Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-09-07
s Che Nous Gleancr
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

hSieSh'o vi the oiuel IiHic, cOnHectcu WIN tiiio
noted mountain, which rears its proud crest, in
the town OF Windsor, 80 high as to overlook a
reach OF fifty miles Of the beau tiful Connecticut,
is the following of the days of the Revolution
About the years iii or ITS, Solomon Johns
and one Buel, living somewhere in the vicinity
OF the river, having been arrested and confined,
on suspicion Of favoring the Royal cause, made
their escape, and took their way to this noun.
tam, IN some of the deep rccesses of which they
remained concealed many days, to keep out Of
tile way OF the keen scented Tory-hunters of the
time' having been supplied with provisions by
one Sumner, Loyalist of Claremont, n H., to
whom they contrived to make known their place
OF concealmcnt But what constitutes Il most
significant commentary Oh tho extreme vigilance
OF the friends OF the Revolutionary cause, is the
fact that, in despite the improbabilty that these
men would ever he discovered and taken in their
mountain wilderness concealment, their retreat
'oas soon suspected, from the circumstances of
the man who brought them their food having
been seen passing to and fro in the direction of
the mountain. large party was accordingly
rallied, the mountain surrounded, ard thew re-
taken and marched for safe-keeping to Benning-
ton; ON the way tosShich, however, they again
escaped from their keepers, and made their Wy
to Kingston, Upper Canada, where Johns 81
| tied for life
| We once briefly alluded to this incident -" Z
Ascntney in our paper before, and thcr.i., M,
the unintentional mistake Of stating t'r.t y
Solomon Johns WAS brother of the lit. FL
Johns, the first settler of Huntington, wnerA.a
it was but his uncie--an error which. but for
the loss Of our minutes of the atflr, would have
been corrected before.
Lessons OF TIE DRorGHT The recent unex-
amrled drought, happily now ended, we trust,
in the copioas rains of last week, involves too
many and too serious callinities, not to put US
to rejecting on the causes, and such palliativos
and preparations as may enable US to be better
prepared to meet such occurrences in the future
and specially so, as, in all probability as the
country becomes more cleared up. we shall be
more frequently subject to them than in past
times. The immediate causes of drought, prob
ably, are to be found in the temporary suspcn-
sion Of the usual currents of electricity over
sections of the country dryer than others, and
the consequent flowing away Of that fluid from
the less conducting atmosphere above, to the
that such sections grow dryer and dryer, till the
dryness of the air is overcome by stiifand long
continued winds from the oceun. And the
causes of the greater severity of the drou GIT of
late years over earlier times, is without doubt to
be found as above intimated, ia the extensive
clearing up Of the country, and especially of
our mountains. whosc forests formerly stood as
our great undrained reservoirs, not only of wa
; ter but Of natural manure, for keeping up the
streams and cnrching the lands below When
the sun Is let in on our mountains, by strip
ping them Of the forests, the main sources of
all our streams are dried up, or greatly dimin-
ishcd, by evaporation, in few days of fair
: weather, milling fails, the rivers Shrink to rivu-
lets, the springs in the open lands, most of
which probably have their real solrc,s in the
forest-covered hills and swamps, seem to dry ND
. in the sumo proportion, and there is compare
lively no water left to moistcn the soil or the
atmosphere, and invite in that circulation of
electricity which is n,ccssary to bring rain.
1t sAolld be Our policy then, it Seams to us,
to cease clearing up our mountains, not only AS
a preventive Of the further cncroaches of
drought, but for making their undminshed
streams still to act, by bringing down their con-
tlnuous deposits Of leaves and dccayed WOO |, as
the great fertilizers Of all the lands below. We
Lately, through reliable friend, heard the opn-
ion OF a gentleman ofohs4rvation who had tray
ellel extensively in SPAIN to the effect that that
Kingdom now cannot sustain Il population of ten
millions any better than she could fifty millions
two OF three centuries ago when there were
navloAhic rivers where there are now but insig-
nlicant streams, and, greater part of the year,
perhaps, but dry beds. And he attributes the
a whole to the clearing up Of the mountains,
when has caused the loss of their streams and
! the fyrtilzing wash that those streams sprcad
over the country and he thinks that if the
a people OF this country would avoid the same
fate. they should, in time, arrest the chief cause
A OF the deterioration of her SOIL
Now Is there not food for reflection in these
: Suggestions Our own observations certainly
so to confirm the truth and practical wisdom of
a this view Of the matter.
r SAD RESULT OF YOUTHFUL DARING.-One of
1 the slddest results Of boyish daring which ever
came to oar personal knowledge, was cxempli-
fed III the case of II young Virginian of the
name OF Piper, once youth of much spright-
lessness and promise, whose existence became n
blank .in 0nnsaaasaassf a Goa. oe raslHncs wrst
y folly to which his vain ambition had prompted.
c When we first became acquainted with him, at
- the age of about 20 years, he had long been
given over as hopeless maniac. But there was
: something so touching in his wild but winning
IS countenance, his Etful starts of terror and tie
u utter helpessness of his physical condition,
u that we were at once led to inquire into the
{ causes of his sad situation Some three wears
9 before, 1T appeared, he and a party of young
men OF his neighborboed madc-an excursion to
8 the celebrated Rock Bridge of Virginia, span
# ming two perpendicular walls of an hundred
: ieet' ON ono Of which the youthful George
u Washington had carved his name higher than
any one before, or AFTER till that time, had been
y able to roach. 1t was..the vauntful declaration
d OF yovng Piper; ON his way to the spot, that he
J would never leave Rock Bridge till he had carved
his name ON the rock above that of Washing
ton. The party reached the place, snd Young
if Piper attempted his boasted feat, and in despite
- of the reueated WARNINGS nc liz .o.>.: :