The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1857-06-29

ana bfeantn Oh the cu0Ieucrateu St0te~
JEFFERSON, the author ~ the instrument,
and the elder ADAMS, one of it, firmcst sup
portcrs, Ex-Prcsidents IL the Republic and
octn.cnarians, both were living, breathing
mortal,, with the rising Of the sun ON that
,lay, and with It's coin: down were numbered
with the dead--having quietly yielded up
their spirits in unison, with hundreds VI in
ter,enng miles between the lying chambers
&c Virginia and Massachusetts,. The coin
ci,Icnce was strikinely singular and the pub
lie mind was imbued with feeling Of awe
III the time Even now il invests the siay
with unusual sanctty, especially with reli-
giou, and rejecting minds, and, when the
century shall elapse, the tangible sign that
may Ne so,,ch-aied ~, will BE- cherished ~
omin"us Of the continued presence Of Gods
iaSor, or Of the manifestation of His dis
pleasure Two short decades hence, and the
problem will be solved by an hundred
years 81 trial, whether or not an intelligent
and free people have within themselves the
power 81 lf-governmcnt--a problem, the
solution Of which j. being worked out irrcyo-
cably in this generation, and which has de-
pending upon il the happiness or misery Of
po-terity 10 the latest periods Of time.
In the year eighteen hundred and twenty
six, only about thirty years ago, who would
have ,hought, that On the great river Of the
West, half way between the mouth Of the
OHIO and the almost mythical Falls Of ST.
Anthony, there would be nj this time a
couple If cities placed in juxtaposition, hav-
M AN aggregate population VI civilized peo-
lie equal o. Charleston or Albany, Savan-
nah ~ prc,i,lcncc-tl,at the abarigine~, and
their accomplishments Of Handicapped
lo'l-c-, forest and game, had reccdcd before
thc advancing march of superior race, Civ
inc way to stately mansions anil cultivated
heidi and The demands of commerce 2 Some
times the rapid development around US is a
wonder t. ourselves, and that of Davenport
particularly, The creations Of the lamp d
Aladdin have made our boyish eyes wide
with a,toAi. hmeEt, but the unioldings Of the
Western Magician are calculated to give d
sensible enlargement 70 our more mature
optics.
Give u your arm. gentle reader, and &c
with u, thi, pleasant day To one of our "a.
v"rite spots IL observation. There! IL i,
hardly necessary Ia tell you that We arr now
on the Iatting promontony Of the bluffs il
front IL the mansion IL lie Claire, and tina,
the bread cxpansc III river before you run.
from cast To west. bid your eye ever rest
upon anything more beautiful, either in the
odd world ar new! Where Is there a love
Her combination or hill and valley, Of forest
and field, 81 town and country, u land ant
water, Of sunshine and -hadcl In front o
You Is an island covered with wood and hav
'ng chalky margin. Il Is called Rock l.
land. i several miles long, and ON its west
ern extremity, just under your eye, arr the
,iIlari,lated block houses and other remains
Il old Fort Armstrong, a locality made cIas-
| sc BY it. association with our early history.
and, being the residence of the gallant
>c"rr, and the centre IL his operations, pend
ing the treaty with the Indians, which Sc
cured a. the white race the magnificent do
mann ars,bd u-. Some distance Ia the left
!, hong, low-storie.l, Virrinia-bailt house,
io'king vi bite and neat and l.me- like That
was the residence II Col. Davenport, one cf
the oldest settlers, who, most unfortunately,
was murdered in cold blood within its walls,
years ago, by s.t IL villains intent ON
plumber. during th. absence of his family nj
a Fourth &C July celebration. Between,
and spanning the river towards IA, is that
noblest af all structures in the Mississippi
Valley, the Great Bridge Sec how grace
fully IT, arches Zip L. meet the Father 81
Waters, and how steadily its massive piers
sustain the fahrie-and see, tea, how casil,
ant ~tns.tily that hong, putting train gl,,cs
acr">s II, connecting thus the shores of this
majestic river by an iron link never to be
>undcred IL Is exactly at the foot Of the
Rapids, which extend dozen miles up the
river. and the ripping of the current agains,
! the Stone work. makes soft and plaintiye
music which Is best heard ia the stiffness d
tie evening ar the depths cf the night Ob.
>cry. 9th. left, the round and swelling hill
keep near the river. leaving hut little space
between their base and the stream, and, all
along. those heights will soon be- covered " ith
nice ne>tlilig places. where IL will BE- worth
life time almost 10 live year-so snug
AMI coz, viii they be in winter. and ~ OPEN
t. the halmy and refreshing brcexes Of sum
mcr. And 20 tLe right. You may notice,
the highlands rcecde alphabetically and
larre iaa-like plateau slopes away Ia the
southwark aud westward, until il reaches
| the river ia one direction and the distant
hill, IN til. other. rpon this we'll drained
surface. lnbm the fisers' edge 10 the biuii.
and uI-,n aud beyond the latter, you see
lying the man part II Davenport: and, in
that busy little hive th.rc are full fifteen
Thousand souls just see how city like il is
bath I. sight and sound-there are col
nn,n> IT smoke anl ITS u steam, and grace
lul spires and sounding bclls--thc heats are
arriving and Il, parting ON the river, appear
ins and disappearing among the green islets
hclw. - raIrsins the Rapids above, ever
ami anon giving vent IN ono of their hoarse
>crcams b..i..rc passing the draw--and the
runhlins locomotive goes trcasling grandly
over the plain with huge train following
fast upon hi> iron heels. Below Fort Arm
strong, and directly opposite our town, is the
| city of Rock Island. the elder of the Twin
Cities, ami ance the site IL an Indian village
u presents pretty outline in day time, hut
at night, when lii up with gas, reflected from
the placid Lo-om Of the sbitly mosi ing water,
the sight prompts the finest poctical lima
rinine~. Following the river eastward, and
mo great distance of, ON the Illinois shore,
YOU the town ef Moline, noted Cor It's va
rious manufactures. Now, by taking the
Bridge ~ center, and having = radius Of
three miles, YOU will enclose = population Of
about thirty thousand human beings, Tor the