The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1816-11-22

E:ctract of letter 10 The Editors ofthe
Herald, dated
MEncEn, penn J Nov. 3.
b" My journey thus far has been soil.
tary. and unproductive of anccdote o.
circumstance TO embellish 4 letter. Ny
route from Sudbury TO Franklin Oh tho
Allegheny river, lay through country
with the exception of Penn's and Buff
talo Valleys OF sparsed population, and
unpromising aspect. Alter passing the
aforementioned river, the soil be gan to
show better, till il opened on rich and
delightful county, well watered by
French, Oil, aud Brokens.raw creeks
and other tributary Streams Of tho Ale
ghany. A great number of mills OF
hose aters are constantly employed
10 Sitting the immense white pines
which line their margins, and extend
20 considerable di lance through thc
-ountry. Tneuce to Erie, The ROAD
passes through level and handsom,
tract of land.
The town of Erie is elegantly stu
ated on the bank 0: the lallG, or rather
the basin formed by Prcsq l'isIe, and is
about five miles briow the is,hnus OF
TIA, peninsula. Ihc basin is curved,
allowing the basin to spread three miles
across at the extreme bend, and mar
rowing TO half that distance at the point,
a mile below The town, where a bar O.
Ye:laps another from the shore, LAYING
a narrow and difficult navigabie passage
between them into the narbor. Abe
bank is elevated about sixty feet above
the level OF the water, and lIom the part
opposite the point, presents beautiful.
view OF the lake, the Canadian shore OF
which is not disoernible by the naked
eye. At this spot is block house, in
which garrison duty is performcd.-
Near it stands the old block hoGsc,( now
converted into barn) in which the gal
liant ma or. general Wayne breathed his
last. On viewing the spot of earth
which had been the temporary deposit
,ory of the remains Of that American
hero, a sigh OF seDsibil;iy for the fate
OF human greatness Involuntary esca-
ped me. Bat Wayne lives in the CRATE,
tul RENE nbrance Of his surviving coun-
trymGn. The ground is now enclosed
tor cultivation and though no cypress
is planted 10 notify to strangers the sa-
cred spot, few peoples have stationed
themselves around the cavity, yet appa.
rent, as il 10 designate the funereal use
TO which it had been devoted.
" Lake Erie has of late exhibited one
OF those unexplained phenomena of ma.
Iure which the philosoph;c mind has of
ten to encounter. For three years and
half 1t continued rising gently and re-
gularly til! it reached between three and
four feet above its customary height,
and is now subsidiDg! During the pro-
Gress OF this swell, it cut through the
islhmus but as the lake sinks, the new
channel is filling up again. The Pc
ninsula is uninhabited by any domestic
animal, human or brutal It's surface
IS covered with sand heaps, sisgnant
ponds, scraggy pines, oak shrubs, and
cranberry bushes; the fruit Of the lat =
Ter is Of good quality, and believe the
only product of Prssqa'islc of any value.
| hal an opportunity Of tssling its good.
le S in sauce.
Waterford, formerly LebGuT, is 81.
uatcd On navigable branch Of French
re k, fifteen miles south of Erie \
portage Of that distance along an ele
ant dry turnpike road, connects the
axes with the Atlantic ocean"
Our Erehange with London has con.
sidera6ly fallen,