The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-07-19 00:00:00

AMERICAN SCENERY.

The following tlescriptidnof the celebrated Falls of
Youghiogeny is from the pen of an American :
‘4 1 wish 1 could describe to yea the Five.mile Falls of the
Yougbiogeny. To a lover of rude and terrific scenery, they would
afotd a delectable treat. There is indeed no one who would not be
greatly gratified in seeing them. I would, for your amusement, at-
tempt a long and particular description of them, if I did not feel
myself so inadequate to the task, or if 1 was not so fully convinced
that my best efforts in this way would fall short of giving you a just
conception of the grand scene which they present.
Imagine, if you please, a deep narrow ravine, warn down some
hundred feet by the operation of the river, far perhaps many cen-
turies past, thrtimih a great mountain, exposing on its Aides umu-
mera4le craggy polo's. and numberless rocks of every possible shape
and aPpearance. Conceive also a river fretting and foaming along
this deep and rocky channel, obstructed and fineed from a direct
Age course, by the fitervention at almost every point of immense
irregular rocks—dashing its way with mad fury, at one moment,
sv,r a ragged perpendicular ledge, and at the next furiously tearing
Its way through deep, tortuous, and obstructed chasms. Fancy
also, if you can, the deep continued roaring and brawling of a
stream thus seeking an outlet, and thus contiremslly checked in its
progress, and add to such sounds as your fancy may invent. their
reverberations and echoes. I may iniare all these things and you
may possibly have a faint idea of the 1 ive-mile Falls, but can still
form nothing like a correct estimate of their character.
" if nature in its very rudest form—in its very nakedness and a na-
tive wildness--deserves the appellation of
Id. gr.indeur, then, indeed,

this is one of the grandest scenes in the work This Is strong law
guage, yob will say—it is so, hut to exoggtrare in this case o im.
possible—The passage of the rotomac river through the 131 u.
Ridge, at Ilarper a Ferry, so celebrated for its nov. by, and which
Mr. Jefferson has said is worth crossing the Atlantic to see, is. I
believe, remarkable only for the rude chavicor of its scenery. In
this respect, if compared with the live-mile Falls of the Youghio.
geny, it must sink into utter insignifissnce.
In casethe canal should be conducted along this ravine, it would
word a convenient means of viewing with perfect. Case and Will.
faction this wild arid romantic place, and I wilt venture to predict
that. in this event, thousands and thousands would pass through
the Chesapeake and Ohio (lanai, with no other object or motive
than that of enjoying this, and other rich scenery along the ha'hks
as the heretofore unknown and neglected Youghtogeny.. '
A very important reversionary property is to be sub-
mitted to public competition on Thursday, the income to
be sold is 2,5001. a-year, anti the security (which is landed
propelly) rxecedo 6,0001. trica:. George Robins oflic:a:es
on this occasion.

• LVTERESTINC; CORRESPONDENCE
BETWEEN. BARON 11(101301,1)T AND•THE
CAN 00YERNMENT.

'

Moat the Ilferican,!'d of March 19, 19.?5,1
Ltrlti ADDRIES3IEO BY TIE. MINUTE& 01P 'ILLATION. 70

ZARON IItUDOLDT.
MeXico, July 21, 1£24.
Your luminous writings relative to America, the fruit of your
talents and of your travels in this part of the globe, have been ge-
nerally received with the estimati: • due to tie interesting matter
and information with which they "bound. • From them can be
funned a correct idea of what Mexico will be. under a good and
liberal Constnutinn, possessing, m it does, witlf.s itself all the ele-
ments of pen:Teeny t and the reading of your work ban not a little
contributed to vivify the spirit of independence, the germs of which
existed amongst many of the inhabitants, and to arouse others
from the lethargy in which they were held by foreign domination.
The whole nation in penetrated with gratitude Inc your labours, as
they have been the mean, of niakini; known to the world its caps.
I city of rendering itself happy in itself; and the Supreme Govern.
merit charged with the adminiefration of its pene concerns hear.
lily concur, in this respect, with the general sentiment- The Ho.
vemment has, therefore, been pleased to direct me, as their Minis-
ter of State and Relations, to express to you the great as isfaetion
with which they have understood it to be your intention to return
once more to this country, and tl:eir lively hope that you will carry
that idea into effect, so that they may cue:granulate themselves on
counting amongst the number of the inhabitants of thin Repubiic,
a man so illustrinus and justly esteemed throughout the civilised
world. In communicating to you dime sentiments and wishes of
my Government, I take the more pleasure as it 'affords me an op-
portunity of repeating to you the expression of my high tnnsiderm
don and respect. LUCAS MAHAN.
Baron Alexander Humboldt.

