The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-09-15
NEW HAMPSHIRE
FREE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.

FREE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
WoLFEBoRo', LAKE WINNEPIsEoGEE, N H.,
25h 9Th mo, 1853.
Will the reader take seat with me in the
cars of the Boston and Maine Railroad, at the
Exeter IN H. station? II is dull foggy,
August morning; but as we glide away into
the open country, We can see that the river
mist is growing thinner, and its gray warp be-
ginning to be woven with golden wool Of
sun-beams. The church spire of the ancient
town stands out white and clean against the
cleaving sky of the east, high over the wet
and dropping elm.rows. We glide on, past
New Market sonorous with its manufactures,
through Durham, quite picturesque, unprogres-
svc-and over miles of meadows and wood
lands until we catch brief flying glimpses
of a steepled city," spreading over a wide
surface Of hill and dale. This is Dover-one
of the brave old border towns of the seven
teenth century, whose far-pushed outposts met
and broke the strength of Northern INVASION
a place famnas i. tl& snnsls of Frsnoh and
Indian wars, and whose old inhabitants still
tell tragic stories of the times when Cocheco
was cut off," and stout old Major Waldron
slain in his garrison large, thriving manu-
featuring town--not without special interest
in the eyes of liberty-loving travellers as the
residence of John p Hale, the late Free Demo-
cratic Senator from New Hampshire. We
pass on over pleasant farming tract, and en-.
ter upon level, wooded country. Here is
Pine Grove Quaker meeting house--a small,
plain, white structure set finely in it's dark
frame of evergreens; and now, over a swell of
land to the left, painted belfry and cluster.
ing chimney-tops indicate the locality of Squam.
inegonic-abbreviate to Gonic"-an old In.
dian camping ground, now fourishing little
manufacturing village. Onward, and still far
ther and here is Rochester, spreading broadly
over its low, level plain, overhung with magni-
fcent elms, looking ghost.ike in the mist
which wreathes thin and gray along the
valley. The steepe-house however lifts its
weathervane into clearer atmosphere and,
as we looked nOrthwardly to the scolloped hori
zon, there is lift of transparent ether, hard
and cool, under which the distant ridges, Blue
Job and the Milton Hills, stand sharply out
lined
ii needs not Scripture now to tell us that
fair weather cometh out of the North On
ward, then. into the broadening brightness of
the hill country. This village nesting in its
valley below the track Of the rail-cars is
Pennington. Beyond, to the east, the horizon
shuts down upon the border towns Of Maine,
and now the long landswells have grown into
hills, belted with rock maple foliage, and bris-
ting atop with fir and hsckmatac. What
is it that we see over the tree-tops, towards the
west and north, rising higher and higher, blue
and dark, like heavy shower-clouds Mount
aims the rugged walls of the inland sea.
We have reached the end of our land jour
ney-Alton, with is dark hill background.
Of to the right, is . glorious reach Of blue
water-Alton Bay-ths southern extremity Of
Lake Winnipiseoges. We step on board the
steamer Dover which lies waiting for us. The
strong bracing northwest wind, which breaks
down through the gorges of the hills has
swept away the clouds and mists and, mount
ing to the hurricane deck, we look forth upon
the ever. varying panorama OF sparkling waters
green islands and mountains starting abruptly
from the lake, some clothed in the deep yer.
dure Of midsummer, and others bare-browed
and slide-scalped. Ten miles from Alton Bay
gliding between long projecting headland and
q small island we enter broad and beautiful
bay, at the head of which lies the village Of
Wolfeboro, its dwellings, brilliant in white and
green, scattered in picturesque irregularity
along the fertile slopes of the southwark
trending hills looking out over crystal clear
waters upon long broken ranges OF misty
mountains on the opposite shore. Nothing
finer than its site can be found in New Eng
land. 1t has two largo hotels hourishinl
academy, an orthodox and Friends meet'nl
house. Two steamboats, run regularly between
il and Alton, Centre Harbor, and Meredith
The lake ITSELF some twenty-four miles IL
length by ten in is widest part is about so
feet above tide water, and is walled around b.
mountains from 500 TO 1000 feet higher
Back of these still loftier SUBMITS lean bar
and blue against tho northern sky-ossipe'
White Face, ChooorruA's Peak, Moorehillock
and, misty and dim beyond ell, the great Noto
mountains.
The Free Soil Conversion, which met her
Yesterday, was most spirited and successful
demonstration. Early in the morning tn
stesmbosAs came in, heavily laden with Passen