Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-11-01
LoITERINGs IN LEISURE HOURS.

LoITERINGs IN LEISURE HOURS.
Sketch of a Prairie Tramp through Northern
Missouri.
Kind reader you that have lived the life of cit shut
up in smoky sni crowded mars did you when
the shortening days autumn on and the face Of Ma
ture wears her most inviting looks-by turns
"Glorousy gay and pensivey sad -
did you escape from your ponplace into the pure,
ree open air of heaven, and leaving behind the cankes-
worm Of care and thought which had been eating into
vas wander on, onward rejoicing in your freedom, until
you found yourself last making auumnal tramp over
the glorious pairies Of that underlined region, the Far
West you have not, you have not worshpped Nature
ansh Talk not Of your pleasure trips to 6araiogs, TO
Newport, Niagara, any other crowded resort for fash
onabe loungers of the present day. These may all do well
enough but they ha thing. Ono S0cs ~ nem me
rivalry between and the same struggling to
keep up appearances feels the which have wear
ed him, and from which he hoped to make happy escape
1t only by wohppiDg Nature face TO face that be can
fully realize the object Of his desires He must leave be-
hld him. too those with whom he has been accustomed to
and speak and think But am wandering from my pur-
pose, which simply endeavor mpars you gentle
reader portion of the pleasure and utter abandon which
myself realized twelve month since from tramp
Of Northern Missoura poroa Of the State boasting not Of
civilzaon-where the ogcabn the tent is the
travellers shelter at night and where his homey meal is
furnished him by the hunters skill its only inhabitants the
pioneer of the best and trues
nobility.
Behold in the beginning Of October, party of twenty,
starting Reconnaissance Of proposed railway across the
noble delta lying between the two mghet rivers Of Amer
ca-the Missouri and the Mississippi the waters Of the
rolling from their home amid the mountains Of eternal
snow, the other flowing through that valley into the lap Of
which Nature has poured all her choicest gshe frontier
town Of St. Joseph, the Missouri icing the starting point
of our Reconnaissance Hannibal the Mississippi, the
terminus
As we took up the line of march with all the paraphernaa
of surveying party camp equpage &c, sink
ing gently away into the Of autumn The ancient TO
rests had partly doed their robes Of green and the " Tans
of the wood stood arrayed in all the gogeousness Of
autumnal drapery The bright plumed paroqueta
the wing the squirrel leaped from limb to limb in the tall
hickory and cottonwood herds of sleek and content
ed cattle browsed upon the verdue of the paes whilst the
red deer, collected small bands they rested the
heather dreamt not Of the hunters skill Now the
shone out in ali his regal splendor; the moment he
would veil himscf behind the Aeecy clouds, which seemed
chasing each other through the heavens whilst gentle voice
Of signing through the woods and tall prairie grass like
requiem for the bright foliage foated from the boughs
Such was the season when we started on our tramp.
few days dgent Of surveying instruments, whilst
the camp hands employed themselves building rough bridges
for us 10 cross the various suced psc bon4
rsscn Of tho Misaouri river. Our course lsy
region of unsurpassed fertility. wild and % - -
settled vast stretches prairie land unbroken to the fuow
noble forests which knew the stroke Of the wood
axe streams which scorned the restraint of bridge DAM
Here and there ogcabn reared its humble and unpreend
ing 'front.' it's sturdy pioneer more independent
this his "quaer section than English baron in
days of Magma Chara." The days spent in the field
n Of instruments the nights passed at camp, OF
else at some neighbong cabin The abo Of the day
field notes. calculations, &c. made out the social ring would
form around the ome huge decsyed tree which
had been devoted the amee and the pipe went the
rounds yielding up incense the God Of 1b6acco the
joke the story of border life passed from lip to lip
Our sturdy chain bearers from the wild region of Grand
river-lhe heroes Of many target match and deer hunt
would then fight over again the battles Of the tabled Mormon
war; through the Of which passing and pour
into the ears of willing listeners many tale of the days
when the bandits Of the praes existed organized body
and had their GORDON of emssaes the whole valley Of
the Mississippi They could point out where such notorious
horehef had been caught such another ynched and
another had paid the forfeit Of his life Thus passed away
the evenings t night stole on, by Of the group
would stretch out before the blazing fire in sumber seek
repose beneath the shelter Of the tents.
In one month from the time Of departure from ST. Jo-
seph we pitched our upon the banks Of Grand river,
small stream navgable for the lower class Of steamboats, as
high the forks which point crossed This, the most
noted and largest of any watering this region is wild
and romantic in the extreme. Ns serpentine waters
fnged with overhanging willows and the mighty cotton
woods lining bottom lands Of untold fertility impress
with deep sense of the sublimiy Of Nature At the juno
tion OF the forks with the main is the little town o
Utica This is laid with all the msgn6cence Of city
on paper Its inhabitants pointed out to us with no little
pride their various reservations for public squares, &c Who
knows but what their dreams may day other be
allied At present must be confessed they seem but vi
sonary Certain Il is, however, that found il the most
thriving hal yet pased through. Success to it,
goa hendn projectors
We lost no time by the way. Each day found in the
field, and each night camped in different spot Occa
sonslly would reach stream which sudden rain had
swollen and caused overflow It's banks To this
impeachment Our furnished the ready
Of crossing slight ducking all the damage evel
experienced in crossing and with instruments
bvouacked with some friendly farmer until the waters sub
sided sufficiently to venture camp equpage to the tender
mercy Of the elements. For weeks it the period
Of Indian slight haze rested upon the earth and
thin vapory film hung like veil the blue arch Of
heaven. Far and the praies fire. aud the
hee. Of fame with which they onveoped far the
ed lick the very heavens dense volumes Of smoke rolled
H. L.