip the thumb and forefinger of the same hand into hot and cold water at the same time."

BARBOUR.

BARBOUR was formed in 1843, from Harrison, Lewis, and Randolph, and named from the distinguished Barbour family: it is 30