Thursday 8.
Cloudy & cool. I rise now by half after six—I found it necessary to flogg Bob & Harry on account of lying in bed, after I come into School—At twelve Mr & Mrs Carter, with all the Family except Ben, Harry & Myself; Ben staid of choice, & Harry I kept at Home on account of a sullen Impudence when I dismiss'd them—I told them that they both had my leave to go but at the same time it was my advice that they should stay—Harry then answered "D—n my Soul but i'll go!" At this I informed him that he had at once dismiss'd himself from my authority. & without singular signs of Submission I should never take him under my direction more—And therefore that he had general & unbounded Liberty to go not only to the Horse Race, but where & when he chose—He seem'd startled, & began to moderate his answer: I ordered him out of the Room, & told him to use his liberty. Mrs Carter took with her all the young Ladies & all her children—Ben & I with great satisfaction dined alone. Nelson, to Day, kill'd another Rattle Snake; near the place where he kill'd the other, which had twelve Rattles—Harry grew sick and refused to go to the Race, he came soon to my room & with every Sign of Sorrow for his conduct begg'd me to forgive him, at first I refused, but at length I took him in, yet informed him that I shall pass over no other instance of what may be called rudeness only.—The Colonel on his return, in the evening informed us that the Race was curious, & that the Horses were almost an even match—That the Betts were Drawn & no Money paid—That the Rider of one of the Horses weighed only forty Seven pound—Strange that so little substance in a human Creature can have strength & skill sufficient to manage a Horse in a Match of Importance—Something alarming happened a few nights ago in the Neighbourhood at Mr Sorrels[200] a House in sight—It is supposed that his Negres had appointed to murder him, several were found in his bed chamber in the middle of the night—his Wife waked—She heard a whispering, one perswading the other to go—On this She waked her Husband, who run to his Gun; but they escaped in the dark—Presumption is so strong together with a small confession of the Fellows, that three are now in Prison—The ill Treatment which this unhappy part of mankind receives here, would almost justify them in any desperate attempt for gaining that Civility, & Plenty which tho' denied them, is here, commonly bestowed on Horses!—Now, Laura, I sleep in fear too, though my Doors & Windows are all secured!—
Fryday 9.
Mr Stadley came in before Breakfast. He inform'd us that Governor Dunmore has gone to the Frontiers with about 400 Men to subdue the Indians—That the Indians seem disheartened, & leave their towns, & are unwilling to fight—Mrs Carter, out of Compliment, this morning presented to Ben & I for staying at home yesterday, a large fine Cake—Dined with us a Stranger—Ben with great Humour either out of a Bravado or for Revenge gave out in the Family to day that it is the opinion of a certain Female, of considerable Note in the family, that all the male Children which shall be born in this unlucky year, tho' they may be fair to the Sight, will be yet unable, from a Debility of Constitution, to do their Duty, with respect to Women, either married or single—That She has two reasons for this opinion,
1. Because the Air appears to her extremely barren, weak, & ungenerative—2. Because the Peaches, & other Fruit, are observed this year to have in them very few Kernels, at the same time that the Peaches are sweet & fair—I think that Ben, by this stratagem, whether it be real or otherwise, is levil with the invidious Vixen which suspected him of entering the Nursery to visit black-faced Sukey—
Saturday 10.
With the Boys I Surveyed a small field lying along the Richmond Road; the Colonel has a good Theodolite & other Aparatus for Surveying—English Magazines, & Reviews arrived to Day—One of the Books lately published I am desirous to purchase viz.—Dr Henry's History of Great Britain on a new Plan. This history is to be contained in ten Books, each of which will be divided into seven chapters. In the first Chapter of every Book, the Author relates, the civil & military History of Great Britain—The second chapter contains the ecclesiastical History of the same period: the third presents us with the history of our political constitution, Government, Laws, & Courts of justice: the fourth is employed upon what relates to Learning & Learned men: the fifth investigates the State of the useful & ornamental Arts: the sixth enquires into that of commerce, Shipping, Money, with the prices of commodities: & the last Chapter of every Volume is alloted to a Detail of the Manners, Virtues, Vices, remarkable Customs, Language, Dress, Diet, & Diversions of the Great Britains—Six o-Clock, Mrs Turberville, Miss Jenny Corbin, and Miss Turberville came in; Miss Corbin has been, all the Summer, at her Brothers on Rapahanock forty miles distant.[201]—I saw, in the evening, in Mr Randalls[202] Room, a Young man about twenty years old, totally deaf, & dumb! He is well-set, lusty, & likely; he is cheerful, good natur'd, extremely dextrous, quick of apprehension, &, in short, very conversable, & sociable by signs—he was taken to the much famed Dr Graham,[203] when he was in this Colony trumpeting about his own unproved Abilities; he fumbled with the unfortunate Lad, by blooding, gouging, boreing &c. putting him to torture and expence without any possible expectation of help—He Sustains among his neighbours the Reputation of being, honest, industrious, & useful—He supports by Labour his mother, & himself; He is remarkably fond of Cloths; & vastly curious, & nice in examining every article of dress, where he has the smallest intimacy—He abstains entirely from strong Liquor.—And what most of all produced admiration in me, was his taking a Pen & writing his Name "Coley Reed" in a good legible Hand, better indeed, than the Bulk of planters are able to do! But he can write nothing more—
Sunday 11.
Ben rode out yesterday after Dinner and returned this morning; but came on foot, I begin to suspect him of being actually engaged in what several alledge against him—But I will keep off so long as I possibly can, so unwelcome, so unwelcome & so Base a thought of its Reality—After Breakfast Mr Stadley left us; I feel always Sorry when he leaves the Family; his entire good-Nature, Cheerfulness, Simplicity, & Skill in Music have fixed him firm in my esteem—None go to Ucomico Church to day—Towards evening, I took a book in my hand, & strolled down the Pasture quite to the Bank of the River—Miss Stanhope, Priss, Nancy, Fanny & Betsy Carter were just passing by—They walked to the Mill; there they entered a Boat, & for exercise & amusement were rowed down the River quite to the granary, & then went to angling—I walked to them, & together we all marched Home to Coffee.
Monday 12.