The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-11-03

mile or t~o fom the centre Of the town, and
on the right hand SIDE of the railway as you come
rom boston, hes ~alcen pond, noble sheet Of
wa,er, ava pavng some peculiarities. IL used to
III n inu mo Oh 'nat gloomy piece Of water in the
Black Forest. near Baden. known as the Mummel-
zee, ooncefn"g when there so many stories
told, and particularly one by Schneider, COM
mencing-
I'm sumnslsee i'm dunlen see
Da hiuhn der Lilien yels,D Sc
whicn represents that at midnight the hGcs
thaS grow IN rhe lake change into maidens.
who dance upon the strand, until they are called
back 70 their ~ntery homes by the Spirit of tho
Lake, Mt the 6rst glimpse Of the dawn. Walden
pond also has its legend, and rather enrious Il is
how many-a tail hill occupied what is noy the site
OF the poud. IL so happened that on . certain holy
day, (ny informant said it was Sunday, bot be-
ieve that the notions of the Indians respecting
Sunday were rather indefinite, their eaueatiOn on
that point having been sadly neglected,) the In.
dams were assembled on the hill, when 1t was pro-
posed that they should 90 into committee of the
whole for holding pon tco,c, or DEVILS meetings
of those things to which SO many and so various
people have had resort, in the hope Of propitatng
the evil principle. A respectable old sqaaw, who
was present. declared that some terrible evil would
be the consequences of such blasphemous conduct;
but 'youug India" put its thumb to iss nose. and,
voting the old lady an old fogy, proceeded to
get ready for its d1abolical worship; whereupon
she gave them wide birth, probably, at
the same time anticipating the language Of the
late Colonel Crockett when he delivered his vale
dictory to his constituents She had hardly got of
the hill when it commenced sinking, like the aspir.
ing blood OF Lancaster, until it was seen more,
its occupants all disappearing with it, and clear,
unruled akelet taking it's place Is this one Of the
stories of Noah's food that grand cataclysm which
broke up the Old World
1t is said that Walden pond "sympathises'' with
the great Western lakes, being low whom they are,
and full when they are. No other cause seems to
have any effect in increasing decreasing the body
of its water. During the dryest it is full,
when the river is reduced to mere BROOK. 1t is
very cold, clear and deep. Henry Thoreau (whom
| should have mentioned among the notabilities Of
Concord) sounded it, and found its depth to bo
lob feet. This touching bottom was the source
of great satisfaction to some worthy people here,
who, supposing that it was bottomless, very natu-
rally inferred that it must be the mouth Of the bot
tomess pit; and, all things have their uses they
did not exactly like the idea Of Concord being q
sort of portal to place with which it has SO little
in common.
/ have said that Walden pond did resemble the
Mummelsee. This was before the woods that sur
rounded it three sides (he fourth is the railway
were cut down The barbarism of telling the trees
for the sake of the wood has made the land much
resemble beau ful woman with her head shaved
close am charitable man, but trust there is
nothing unchrstian in the wish that the gentleman,
by whose orders this act Of vandalism perpe-
trated, may be roasted for only one hour by slow
ERE made of the green wood thus torn from that
setting which ndered it the browning glory of one
of natures loveliest creations. COLONNA