Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-11-01
EDITORS CORRESPONDENCE.
FROM A SOJOURNER IN THE WEST.
CINcINNArI, OcroBER he, ls45.

MY DEAR SiRs: Wnen we parted pfOmseu 10
drop you line or two from beyond the mountains,
and promise givea must be fulfilled had heard
many praises bestowed upon the National road, but
received them as do most travellers stories, with
certain grains Of allowance: but | cannow say,
with the Queen of Sheba, " the half had not been
told me. Its smoothness and solidity, the excel
lence Of the stages teams, and drivers, and its pic
turesque course over hill and valley mountain and
river, with the rich and ever-varyiDg prospects it
commands, far exceeded all my anticipatpns. As
to the railroad which leads you to Cumberland
was perhaps in too good humor to foirn very
exact judgment; for, sooth to say, my eye was so
constantly busted with the busy and interesting OBJ
jects all along the banks OF the Patapsco the con-
slant succession of mills and factories, suehouses,
and water hamlets up to and beyond Harlers Fer
/ ry then with the meanderings of the UPPER Poto-
mac, the magnificent scenery OF that mos interest
ing spot, and the mountain views all the way up to
Cumberland that, had the cars been ever 81 narrow
inconvenient, and noisy, should have had no lei
sure to feel the discomfort of the vehicle. To me
they seemed very comfortable and certainly their
progress was, for the most part, quite rapid often
rising to twenty and twenty five miles an hour.
The meals at the Relay House, Harpefs Ferry,
and Frostburgh were good; but we had lot much
time to prolong conversation over the desse: wines
there were none on the table, and believe little
was taken at the bars. In fact the wholesome in
| 1uence of the Temperance rAform is nowhere more
4 e-epIcuous than IN travelling. At Cumberland all
was hurry and hustle. Enormous plies of baggage
and hosts Of passengers contended for by what
took to be rival and opposing agents, who assa-
ed US with cries of ell take your tiskets, sir
give me your tickets, sir this is the linc:' but
afterwards found that this was russe de guerrc
both agents belonging to the same Office. Another
novelty encountered me here: all the baggage had
to be weighed, tedious and troublesome process
which delays your outset for the mountains. But
was told Il had become necessary in consequence
of former abuses, merchants travelling Westward
having multiplied their trunks and stuffed Jem with
dry goods To correct this evil, each traveller is
now allowed but fifty pounds weight of baggage
the weight is chalked on each trunk, anl all ex-
ceeding that amount is charged for as !" extra bag
gage, at think four cents pound. Happily
had no extra TO pay, my trunks being of lie legiti-
mate weight to hall pound, which (throlgh mag
nanlmlty) they did not insist on charging. The
process having been at length got through With the
stages drove up III succession, and thirteen of them
were duly charged with travellers, nine i'm each
coach the drivers cracked their whips, and of we
went at a round trot into deep valley aid over a
wild cascade, previously to commencing our up-
hill walk, which continued, with little inie-mssion,
till past midnight. There was no moon but Tie
heavens bright with stars more than one planet
degnlng TO light us on our mountain way while
within, we were too closely packed to feel much the
GOODNESS of the night air, the rumble of the wheels
being otlen lost in the voice of song and lee and
merry chorus, interspersed with bursts q merrier
laughter as some good anecdote was hapDilv told
mus the night passed cheerily over us and the
| rcddening dawn broke over fiue alpine scenery
| though happily without the glaciers The pre-
sence oil so admirable road through the decliytes
and ascents oil so lofty and wild a region reminded
one Of Bonaparte's road over the Smplon and we
could better realize how great an acquisition that
vast work must have been to European travellers
doomed to cross the till then almost impossible bar
riers OF Italy. We declined going 10 Wheeling,
having had quite enough with one nights ride with
out wishing to encounter another day and night
without stopping We therefore halted at Browns
vile, small town situated at the point where the
national road crosses the Monongahela. II is ra-
Their begrmed looking place. partaking do,
| more less, all the towns this region of the
sombre hue produced by the universal consumption
OF very dirty coal. The Monongahela, one of the
twin sources of the Ohio is a wild romantic stream
vending through woody hills, the body OF which
would seem to consist Of almost solid coal For,
as your little fairy frigate glides along the CLASSY
current, you see, from point point either hand,
the dark mouths of little caverns excavaed from
the bank, the opening being often so small as not
to admit man upright, from which quantities of
coal in fragments descend toward the wateL which
they sometimes reach where the mine lies on
high level, by means of wooden troughs conduct
ed down the bank, or little railroads of wood, ira
versed by diminutive car, having movable bot
tom falling with hinge, through which the sooty
looking mineral is dropped into boats or flts con-
siructed of boards, which lie waiting to receive it.
Such black openings every here and there, at
short distances apart, all the way down to Pitts
burg; and on the Allegheny the sister source of
the Ohio, they occur in like manner. These coal
pits furnish occupation and bread to large popu-
lation, whose little huts perched on the steep bank
and having cultivated grounds around them, of
ten provoke from travellers the natural inquiry,
+" How do these people live :" They lveby Dig
gng out this coal, and selling it to others who ham
mer frame of boards together and float il down to
Plttsburg and the cities along the Ohio. At Pitts
burg it is furnished to the boats as low as two cents
and half the bushel, and it is laid down at your
door, i'll smaller quantities, at six cents As you
descend the river the supply becomes scarer, and
the price gradually rises to eight, and nine and ten
cents, which, believe. is now the price at Louis
1 vile. The banks of the Monongahela present the
most beautiful views painter could desire to gaze
upon, not being exceeded, in ever-varying and i'm
pressive combinations of all the lesser elements of
landscape scenery, even by the romantic Patapsco
itself. Our captain was very civil and communities
/ tive, and we were constantly congraulating our
selves that we had escaped the long and wearisome
ride to Wheeling.
j We reached Pittsburg at dark and found excel
lent accommodations at that well-conducted hotel,
4 the United States Exchange. Early next morning
sallicd forth via,y :, ,a,rc, r. IL 49,.