THE VAULT OF THE LEES AT STRATFORD, IN WESTMORELAND.

In the preceding sketch of the Lees, by Mr. William Lee, cf. London, there is mention made of a loss by fire sustained by his father, Thomas Lee, of Stratford, and of a present to him by Queen Caroline. This establishes the source from whence came the means of building the present most durable building at that place, which for the thickness of the walls and the excellency of its architecture is not surpassed, if equalled, by any in Virginia.* It has sometimes been called the Governor's House, probably because its owner and builder, Thomas Lee, was commissioned as Governor, though he did not live to act in that capacity. The cemetery was not built by him, as he was buried at Pope's Creek Church. I have been assured by Mrs. Eliza Turner, who was there at the time, that it was built by General Harry Lee. The cemetery is much larger than any other in the Northern Neck, consisting of several apartments or alcoves for different branches of the family. Instead of an arch over them there is a brick house, perhaps twenty feet square, covered in. A floor covers the cemetery. In the centre is a large trapdoor, through which you descend by a ladder to the apartments below. I went down into it some years. since, when nothing was to be seen but the bones of the deceased, which were scattered over the dirt floor. I was informed that it had sometimes been filled with water, and that then the bones and skulls of the deceased might be seen floating upon the surface,-at any rate, if stirred up with a pole, as was sometimes done. The entrance to this house has of late years been almost prevented by a thick growth of young aspens and briers. I am happy to state that it is the purpose of the present proprietor to fill up the vault, take down the brick walls and convert them into a mound over the place, and on the top of the mound to have the tombstone of old Thomas Lee fixed in some immovable way.

Some mournful thoughts will force themselves upon us when considering the ruins of churches, of mansions, and of cemeteries, in Westmoreland. By reason of the worth, talents, and patriotism which once adorned it, it was called the Athens of Virginia. But how few of the descendants of those who once were its ornaments

* An American writer says there were once a hundred rooms in this house. A view of the engraving of it will show how untrue this is. Even including the basement and the large hall, there are not more, I think, than seventeen, and never were more. Another says there were one hundred stalls for horses in the stable,-almost equally untrue.

are now to be found in it! Chantilly, Mount Pleasant, Wakefield, are now no more. Stratford alone remains. Where now are the venerable churches? Pope's Creek, Round Hill, Nomini, Leeds, where are they? Yeocomico only survives the general wreck. Of the old men, mansions, churches, &c. we are tempted to say, "Fuit Illium, et ingens gloria Dardanidum;" and yet we rejoice to think that new ones have taken their places, in some respects better suited to present times and circumstances. Those who, in the general defection, have remained to the Church, are exerting themselves to repair the waste places; and we trust there awaits for Westmoreland a greater glory than the former.

ARTICLE LXII.

Farnham and Lunenburg Parishes, Richmond County.

To do justice to the history of this county and these parishes, we must go back to the time when they were a part of Rappahannock county and Littenburne parish,-which they were from the year 1653 to 1692,-when new counties and parishes were established. But where are the vestry-books or county records from whence to draw our facts? Of the former there are none. Some few of the latter are to be seen in Tappahannock, the county seat of Essex, where the archives of old Rappahannock county are preserved.

At my request, a worthy friend-most competent to the taskhas searched these records, and though unable to specify who were the vestrymen of the parish, yet, in giving the following list of magistrates from 1680 to 1695, has doubtless furnished us with the names of far the greater part of the vestrymen, if not the whole of them, during that period. We cannot determine to which side of the river they belonged, as both the county and parish were on both sides. They are as follows:-Henry Aubrey, Major Henry Smith, Captain George Taylor, Mr. Thomas Harrison, Colonel John Stone, Colonel Leroy Griffin, Major Robinson, Colonel William Loyd, Captain Samuel Bloomfield, William Fauntleroy, Samuel Peachy, William Slaughter, Cadwallader Jones, Henry Williamson. My friend adds that "the character and habits of the early settlers, so far as can be ascertained from their wills and the records, indicate intelligence and a high state of morals for the times." This section appears to have been settled chiefly by those coming from the lower counties,— the names of the principal men being those of families in the lower country. There are some, however, whose names are rarely met with in other counties; and there is evidence that they originally settled here. They are such as Latane, Waring, Upshaw, Rowsee, Rennolds, Micou, Roy, Clements, Young.

To the labours of another friend, on the other side of the river, we are indebted for information gotten from the records of Rich