The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-07-09
tn e "A sHIoN.
SUMMER RETREATS AND SUMMER TRAVEL.



CukWFoRD HOUSE, WHITE MOUNTAINS
N0ToH, N. H., June rs, 1858.
More About the Ffanconia Mountain Scenery
Drire from the F2ume House to the Notch-Dfount
Lafayette, or the 4" Great Haystack "-Mount
Jackson and the Profile of the Old Man of the
Mountain Punch Boacl and Echo Lakc-FIan-
COMA Scenery finely described By ~ r. Rodgers
) -Eurax, &c.
My last letter was written from the Flume House.
at the southern entrance of the Franconia Noun
tains, five miles below their Notch, and thirtyone
southwest of this great point of attraction in the
White Mountains. Having attempted poor descrp-
tion OF the Flume, Pool and Basin, shall now speak
Of some Of the other objects Of interest in the Fran
COMA region.
beautifully shaded drive of five miles from the
Flume House, over an undulatng but good road,
gradually ascending, brings you to the highest point
Id the Fianoonia Notch. 1t is not nearly 80 narrow
precipisous and Iedgy as the White Mountains Notch.
The scenery there is grand and sublime, while here
1t Is more picturesque. Here are several ponds one
Of which, Fer0ns Pond situated 900 feet directly
under the Old Mans Profile, and now rejoicing In
the honor of being dgnifed as his Punch Bowl, is
the source of the middle branch Of the Pemige
wasset, running south into the Merrimack, through
which 1t finally discharges its waters into the Allan
tic Ocean at Newburyport Mass. Passing through
the Notch and descending northerly half mile, we
come to Echo Lake, the principal reservoir of one
OF the large branches of the Lower Ammonoo
suck, which empties into the Connecticut near
Wells river, VT, twenty-five miles distant, south
west, and through TT into Long Island Sound
The mountains adjofhang the Franconia Notch,
through which road passes, are most conspicuous.
They are called Mounts Lafayette, or the "Great Hay
stack" and jackson Lafayette is second only to
Mount Washington. There is now good bridle-
path to its summit over which the ascent is made
upon horseback from either the Flume or Profile
Houses. Dr. Jackson calculated its height to be
6067 feet that Of Mount Washington, (the loftiest
peak Of the White Mountans,) 6,226 feet above the
high water mark in Portsmouth harb0r; or, by
other observation, 6,22s rect The shape OF Mount
Lafayette is cOnical and its summit is composed Of
granite. It commands superb view of the White
Mountains on the northeast, the Green Mountains in
Vermont, the Connecticut and AmmOnoOsuck on the
west and the Pemigewasset valleys on tue south, be-
sides multitude Of minor mountains and hills, lakes,
ponds, villages, &C., ON the north and south. Al
Enough not SO elevated as Mount Washington. the
view is equally interesting, and by many considered
superior. The bride path leaves the road little
south Of the Profile through forest of spruce trees
and then over lodges and near detached rocks of
granite the loose blocks OF which are angular and
have no appearance of having ever been worn by
water. DR.. Jackson thinks that these blocks the
same as those composing the lodges, and cannot be
considered drifted rocks Near the summit the vege
tatiOn ssimilar to that of Mount Washington. Blue
berries, mountain cranbelries and haiebells, abound
among the rocks, but forest trees grow the
init. No minerals Of any importance are to be found
in the granite rocks composing the mass Of Mount
Lafayette. From its highest peak, Mount Washing
ton, according to DR.. J.s observations,) bears N
so dogs. E.; FraDconia village, N. IS degs. W.;
N0osehillock Tor M0silauk) mountains s 81 degs
T.. The latitude of Mount Lafayette Is N. Al de55.
8 min SO sec. The ranges OF mountains seen at
the east appear to be parallel ranges running north
and south.
Tho "Profle,n or "Old Man of the Mountain
what is it2 As you approach close by the Notch an
opening through the green trees which skirt the
roadside the left, discloses lovely little lakclet,
with surface shiring like polished silver. From
It's opposite border Mount Jackson rises nearly per-
pendculary to the height of OUo feet. There it
makes an angle of about sixty degrees, then gradu-
ally soping back until lost to the view That por-
ton of the mountain which forms the angle n q
ledge Of rocks, which, when seen from the proper
point gives the profile Of an old mans face looking
over into the water below There is "nothing
green" about it, and he who cannot detect the uni
tation must have something larger than q mote in
his eye. The profile is formed by the irregular utt
ing out of five immense blocks of granite, which
project in such manner as to give, successfully IN
sharp outline, the cap nose, mouth, chin and neck.
There is q space of some sixty feet between the
rocks forming the cap and upper part of the nose,
although at the point from which it is viewed,
threefourths of q mile distant perhaps the space
is scarcely perceptble appearing more like the con-
cavity about the eye.
The profile slightly loses the sharpness of its out
line as you pass up the hundred feet of road where
it only be seeD and then it disappears Instantly
The view through telescope does not destroy the
Illusion, but by proceeding towards the mountain in
straight line which can only be done with boat
On the lakeet. it soon disappears. There is no
proof that the profile was known to white men more
than thirty or forty years ago, nor is there any
authentic history that it was ever observed by the
Indians, although there many pretty latter-day
tales, assuming the form of tradition, about the
eupers -itious awe with which they viewed it
Annexed is capital description OF the scenery in
the vicinity OF the Franconia Notch from the flowing
pen OF one of the finest writers New Hampshire
produced, Nathaniel Peabody Rogers. now deceased.
Mr. Rogers was real phanthropist and ardent
admirer of the works OF nature He had the misior.
tune, however, to let his sympathes away with
him on the negro question at one period OF his life;
but have good reason to think he grew wiser and
more discreet about the time Of his decease. In
1840-4l Mr.. Rogers commenced wMshipping Gar
rison Fred Douglass and Wendell Phillips, bit for
q few years previous to his death he experienced
their tyranny and tested their hyena-like malignty
They persecuted him because he opposed their
schemes to plumber the pockets Of their dupes in
New Hampshire, by taking control of the organiza-
ton Of the New Hampshire Anti Slavery Society
and making it an auxiliary Of the Massachusetts,
blackguarded and abused by Black Douglass than
was poor Rogers in my hearing, at four saws
gathering of the N. H. Anti-Savery Society in June,
is43, think it was Douglass then shot at Rogers
the poison Of his venomous tongue, "a the rattle
snake darts its fangs at its victim Garrison partci
pated in and encouraged the vperous assault.
But to return to the extract. 1t originally appear
ed IN paper OF only few hundred circulation pub
hshed by Mr. Rogers, Oct l, lS4l, and subsequently
In collection of his writiugs:-
We bargsined last year with our beloved fellow
traveller Garrison in the Scottish Highlands, either
On Loch Katrine, on board the barge rowed by
McFailnne and bis three Highlanders or else as we
rode the Shetland ponies from Loeb Katrne To Loeb
his native heath aud when we were gazing M.
ward at the mist clad mountains, that if ever we
lived to get home again to dear New England,
we would go and show him Ne Iiampshire's sterner
and loitier summts-her baystacks and her white
hills, and their Alpine passes. God in his tender
mercy preserved us homeward DER the terrible sea
and has kept since, amid the vicssitudes of the
rolling year. We have performed our PROMISE and
been our stipulated Journey We had gazed together