Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-12-11
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Sir: A stranger who has spent short time
in your beautiful and fourishing town, cannot |
do Justice to his own feelings, without attempt
inc slight description fone OF the most striking
and commanding views which our country al
fords.
Ascending the elevated dome Of the centre
building of the University Of Vermont, Cover
the apartments of more than one hundred young
and and ardent Green Mountain Boys, who, with
an un,iring wing, are rising TO professional AMI
political cmnence, under the guidance of their
eloquent and accomplished President; their pro-
found and unambitious Ex.President, the mod
esty of whose character, in resigning so distin-
guished a station serves but to adorn the
strength of his mind and, as an told, by the
other able members of the Faculty of the Col
lege,) you look around and beneath you upon a
scene ofsurpassng beauty, grandeur and extent.
Casting your eye eastcrIy, over the rich VAL
ley OF the Winooski, it rests upon the high range
of the Green Mountains, which stretch in an
unbroken line to the south, and terminate only
with the southern boundary Of New England
the Long Island Sound.
Looking still farther to tho east, by the aid Of
the imagination you cross the beautiful valley of
the upper Connecticut, and strike the highest
pinnacle of the White Mountains. whose sum-
init, crowned with everlasting snow, towers
seven thousand feet above the celebrated gorge
at the base.
Still farther, in northeastern direction, run
the highlands which divide the waters that run
into the Atlantic from those which run into the
ST. Lawrence, and ought, long since, to have
been the acknowledged boundary between
Maine and Lover Canada.
Farther still, in the same direction, lies Que.
bee, the Gbralter Of America, with its impene-
trabe wall and mar,ello towers, which form the
dcfences of the city on the side Of the renown-
ed plains Of Abraham, where once lay enombed
in common earth, the remains Of the gallant
Mon'calm, the ndomitable Wolf, the brave and
able Montgomery, three distinguished generals
Of three different nations, who contended, at
different periods, Cor the possession of the pre-.
options rocks which form the everlasting foun-
do'.ons OF the city.
From the high walls Of the Upper Town, or
The Pains OF Abraham, you look down several
hundred feet into tile deep bed OF the st. Law
renee, which dsembugucs the surplus waters OF
our mighty inland seas, or iutermnable chain of
lakes.
In reviewing the motives and effects Of the
first of these battles, fought, as they were, 10
aggrandze foreign governments, and not to ame-
liora,e the condition of the inhabitants of the
soil, and benefit their poserity, the human mind
IL, a. .,l,- ..l..
that of revulsion or horror-and their military
glory, however great at the time, as a bubble
that must vanish upon the first burst of national
applause.
How abortve has been the attempt at union
The Canadian Frenchman still smokes his pipe
and drives his carriole around his farm or native
village, with no other emotion than of inditfer.
ence for his more cnterprisng Anglo-SaXor
neighbors of the upper province, who impe
the rapid and rich freighted steam boats through
the vast extent Of our western waters.
Leaving, however, this real scene, but imag,
nary view, the spectator turns his eye from the
dome, about mile westward, through three
broad avenues, down the gentle slope to the
lake-cther side of them bordered by extensive
the inhabitants of which open their hospitablt
doors alike to the iellowctizen and the stranger
Three beautiful churches, at convenient dstan
ces from the central square of the town, varie
gate the scene, rendered still more interesting
by the variety Of sect, the full attendance of the
religious and moral audiences Of their particu
lar community, and the able and often eoquen
discourses OF their pastors.
Southwcsterly, and about half way to thu
lake, stand the extensive edfices of Bisho
Hopkins Episcopal Institute, which are built il
s;y,c of rare taste and architectural truth an,
beauty.
Over the lake, in southwesterly direction
are seen Crown Point, Ticonderoga, the mos
venerable of the ruins Of our young and enter
prisng country, to the reduction Of which
twenty years before the revolutionary war,
Mass lchusetls General marched the colonia
artillery of his native state over the B.anfor
steps, or mountain Of rocks, as formidable as til
ceebra ed passage OF the Symptom by Bonapartt
Years afterwards, citizen Of this young Gree
Mountain State, with a small number of tn
Green Mountain Boys, successfully sumInone
the surrender of these ancient iorresses 81
the name # The great Jelorah, and # The con.
mental Congress"
Opposite Burlington, and over the lake, i
the successive ranges, towering one above al
other, Of those mountains which, running in
outhery direction from the line of Canada
pass Pattsburg and Port Kent, and form the ha
peak of Mount Defiance, in rear Of the iortre,
last mentioned, upon the top of which, durir
the revolution, British cannon were with almo
incredible labor drawn up and so placed as
look down into the fortress and Command ii
garrison. Still farther south, they form the raj
res of the Katskill mountains, one spur OF whic
in some remote age, seems to have made an C
fort TO obsruct the passage Of the Hudson rive
but for other ages since, has suffered the riy,
to pass unobstructed through tier parallel hg
lands to Yves, Point. The other branches a
supposed to form the long chain of Aeghar