Science his views enlarges, art refines,
And swelling commerce opens all her ports;
Blest be the man divine, who gives us thee!"
_Thomson._


"A peace is of the nature of a conquest;
For then both parties nobly are subdued,
And neither party loser."
_Shakspeare._




CHAPTER I.


There is a pleasant villa on the southern bank of the James River, a few
miles below the city of Richmond. The family mansion, an old fashioned
building of white stone, surrounded by a spacious veranda, and embowered
among stately elms and grave old oaks, is sure to attract the attention
of the traveller by its picturesque appearance, and the dreamy elegance
and air of comfort that pervade the spot. The volumes of smoke that roll
from the tall chimneys, the wide portals of the hall, flung open as if
for a sign of welcome, the merry chat and cheerful faces of the sable
household, lazily alternating their domestic labors with a sly romp or a
lounge in some quiet nook, these and other traits of the old Virginia
home, complete the picture of hospitable affluence which the stranger
instinctively draws as his gaze lingers on the grateful scene. The house
stands on a wooded knoll, within a bowshot of the river bank, and from