♦HSWER TO THE PRECEDING LETTER.
Paris, Nov. C. 1C24.
In an official letter of the 21st July, your Excellency has been
pleased to transmit to me the sentiments of erection and esteem
with which the 3lexican nation and their government deign to ho-
hour my slender literary labours. Engaged in a Career dedicated
entirely to the cultivation of the sciences, and to the support of the
eternal principles on which the progress of reason anti the ameli-
oretion of public institutions depend, nothing could flatter my self-
lore more than this soltnnn testimony, expressed in so noble and
interesting a Manner. I therefore beg your Excellentl to present'
to your Government this homage of toy profound respret4 and of
my eternal gratitude. If the works which I have published have
produced any good, it should be attributed only to my love for the
truth and the purity of my sentiments. and to the admiration with
which I have been inspires by a country whom nature has destined
to so exalted a fate. I am not without hope of beholding once
again (my sovereign permitting) the majestic Cordilleras of Ana_
butt; of studying once more their natural productions; and of
enjoying'the pleasure of witnessing the progressive happiness which
must necessarily be produced in the bosom of the Republic by free
invite :as and the arts of peace. In requesting your Excellency
to be the organ of my gratitude to the Supreme Government, I
seize the occasion to reiterate to you, the sentiments of high consi-
deration and esteem with which 1 have the honour to be, your most ,
humble and obedient servant,
ALEX. HUMBOLDT.
To his Excellency Lucas Altman. Secretary of State
for the Mexican Republic.

LETTER OF BARON HUMBOLDT TO THE PRESIDENT or

THE REPUBLIC.

Most Excellent Sir—With he most respectful confidence I ad-
dress myself to the tint Magistrate of the Mexican Republic, to
him whom the free suffrages of the nation have just called to a post
so much the more eminent, us it affords the faculty of using cle-
mency, and of alleviating the sulrerings of the unfortunate. How
satisfactory to me is the consideration, that the first time that I pre-
sent myself before the Supreme Oovertrr-cnt of a country whose
riches and natural resources I have matte known to Europe, stir
supplications may procure consolation for nn unfortunate family
I have this day learnt that Colonel Carlos Benesky, with whom I
am not personally acquainted (although he is from the Prussian
colony, and my countryman), hut who has done signal services in
the last wars of my country, has been induced, by an error of politi-
cal opinion, to follow the fortune of Augustin Iturbide. An aged
father and two sisters, of respectable connexions, fear that he has
forfeited his hie. They have applied to me, hoping that my voice
will be listened to, and that my prayers may be sufficient to obtain
the liberty of a son and a brother, whose residence in America was
even unknown on the banks of the Rhine.

• ,
The Old World has admired the generous sentiments displayed'
by the Mexican nation in their conduct towards the family of the
Ex• Emperor. Deign, thee, your Excellency, ass disiinguiihed
favour to ma, to extend that national clemency to Colonel Bonesky,
anti for the Bike of his unfortunate father, to commute his punish-
ment into merely banishment from the territory of the
Emboldened by my known attachment to a country for which your
Excellency has made so great and noble sacrifices, I make this sup-
plication with the most ptrfect coulideece.
I am, with the most profound respect, Mr. President,
Your Excellency's most humble and obedient servant.
ADEXANDER HUMBOLDT.
To hia Excellency General Guadalupe Vittoria,
President of the Mexican Republic.

' (The wishes of Baron H. were anticipated, 'Colonel Benesky
having been merely sent out of the country, ways time before the
above letter was received.)