Old Virginia and her neighbours

SOCIETY IN THE OLD DOMINION. 227the rich man's. The dishes and plates were ofearthenware or pewter, but in the eighteenth centurythe use of chinaware increased. Pewter cupsand mugs were everywhere to be seen, and nowand then a drinking-horn. Well-to-do plantershad silver tankards, sometimes marked• 1 1With thec •!family arms, as well as•^silversalt-cellars, candlesticks, and snuffers.Silver plate.A cupboardwith glass doors, or light drapery, displayed thestore of cups and dishes ; while about the wallssometimes hung family portraits, and more rarelyj^aiutiugs of other sorts. This central hall retainedmany marks of its mediaeval miscellaneousnessof use ; capacious linen-chests, guns andpistols, powder-horns, swords, saddles, bridles, andriding-whips, in picturesque and cosy confusion.In the eighteenth century a luxurious elegance wasdeveloped quite similar to that of the " colonialmansions " at the North, such as the Philipsemanor house on the Hudson River, or ColonelVassall's house in Cambridge, where Washingtondwelt for a few months, and Longfellow for manyyears. Panelled wainscots of oak and carved oakenchimney-pieces were common ; the wallsWainscotswere,hung with tapestry; and. .artistic and tapescabinets,screens, and clocks adorned thespacious room. In the Lee homestead at Stratfordthe hall added toits other functions that oflibrary. The ceiling was very high and vaulted,and parts of the panelled walls had bookshelvesset into them.^ Such rooms were warmed by hugelogs ofhickory or oak, burning in open fireplaces*^ Lee of Virginia, p. 116.