Spotswood, of whom
Byrd here writes, in early life had been a soldier under Marlborough,
and in 1710 Governor of Virginia. In 1714, on his appointment to
command a British expedition to the West Indies, he was made a
major-general, but he died before embarking. He maintained fine
establishments at Yorktown and on the Rapidan.]

This exploit was so sudden, and accompanied with such a noise, that it
surprized me, and perfectly frightened Mrs. Spotswood. But 'twas worth
all the damage to show the moderation and good humor with which she
bore this disaster. In the evening the noble colonel came home from
his mines, who saluted me very civilly, and Mrs. Spotswood's sister,
Miss Theky, who had been to meet him _en cavalier_, was so kind too as
to bid me welcome. We talked over a legend of old stories, supped
about 9, and then prattled with the ladies, till it was time for a
traveler to retire. In the mean time I observed my old friend to be
very uxorious, and exceedingly fond of his children. This was so
opposite to the maxims he used to preach up before he was married,
that I could not forbear rubbing up the memory of them. But he gave a
very good-natured turn to his change of sentiments by alleging that
whoever brings a poor gentlewoman into so solitary a place, from all
her friends and acquaintance, would be ungrateful not to use her and
all that belongs to her with all possible tenderness.

We all kept snug in our several apartments till nine, except Miss
Theky, who was the housewife of the family. At that hour we met over a
pot of coffee, which was not quite strong enough to give us the palsy.
After breakfast the colonel and I left the ladies to their domestic
affairs, and took a turn in the garden, which has nothing beautiful
but three terrace walks that fall in slopes one below another. I let
him understand that, besides the pleasure of paying him a visit, I
came to be instructed by so great a master in the mystery of making of
iron, wherein he had led the way, and was the Tubal Cain of Virginia.
He corrected me a little there, by assuring me he was not only the
first in this country, but the first in North America who had erected
a regular furnace. That they ran altogether upon bloomeries in New
England and Pennsylvania till his example had made them attempt
greater works. But in this last colony they have so few ships to carry
their iron to Great Britain that they must be content to make it only
for their own use,