Elizabeth-Town gazette. [volume] (Elizabeth-Town, N.J.) 1818-1821, 1819-09-21
From the New-York Evening Post.
Letters from an american Traveller, non
on a Tour to Missouri, &c.-No. l..

LIAM 1ihAl VIII dlWdys dHoIu me
great pleasure to communicate TO you eve1
ry thing interesting and 1 shall be happy
il can render yon portion Of the graf
iiication aud delight my self and son have
enjoyed in our passage up the lakes in the
steam boat w alk-i,l.the-water.
You know it is only few years since
business frequently called me to The west
ern part-oi our state (New- York, 1874
yet in this short period much has been
done 10 astonish and delight us. Most Of
the villages aud towns west Of Utica have
greatly improved, and the fields and farms
near the public road have been almost en-
lirely cleared Of old stumps. The travel
ler's eye is iatigued with riding through q
new country, when, instead Of orchards
and corn fields, he sees nothing bat stumps
and log houses. As the orchards rise the
stumps are banished, aud new house is
erected, while the old cabin is left TO
mouIder and decay. | often compare
those old log houses to an old friend; al
though not SO fair without, good bospitaIi-
| ty and kind, generous hearts are within.
In life, SO in travelling, we turn our hearts
| from the plain old fashioned friend, and
pass on to the gaudy tfappingsaof a new
conner. look with a sigh at tie deser-
ton aud loss Of log house where once a
smiling hostess and healthy children vel
coined me to frugal meal Of pork aud
Tried potatoes, pure water and aclean bed,
The village of Canandaigua certainly
stands first in opulence, and perhaps is
not surpassed in beauty by any inland
town in the United States, but when we
pass to the village Of Rochester. aud from
thence on the ridge road to The Niagara
sireight, we can scarcely give credit to
our senses; as much as has been said of
the sudden growth Of the towns west Of
the Allegheny, yet nothing have heard
Of or seen in the valley OF The Mississippi
can boast Of so rapid growth as the village
Of Rochester, favoured by nature in its
location and beauty and grandeur of scene
ry, combined with all the advantages of
trade. Although the falls Of Niagara
will always be the poets theme, for
sublimiiy aud majesty, yet there is sim
plicity and grandeur in The cataracts Of
the Genessee, that fix thu attention and
give charm that pass the limits Of de-
scription. If ] may be allowed the com
parison, the one exhibits the muscular
strength of Hercules and the majesty of
angry Jupiter, while the other may boast
of all the grace, symmetry, and dignity
Of Apollo. The bridge of one expansive
arch at the lower falls, though made of
rude materials, seems the work Of some
mighty master. should venture to say,
that when the neighboring wood is cut
open TO lake Ontario, this town will be
the resort Of every tourist, and Rochester
washed by the waves of the lake on the
north, fanked on the east and west by
two of the largest aud most fertile conn-
ties Of the state, through which nature
has interlocked road free as air aud level
as water, will stand unrivalled in the
west. All the towns on the Niagara
streight have been rebuilt and much larger
than they were before the war. The fails
of Niagara can now be viewed with great
advantage from Goat Island, and, imnie-
diateIy below the falls, a boat will convey
you with safety over the rolling pillows,
while the dark mist that hangs over your
head is Illuminated BY the beautiful arch
Of Iris. can assure you, we spent three
days in passing from one side to the other,
and the new views ofthe falls continually
delighted and astonished us. Yours, truly.
No. III.
Cavern at Putin Bay, Lake Erie.
On the 18th July we left Black Rock,
| in the steam boat Walk-in-the- water, for
the upper lakes. Every comfort and lux,
ury was amply provided on board. The
party were such as to make the trip So
ciable and friendly, and that monotony
frequently experienced and inwsfdly COM
plaiued Of, the noise of the steam boat
machinery, was lost in "the maze Of the
sprightly dances and the echo of sweet
music"
The next day we found ourselves amidst
the islands near Sandusky bay. Those
beautiful specks, rising from the bottom
Of the water, give the most charming ef-
feet to lake scenery. We landed at Put
in-bsy to take in more fuel, and most Of
us, including few enterprising ladies,
visited the cavern situated in the centre
Of one of the islands forming the harbor
Of Put-in.bay, name that will be dear TO
every American. This cave is difficult
Of access, admitting Of but one person Of
moderate compass at time. After sliding
down, feet foremost, on the damp earth
for about seven yards, we find ourselves
on table rock Of limestone, arched and
rooted by the same material, which ORR
ginaily composed one mass, but whose
foundation has been undermined by the