The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-09-02
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR.


DEAR READER: This still, warm noon in
August, we are looking out on very pretty
prospect of hill aud valley, wood and river
lofty hills, many of them, some cultivated to
the summit, gently soping towards smooth,
green meadows, or running down to the peb
bly, shores of the clear Pemgewasset the main
branch of the Merrimack The only sound
not rural is the voice of Millerite preacher.
who is determined his small congregation shall
not sleep, if strong lungs can keep them awake
He has been hard at it for at least four hours,
and shows no sign of exhaustion yet.
Perhaps YOU would like to know what we
have been doing since we left you. Well-we
have been travelling about the country, with
the editor of the Friend Of Youth, whom you
know, and half a dozen children and as many
! trunks and the necessary attendant, constitu-
ting altogether a cosy little company, the
pleasant responsibility of which no bachelor
can understand or is equal to- And with these
we have travelled nearly two thousand miles,
byrailroad turnpike, and water, over mountain
and lake, through some ten States, without
being Blown up, turned up or burnt up, with
out in fact losing single hair, except such as
Time may possibly have rudely plucked from
us That is what we call recreation in hot
weather.
| First, we made descent on Saratoga and
rested for three weeks in Congress Hall, kept
| by our friend Mr.. Brown. We tried the Uni
ted States for two or three days, and found the
proprietors gentlemanly and accommodating
but the crowd was 50 awful, and so painfully
exercised by the agonies Of Fashion, that we
were fain to seek more agreeable quarters in
Congress Hall. Among the amply Furnished
hotels of Saratoga, this is our favorite. Be-
fore we left, it was crowded to excess but Mr.
Brown is contemplating such additions and i'm
provements AZ will enable him another season
to meet all reasonable demands 1t is delight.
fully situated, close by Congress Spring.
The place abounds in springs, each with its
own name and peculiar qualities, but Congress
water is the famous Saratoga water. The
pretty grounds enclosing the spring are laid
out in pleasant walks and early every morn.
ing, a band of music in Joyous strains announ
ces to visitors that the time for drinking anC
walking has come. Crowds gather about thu
mysterious spot waiting in devout expectation
to be watered by the little lads whose business
it is to supply the flock The water is health
full, medicinal--everybody says So and wher
you see man swallowing tumbler after tum
bier till he runs over, you cannot doubt it
But getting up early is healthful-and so il
walkng-and SO are the jostle of the crowd
and the music, and the glad greetings, and
sunny faces, and merry voices. Without these
Congress water would be known chiefly as
possessing virtues on a minor scale similar to
those of blue pill.
These railroads are interesting inventions,
in spite of noise, dust, cinders trimmings off the
track, and other like incidents. You leave
Washington for example, ut four o'clock in the
| afternoon Of one day, ticket yourself and your
baggage through to New York, which you
reach the next morning at FIVE after IA com
Portable breakfast, you take the railroad for
Troy, where you are landed at two in time for
first-rate dinner; after which you get on the
car, and are dropped out at Saratoga at six
o'clock Just twenty six hours on the journey
We like to travel ON the Hudson River Rail
road The scenery is varied and beautiful the
speed satisfies the most po-ahead sort of man
and one is in no apprehension of being burnt
up or drowned, TO tickle the vanity, or serve
the interest of some foOl-hardy Captain. That
Henry Clay tragedy makes people nervous
about steamboat travelling on the Hudson.
The Washington and Rutland Railroad, that
carried us from Saratoga to Rutland, and con
meets with the road to Bellows Falls, Fitch
burgh, and Boston, over which we travelled to
the last-named place, is, on the whole, the
finest route we have ever tried IL passes in
full view of the Green Mountains, and for some
distance along the Connecticut valley-an
Eden of beauty Rutland itself IL worth n
visit so delightful in its situation, so healthful
and exhilarating its atmosphere and well pro-
vided and appointed in oil its departments, il
its fine hotel and the traveller might spend a
week amidst the grand scenery of Bellows
Falls, without exhaustng it. Here, too, are
hotel accommodations not to be excelled in the
Union Neither at the Irving House, nor at the
Revere, Boston, have We sat down to a more
sumptuous dinner than was served up to us at
the Island House, Bellows Falls. In passing
we may as well say that though Of the editorial
fraternity, we paid our bills at both places
10 that our notice of these hotels is SIMPLY for
the purpose Of encouraging enterprise, and
pointing out to travellers where they may be
well taken care Of In Boston, the Marlbo-
rough, kept by jerks 4 Parks, il always our
stoppingplace. The entcrprising proprietors
exclude rum and tobacco fill their reading
room with newspapers from all parts Of the
Union, and surround you with watchful atten-
tons and home-ike attractions We scarcely
ever visit there without falling in with some
body particularly agreeable.
DTici scJohEn he Lynn gave us an III
sight into various matters. Its eDterprisiDg
manufacturers do not confnc their enterprise
to shoemaking We saw large mill, worked
by water power, in which they brown and
grind coffee, after the most approved style
Some Of it, about being ground, we found, on
examination, to consist Of about one-ffth Of
coffee, and four-ffths Of a small, gray pea,
called the Canada pea Boston merchants
adulterate it, send it to Lynn to be ground, and
then distribute it over the country in packages
marked, best quality Of genuine coffee Would
il not be more economical for people to brown
and grind their own peas
Cremor Tartar, also, is adulterated with rice
-four, and ginger with corn meal, colored by
turmeric. God made man upright, but he
has sought out many crooked inventions
among them the art Of cheating, which has
always been followed as zealously, az if hon.
esty were not the best policy. 2
We had often heard Of the rugged grandeur
Of the White Mountains, and determined now
to scale their heights. The half had never
been told US. Lake Winnipiseogee excels in
beauty all lakes We have ever seen real or pic
torial. II is surrounded by mountains, and
gsmmed all over with radiant islets, among
which its sparkling waters wind in every va
riety Of picturesque channels. Az we glAded