The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-09-04

D-ar Mr.. Dispafck-l have Just se.u1ueu
f,,.n, . Wait TO the Natural Bridge ana Teaks
Of Ouer. and though the SUBJECT 70 ~ 20
means new. yet il you THINK WI Gom 1.
| ton of any interest you ca" p'o''su ~ "os
throw Il under the table.
We'll 10 begin. A party OF I'VE OF Us start
cd for the Bridge and Peaks, ~ much re.
solved on having a pleasant time al Seged Of
Ethiopia, though moi possessed Of his means OF
ENJOYMENT. The first night We reached Lynch
burg, and found quarters with Mr.. Dibrell,
who sustained his reputation Of good caterer
and polite host. Lynchburg seems. in its age
Of hobbie.de hoy.hood, rather TOO large for
village, and too small for town.. The citizens
seem to think themselves privileged to act as
" cts" but haven't got the hang" yet. l
should call il big village. The next morning
We left Lynchburg, and in going out, met with
an adventure which furnished abundant food
for laughter through the day. The leader OF
our party mistook directions, and brought us
up "all standing" in a hearse yard, out OF
which there was no egress except by oack-
ing out" Some persons in house near,
laughed most heartily at our mistake, but we
took it philosophicalIy: thinking, indeed. 1t
was an excellent joke. For several miles siter
we left Lynchburg the scenery presented no"
thing of interest, but shortly after striking
james River il became most beautiful.
The river winds through The mountains, and
| its hanks present q grand appearance, being in
some places from zoe to 800 feet high, and of
rough craggy rock, dotted with evergreens.-
Surely the tar-faned banks of the Rhine can.
not excel the James banks in sublimity and
| beauty. We stayed at Chestnut Hill Inn that
plight. kept by Mr.. Carr, whose accommoda-
| tions are excellent. The next morning we
made an early start, and were enjoying the fine
scenery and pure air, when one of our party,
| (the hero of the hearse yard.) discovered he
| had forgotten his trunk. We scolded a little
| al him; some one wondered what j would
| forget next and waited till he returned.-
About Ii o'clock we reached the Bridge, and
after a few minutes rest, walked down under 1t
| to get a view. And such view Ii 10 sublime
! and beautiful beyond conception. With LIT.
| tie trouble we made out The Eagle, the Lion,
and the Indian. under the arch, though they
are rather imperfect, and it required some
stretch of the Imagination to make them as
sumo those shapes. The view at the top is
not as beautiful as from below. We gathered
some pebbles and threw them down into the
abyss, and found they were six seconds falling.
Near the famous cedar stump we saw placard
posted to the effect that the proprietor would
charge for the view. Surely the man is dead
to the finer instincts of our nature, who would
convert this grand display of Gods greatness
into an affair of dollars and cents. However,
we were not dunned for the "show." After
an excellent dinner at LISTERS Hotel. (which
we would most cordially recommend TO travel
lers,l We left for the Peaks. The distance be-
tween the Bridge and Peaks is four miles far
Their by way of Buchanan, but it being het-
ter road, we concluded to try il. We lound il
an excellent road, eight miles of it being the
plank road between Lexington and Buchanan.
Buchanan we found very pretty village,
sleeping quietly in the valley Of the James. The
scenery from Buchanan to the Peaks is most
| ma snifcent. After leaving Buchanan short
distance, you commence ascending the noun
tains, up which you gradually wind for FIVE
miles, when you commence descending, and in
five miles more find yourself at the hospitable
mansion of friend Wilkes of the Peak.
ale who has travelled life's dull round,
And through its many changes beep
Will sigh TO think how oft he's found,
His warmest welcome al an inn"
We passed along the road from Buchanan to
| the Peaks in the evening, and never saw we
| such wild and lovely scenery. For ten miles
| you do not see sing lie habiation, nor did we
| meet single human being. Except the road
which showed recent Improvements, the foot
| steps of man were no where visible. All was
| as wild, lone and dreary as when it came from
the hand of the Creator. The embankments
are thrown up very high. One side of the road
the steep mountain looms over your head, and
OH the other is yawning precipice. Tall
trees show their heads only few feet above the
road. The embankment is from 60 TO 80 fee
high.
| Arrived at Wilkes, after few hours sleep,
we were aroused by our dnsky little guide, who,
with lantern in hand Il US it IVES time to
march for the top OF The Peak if we wished to
see the sun rise. The morning air was un-
| pleasantly cool, and some of the party insisted
| on carrying up few blankets, the wisdom of
| which we literally felt before our return. Our
| Little guide was accompanied by two canine
friends, yclept Bull and Ring, which, if we
possessed the power. should certainly go down
| 10 posterity with Burns Cesar and Luath, for
| certainly never were two better bred or more
polite dogs. They are the usual attendants of
| visitors dp the mountain, and frolicked and
| gambol!ed about US, evincing as much plea
sure as veteran old fox dog when he hears
the sonorous notes of the horn ON an October
morning. We rode part of the way, and hav-
| ing secured our horses, commenced climbing
the mountain. Hac labor! hoe opus! The
| way was very rough, and tired indeed were we
before we reached the summit. Arrived there,
the scenery is grand beyond description
| Stretched out at our feet were farms, woods
| and dwellings innumerable. Houses were TOYS,
fields were gardens, fences a pencil mark ona
piece of paper; while far below us we saw the
tall pines dwindle into shrubs in dizziness of
distance" The sun rose msjesticalIy, aud as
his first rays reached us, we turned TO the West
where his rays had not reached, and it was as
as dark as midnight. Flat Top raised his lofty
head on our left; the mist was slowly rising
from the river far in front; the mountains were
in the dark (as it were) behind us. In addition
to these, the country, with its farms and houses
spread out at our feet, combines to render the
whole scene the most beautiful l have ever
| seen.
Here man is nolhing-God is all. Here
man feels his littleness, and looks up TO bless
and admire the Great Architect; and above all
things TO thank him that he is, and that the
creation he surveys is not the work of chance,
or subject 10 its control.
was struck with the lonely and desolate an.
pearance of the top of the Peak. The shrubs
| are not more than foot high, and the earth
| covered with rock. We saw no sgns of life
whatever, "not an insects wing fitted DER the
herbless granite" After an hours stay at the
top, we descended, feeling amply repaid for our
trouble.