The New York herald., 1851-08-11
NE VIZ BY THE M AlL0.
TRIP OF THE PRE- SIDENT
VIRGINIA WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS.
INCIDENTS ON THE WAY.
Our Travelling Co orrespendenee.


Our Travelling Correspondence.
SHANNoNDALE SPRINGS, JEFFERSON Co, ,VAr1
Tuesday, August s, 1851. I
The President of the United States acco mpanied
by the Hon. A. II. II. Stuart, Secretary Of the
Interior Hon. Charles M. Conrad Secretary Of War.
and w. w. Corcoran, Esq Of the distinguished
banking house of Corcoran Riggs, left Washing
ton at six o'clock this morning, for the Valley Of
Virginia. At the Relay House, thirty miles, where
the road diveges to the east and wes they stopped
Tor the Western train, and having the interval Of
over an hour, they here waited to takethei break
fast quietly and leisurely. Leaving the Relay at
nine o'clock, the train, under full head Of steam,
proceeded rapidly up the narrow de6le of dashing
stream to Ellicott's Mills, fine manufacturing VII
lsge. The fact that the train here stopped few
minutes for wood and water, had attracts crowd
of several hundred people to the station, and their
cries of Fillmore" {" "Fillmore !" "Bring him OUT
were not to be disregarded The President walked
out ON the platform, and being instantly recognized
was received with the hveest cheering, and during
the brief time allowed them the soveregns, of both
sexes, came forward to confirm their welcome by
hearty shake of the hand. and few words of per
sonal congratulations. But the whistle whistled.
the engine wheezed and coughed from its fery
lungs, its muscles Of steel and iron were in motieo
the people cheered, the President bowed, and o we
went whsking up the crooked course of the dashine
little Patapsco river, between wild and romantic
hills-now along the edge of precpice, now roar
ing through dark tunnel, now over bridge, an
then between green meadows and corn felds-wind
ing andtwistng and roaring along, for twenty mile
or more, until we reached the summit, at least q
thousand feet above tidewater, where we strike
another stream, and descend toward the Upper
Potomac. At Ridgeville, Sykesville, Monrovia,
at every little stopping place, to the Point of Rocks,
on the Potomac, the country people were gathered
to have look at the President, if nothing more.
But at every opportunity the President came out.
and descending to the grouad, went to shaking
hands as fast as possible. AT one or two points,
the people cheered but at most places they stared,
and wondered, and admired; for they were all evi
IDENTIFY grated with the personal appearance OF our
chief magistrate
At the Point Of the Rocks, where the cliffs Of the
Catoctin range of mountains impinge abruptly upon
the river, the President remarked that the scenery
was becoming wild and picturesque; but his observs-
tions were cut shert by the enree Of committee OF
invitation from Harper's Ferry. There was an in
tsrchange of the usual compliments, q shaking Of
hands with some Of the natives who came IN, and
we were off again, rafting along, with the Chesa-
peake and Ohio canal and Potomac river, and the
mountains, on the one side, and with the impend-
ing crags Of the mountains overhanging u on the
other, Just room enough having been scooped oue
between the cliffs and the river for the railroad and
canal through this grand cdnonH OF the Potomac.
HARPERs FERRY.
The scene at Harpers Ferry of the meeting Of
the waters of the Potomac and the Shenandoah,
and their passage through the gorge Of the Blue
Ridge mountains, is described by Mr JEFFERSON -
ria rio in "A
We think he has overdone the picture; aAtnougn
from any high point in the neighborhood the land
scape gulary bold fresh, beautiful and imPrss
siye exec pting the smoky burning hole, IN which
the town Is built. The village, being surrounded BY
precipitous cliffs, which shut out the air, and con-
centrate the suns rays like 30 many renectos, ano
being cramped up closely under the rocks Is per-
hays, the hottest corner In the United States Inc
train crossing the river inside Of dark, smoky, Co
vered bridge, entered Harpers Ferry ~ MONDAY.
The cannon thundered, and reverberated among the
pied the vast platform Of the railroad cheering us-
tily, and, what with the crowd and the heat,
the threatened sufocation OF his Excelency ana
sWas, promised . speedy conclusion TO their sd-
and his two Secretaries, were given; and there
were calls for speech but Harper's Ferry Was too
hot, or el.e the President and company were too
hungry to stop to speechify Under the escort OF
company, after having shaken hands with number
Of ladies in the hotel, passed out TO examine the
works Of the Armory the buildings OF which extend
for half mile along the Potomac river. The $50
men employed here in the manufacture Of sman
arms, were at dinner; but on our entering one OF
the principal buildings, number OF them had 70.
turned who went to work forthwith in the practical
exhibition Of the ingenious processes by which The
various parts Of musket or rifle are made. For
example, gun stock, roughly cut out Of board, IN
passing through several turning lathesan machines,
10 completed, and all ready for the reception Of tne
barrel and the triggers, &C. Every part and Parti-
Gle Of the gun is done by machinery, and with such
exactness, that every piece will 6t every gun OF ten
thousand. The President was highly grssihsd with
Secretary of War Was very particular In his nquires
as to the modss otousd Of the various orancnes OF
the machinery. The spPr.Priasions for . sAis rs, Ar
mory last year were about q .o,oo, ana too.oo ior
new buildings. Turning out from hteen TO twenty
thousand muskets and rifles per annum, II 10 quite.
likely that this and the Springfield Armory win bcs
sufficient for the East and West, for small arms, for
sometime to come-st least, so long rs We are " st
peace with ali the world and the rest Of man.
kind" and with no impending danger, except
from the fiibuaoos. Having finished the inspec-
ton Of the srmory, our official company, attended By
Mr.. III. N. Gsllaher, Mr.. Andrew Hunter, and
others Of the Charlestown committee, took their
seats in the valley train. Auopos; the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad Company, we understand,
charge everybody but the President for travelling
over their road, going 30 far as TO bold the con-
ductor responsible for the money which he de-
clined TO take for the passage Of Mr.. and Mrs.
Webster On their way TO the Capon Springs. The
Winchester Railroad Company acted diaercntly;.
They put special train at the service Of the Pro-
sdent and his travelling companions and 80 Of the
stage companies all the way up 10 the white
Sulphur But the signal is given, the people cheer,
and on We 60 up the Splendid valley o. tne sne-
hours before the expected time-people taken BY
surprise the boys had bought their powder-hut
the old ui-pounder was not quite ready, % We
missed the intended salute. From Charestown, -
soon as carriages could be got in readiness, the Exs
cutive ard company passed over the country, and