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to his correspondent in England. Boxes of this material formed not infrequently a portion of the estate of deceased planters.^[1] In the county levies, provision was made for the purchase of glass for the court-houses, and glaziers were paid at the rate of fifty pounds of tobacco to put it in place.^[2] Some of these mechanics were so prosperous that they were able to acquire large tracts of land by patent. There are references in the inventories to cross garnets for windows. In a climate like that of Virginia, in which hail-storms and tempests arose so suddenly and prevailed with such violence, it was necessary to protect the glass panes with strong shutters; these shutters and the body of the house were in many instances allowed to remain unpainted, but this was not the case in general.^[3] The example of Fitzhugh was doubtless followed by every other planter in the enjoyment of easy circumstances; on one occasion alone he is found importing a large quantity of colors, with walnut and linseed oil, brushes, and half a dozen suits of the three-quarter cloth in which the house painters of this age pursued their trade.

The surroundings of the planter’s residence were plain and simple. The yard, as it was called, consisted of open ground, overshadowed here and there by trees. In the immediate vicinity of the house was situated the garden, devoted partly to vegetables and partly to flowers, thyme, marjoram, and phlox being as abundant there as in England. Many of the flowers and shrubs had only recently been

1. Francis Mathews’ personal estate included 37 feet of glass (Records of York County, vol. 1671-1694, p. 130, Va. State Library), and John Carter’s, one box, containing 144 feet of the same material (Records of Lancaster County, original vol. 1690-1709, p. 23).
2. Records of Henrico County, vol. 1677-1692, p. 470, Va. State Library.
3. There is an entry in Records of Lancaster County, original vol. 1690-1709, pp. 19, 20, in which it is stated that Edward Floyd painted the windows of the Sparks “Great House” with white lead.