Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-07-08
guarded, and allowed so little liberty, that
such restraint would be quite unnecessary.
A STRANGER IN VERMONT.

HE following extracts are from the letters
of correspondent of the Boston Cour-
Ter, dated at Mortified:
Two whole days without hearing a word
about the Mexican war or slavery Our
talk to-day has been of quartz, gneiss, gram
lite, marble, sienite, of maple, oak, and
strawberries, of which latter there will be
an immense crop in about a fortnight, all
the plants being now in full flower on the
mountains and by the roadside of gold
hnches, bob-o-links, bluebirds, and crows
and last not least, of trout. Who would
stay in the city and hear and read maudlin
patriotism or pretended philanthropy discus
sed, from morning till night, if he could get
away into these mountains, and smell the
sweet fragrance of summer, hear the sweet
sounds of the happy birds, the lowing of
cows, the baaing of sheep, even the cack-
ling of the feathered geese, which is so
much pleasanter than that of geese in broad
cloth, and taste the sweet bread and butter,
or the sweet brook trout, which are at the
present time in their greatest and most de-
licious flavor
Our road, to-day, has been up through
the passes of the Green Mountains. and a
most delightful ride we have had of it. We
have seldom been out of sight of the Yer
mont Central Railroad. The grading for
the railroad is nearly completed from Wind
sor to this place, and it would be almost i'm
possible to convince any one who had not
examined the route, that the obstacles to be
surmounted are so slight. Our companion,
who was perfectly satisfied where his money
went to that he had subscribed to the Chesh-
ire Railroad, begins to think that some of
that which he paid on his stock in the Cen
trial, ought to be paid back. A great part
of the way the road is almost level, and re-
qures but little digging and the inclination
nowhere exceeds forty feet to mile. 1t
will cost less to work the engines and cars
over this road, than on almost any other road
in New England, on account of the very
low grades. There are some deep valleys,
however, to be filled up, and a number of
bridges to be built, which will take up the
capital. The contracts have all been made
at prices much within the original estimates,
and Improvements have been made in the
location, since the work commenced, which
shorten the distance originally contemplated.
On the whole, the prospect for an early OPEN
ing of the road, and an easy transportation
of freight, are much better than the most ar
dent friends Of the corporation dared to
hope for.
Fresh trout again for supper, and sweet
milk and new bread, such as can only be
had in the country. Speaking of milk re-
minds me of an anecdote told of lady Of
Boston, who last summer travelled over this
same road. One morning at breakfast, she
took up the milk or cream pitcher, and fin
ding it thick and yellow, asked the waiter if
she had got no better cream than that The
landlady heard the question, and smiling,
explained that what she had was in reality
fresh and sweet cream, and the lady travel
Ter, on tasting, found that what she had usu-
ally bought for cream in Boston, was not
even as good as the common skinned milk
of the Green Mountains
Somebody has said that in Flanders are
" the most fertile pastures in the universe"
but defy any one to point out to me better
farms than there are in Vermont; richer
pastures than we find on the banks of its
rivers; brighter fields than on these noun
tains. No more appropriate name could be
given to these hills than that which they
bear, which is also synonymous with the
name of the State itself
The season is farther advanced than it is
in Boston and its vicinity, in many respects,
and | doubt whether we could have selected
better time for our trip than the present.
The hills, the trees, the fields, and the
streams, are absolutely laughing in the exu-
berance of their own freshness, and as we
watch the young green of the leaves in their
ever varying shades and tints, we cannot but
believe they must have a consciousness of
their own beautiful youth. The waters run
ripping down from the rocks, and laughing
ly Join their companions mixed up in the
bigger stream which skirts the roadside, and
altogether they tumble over some ledge of
rocks, and form a river, which, in its turn,
now calmly smiling, glides along, and now
boisterously Joyous, rushes by mills and vii
| lagos, until concentrated in the far off and
mighty ocean, the whole waters are gathered
together. And such is life. First youth,
then manhood, then old age, and then all,
youth, manhood, and age, all find one COM
mon goal, the grave.
have heard much of the tall men of
Vermont, but was never aware of the fact
that there was such a marked difference be-
tween the people of this State and ours, as
there really is, until to-day, when | found
that majority of the men congregated in
the Court House were much taller than the
! Bostonians generally. is there anything IN
the atmosphere and the climate of these re-
gions that leads to elongation | know that
the French are small in stature, as in almost
everything else; that the Dutch and Ger
mans are generally fat, the English tall and
stout, and the men of our cities moderately
sized and genteely made; but the Green
Mountain Boys are tall, taller, tallest, The
wag of our party says they are made in or
der to correspond with the height of the
hills; but then the Question arises, Why
should not the natives of all other hilly Sec
tons grow as tall! Perhaps they do. That
is problem that would be good for some
debating society to solve,
In passing second time over the road
between Montpelier and Northfeld, we were
struck with the fact that, large number of
new dwelling-houses have been built this
spring. Such an evidence of agricultural
prosperity, for they are nearly all farm hous-
es, is an indication not to be neglected in
consideration of the business of the new
railroad. | took the trouble to count them
as we rode along, and in the course of less
than seven miles, counted seventeen, more
| than one every half mile And althouph