The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1847-08-28

reached the north side OF the mountain,
where was pointed to the path. Shade of
all the inyincibles, such II path! II was
mere course of roughuesses and assures in
the almost perpendicular rocks, where, occa-
slonally, dwarf blueberry bush Obtained
scanty foot hold, that was expected by the
guide TO climb up, with descent behind me
so abrupt that a stone loosened by my feet
| numbered and dashed away into the abyss,
a thousand feet below! But if to proceed
was difficult, TO make II retrograde movement
was impossible. Like the ihbled coffin
OF Mahomet, was suspended between the
/ heavens and the earth; with the essential diff
ference, however, that the shrine of the
prophet was suspended by miracle, while
my support was much more ffagle;videIicet,
dwarf blueberry bush. Leaving me litter
ally IN suspense, sam proceeded to make de-
monstrutiou ofthe Feasibility of the ascent,
aud scaling the precipce with the agility Of
"A mountnin cat, was lost behind projecting
abutment ola rock. While Illuminating upon
the problem whether mans remains could
he identified after a fall into the abyss behind
me, heard Sans familiar hollo, and looking
up | saw his head projecting over the pima
Gle, upon the extreme top Of the mountain.
! With nothing bur his weather beaten tarpau-
| lin and strange physlognomy peerug over
/ the precipice, It would require no stretch Of
the Imagination 10 fancy him one of the pre-
siding genii otthe momtain or even the re-
embodied shade Of Cochorua himself Not
amongst the east OF Sans cXcCleucies was
his alacrly in backing a iriend;'und between
IA hearty lift from behind, and pull from his
long staff from before found myself seated
upon the pinnacle at quarter past twelve at
noon, ntter six and quarter hours of hard
and diigent climbing.
The prospect from the summit proved full
~ to compensate for the labor and fatigue Of
the ascent. For a grand combination of
the sublime and the beautiful, il must be
! pronounced, without eyaggeraton. uusur-
passed. To the south and eastluy ia beauti-
iul respOse u limtless stretch OF mountain,
lake aud forest scenery, so mellowed by the
slight haze OF the atmosphere, that II SEEM
ed more the ideal creation OF the artists con-
ception, than the rough fabric of nature Up
on the north and west, a vast and broken
chain Of mountain ridges, with Mount WASH
ngton in the back ground, gave an air of in
descrlbable wlidness to the scenery, / was
reminded of the truthiulness OF the poets
description otthe same prospect;
"Ocr many league of wild, untrodden
waste
Pil'd, as by some Titan hand, eternally to
bar
Some fairy land from view, are plac d
Those moss crowned battlements. Reaching
far
/ And firm as earth foundations basd,
Bar d by the tempest, and the scathing war
! Ofelements, their SCARF and storm rent fur
rows run
Far to thy huge, eternal dome, Mount Wash.
TOM
/ Description fails to do justice to Il prospect
so magnificent; but the traditional records
which give charm TO the mountain, are
worth preserving. Clothing the narrative of
sam with certain portions ofhistory, omitted
IN his recital, and deyatlng from his most
praiSeworthy terseness OF illustration. | lis
tened, while taking breath after so lutiguing
ii mornings labor, to the story Of
COCuORUNS CURSE.
The string period OF English history, from
the adoption OF the COvenant,-the seal of
Reformation in Scotland,-to the restoration
Of the house of stuart in the person of
Charles the Second, found few OF the nobili-
ty oflhe north of England and Of Scotland i
die spectators of the great events which
changed so etfeciually the course of English
society, and perhaps the destiny of the Eng
lish nation In the front rank of those who
joined the Parliamentary forces was the pow
ertul Earl of Argyle. The hereditary pos
SCISSOR otu beautiful and picturesque domain,
skirting the Firth of Clyde, and extending TO
the base of Ben Lomond upon the north he |
was capable of throwing into the nicely bal |
anced scale of the couteuding parties, n
chosen body of nearly five hundred OF his /
cIansmen, who give Immediate success to
the popular cause. He remained firmly att
tached TO the Parliamentary interests, aud by |
his strenuous opposition to the duke ofMont-
rose who had nearly subdued Scotland to the |
royal cause,gave the first check to the armies
OF Charles, finally conSumnated by the yictO-
res of Hampden and Cromwell, aud the es-
tabIishment of the Protectorate.
His zeal for the cause which cost the roy
al monarch his head, and set price upon
that OF his son, was not forgotten i'll the
bloody expiration which succeeded the Res
toration. Sir Henry Vane, eminent for his
learning and virtues, was beheaded on Tow
er Hill, on the 18th of May, 1861, aud Argyle
shared the same fate on the 9th OF the same
month. These acts, which must ever add
intamy to the name of Charles the Second,
were not limited to the persons of the leaders
of the revolution. Those holding subordin-
ate station i'll the army of the Parliament,
were dragged from the seclusiOn OF their
homes, TO suffer death for acts which, if ever
worthy of punishment, SHOULD have been
cancelled by the amnesty due from an en-
lightened prince to truly attached people.
Many ofthe Stewards and CamIpbells, whose
ancient attachment TO the house of Argyle
was deeply rooted, 10 escape the wreck SEEM
ing likely TO overwhelm all the adherents of
that unfortunate nobleman, resored to emf
grafton, as their only safety. Their reason
for this was the more urgent; as, even in case
their lives did not pay the forfeit of their re-
manning, the equally dreaded alternative pre- I
sented itself of abandoning the Covenant
which they had sworn to preserve, and en- {
bracIng the prclatic doctrines imposed upon
them by their new monarch, or the avoWed
pdpacy ofhs successor, the Duke of York t
Amongst those who sought in emigration /