New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-09-14


Harrison, New-fork.
Few of our readers will fail to remember the
graphic and eloquent letters from Washington,
published during the last Congress in the Ancrl-
can under the signature Of X. VI. I. H.; and
none of them, we are sure, will be sorry to meet
the writer again in so uncxplorcd a field as that
indicated by the title Of this work Eerc' as IN
his letters, close criticism will doubtless lind much
to censure. Hc is often rash IN his judgement,
frequently strong and bitter in his prejudlces,
s,metimes mastered by his passion, but always
animated, stirring and eloquent His pictures OF
sD;rited incidents are very bold and impressive
He uses vivid colors lays them on with sweeping
d,shes. and finishes with very little care. His
sketch of the wcll-remembcred onslaught made
unon the Nestor of the House, JOHN QUINcY
ADAMS, by the whole chivalry Of the South,
who were 50 scornfully and terribly hurled back
bv his single arm, was one Of the most effective
descriptions we have ever read and it was fre-
ouently equallcd by similar passages in his other
letters
The author referred TO is DR.. FRANCIS BACON,
formerly Of New Haven, and brother of the clo-
cuent and powerful divine, DR.. Leonard Bacon.
He has made the book thoroughly interchangeable
CAL setting FORTH with the strong personal interest
so apparentn whatever he writes, his early cduca-
ton, his prcdsposition for wandering, his prepar-
alton and the motives which induced him to visit
the strange world of which he writes. lie went
out as Resident Physician IN Liberia under the
employment OF the American Colonization So
cety and his work will embrace full and pro-
fessedly impartial statement Of the progress and
prospects of African Colonization as indicated by
the state of the country to which negro emigration
from the Unitel States is directed. 1t is well
known, at least to those at all familiar with his
writings that he returned with far different opn-
ions concerning the Colonization cause from those
which he carried with him: and though no de-
claration to that effect is made in the present
number of this work, we infer from passages In 1t
that he will, in its progress devote considerable
attention to this part of the subject. His views
upon it will Of course be controverted; but his
statements being those of one who writes from
actual observation, will be al least worthy OF at
tention.
But the chief attraction Of the work Tor us IS
its descriptive interest. And so far as we arc able
TO Judge from this opening number, ii will IN this
respect excite and amply reward q very general
and decided interest. In one of his opening chap
tiers, Dr. BACON gives us full account of the very
remarkable discipline through which he went by
way of preparation for his intended travels. From
his eighteenth to his twenty third year, he tellsu
he rigidly abstained from the use Of meat, tea,
coffee, alcohol and tobacco: discarded the use Of
soft bed-sleeping on hard couch or on. bare
boards with window open throughout the year,
and rambled for days together, under all vcssl-
tudes OF heat and cold, through woods and over
mountains, to render his frame impervlous to ia
tigue and disease. 1t does not appear, however,
that he derived from these severe exercises all the
benefit he had anticipated. His studies lay chief
lyamong the. Natural Sciences, and though APP
apparently neither very close nor very methodical,
we're well adapted to prepare him for his adventu-
ous Journey. He gives us a very full and spirited
narrative of his voyage, from which we copy the
following vivid passage:
"TnE MOUNTAIN WAVE. THE next morning,
when | rose, at about seven O'Clock, the mates
and the captain called loudly to me to come on
deck and behold what had so recklessly eX-
pressed a wish to see, during the squalls of the
previous days. Now Doctor, if you want to see
waves mountains high come on deck and look .
Seei THESE are the thing" had several times
IN the course Of the week expressed my astonlsh-
ment at the inflated descriptions so often given OF
the hight and appearance of the waves IN storm
al sea-being satisfied from my own extensive OBJ
seryallons during the pretty stitt blows OF these
two or three DAYS that the term " mountain or
mountains" applied to wave, could never be
considered as any thing but very gross exagge,
ration, justified only by the fears and excltable
imagination of the observer; bat the sight which
met my astonished eyes, when l thrust my head
above the companions way that morning, was SO
appalling that most tremblingly adopted the
condemned hyperboe, as fully expressive of my
own ideas at the moment.
Ny first astonishmcnt was caused by the very
limited field of view presented TO my eye by the
black and roaring sea. Just in proportion as the
waves had risen with the increasing gale had the
scene become circumscribcd; and now on all
SIDES the vision was bounded By the near SUBMITS
otvast rolling ridges which no slighter term than
mountains could describe, as they appeared to
NE. The only impression OF distance which
could derive from the scene was the breadth of
one great dark valley-gloomy as the valley Of
the shadow of eath,"-which was ever before
Us, as if we were continually descending into its
fearful depth and never rising, while the lateral
view of this deep rift IN the ocean was cut off by
the irregular projection of vast salient masses of
water that left no room for VISION glance be-
hind us gave a somewhat different impression
ttalno respect more agreeable however. 4 hage
blow seemed perpetualy rising IN threatening
: attitude in our rear, cresting and comhmg Gas
tdrew nigh, almost oyerhanging the taffrail, ind
often throwing delugc on our deck, making ahe