of the seat of government from Williamsburg to Richmond, then only a collection of disjointed villages placed amid the ragged ground at the falls of the James. Virginia had been settled largely by sons of country gentlemen, who brought from their far-off homes the love of country life. Her citizens preferred that life, and the title "Country Gentlemen" was the most desired. In consequence there were no large cities in the State.
In 1781, the Marquis Chastellux, who served with honor in the French army, thus described the city:
"Though Richmond be already an old town and well
situated for trade, being built on the spot where the
James River begins to be navigable, that is, just below
the rapids. It was before the war one of the least considerable
in Virginia, where they are all in general very
small, but the seat of the government being removed
from Williamsburg it is become a real capital, and is
augmenting every day."
In 1782, Richmond was incorporated as a
city, and three years later the foundations of
the Capitol were laid. Especially beautiful in
the summer months, when the grass is as green
as emerald and the noble trees give grateful
shade, is the Capitol Square. Squirrels play
