The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-01-14
Il! igCcllo q II j.
The Catskill Mountains.

BY WASHINGTON IRVING.
The Catskill, Katskill. or Cat River
Mountains, derived their name, in The
tmo If the Dutch domination, from
the Catamounts by which they were in
fcsted and which, with the bear, the
wolf. aud the deer, are still found in
some of the most difficult reccsscs. The
interior of these mountains is in the high
est degree wild and romantic; here are
rocky prccipices mantled with priincval
fol es,s; deep gorges walled in by beat
ling cliffs, with torrents tumbilrg as it
were from the sky; and savage glens
rarely trodlcn excepting by the hunter.
With all this internal rudcncss, the as
poct of thesc mountains towlrds the
Hudson at times is emineuily beautiful,
sloping down into country softened by
cultivation. and hearing much of the rich
character Of Italian scenery about the
skirts of the Apnnnues.
The Catskils form an advanced post
or lateral spur Of the grea, Great ALE
ganian or Appalachian system Of moun'
tains which sweeps through the interior
east, from Alabamt to the extremity Of
Maine, flnrtoeD hundred mies. beltiug
the whole of our original coufederacy
and rivaliing our great system Of lakes
i u extent ard grandeur. Its vast rami.
Gcations comprise number Of parallel
chains and lateral groups; such as the
Cumberland Mountuins the Blue Ridge
the Allegauits. the Delaware and Lee
high the Highlands of the Hudson the
Green Mountains Of Vermont aud the
White Mountains of New HAMPSHIRE.
In many Of these vast ranges or sierras
Nature still reigns in indomitab!e vii
deruoss their rocky ridges, their rug
ged clefis aud dciilcs, teen with magnii.
cent vegetation. Here are locked up
mighty forests that have never been in.
vaded by the axe; deep outrageous val.
leys where the virgin soil has never been
outraged by the plough bright streams
flow in untasked idlcnefs, uuburdened
by commerce. unchecked by the mill.
dam. This mountain zlne is in fact the
great poetical re zion Of our county, re
si-ting like the tribes which once in.
habtod it, tho tanning hand 0! cultiva'
tion, and maintaining n hailowed ground
for fancy aud the muses., II is a mag
nifcent and allpervading feature, that
might have given our country name,
and a poetical one, had not the al'.con-
trolliog power Of commonplace deter
mined otherwise
The CGtskill Mountains, as | have oh.
served, maintain all the internal wildncss
of the labyrinth Of mountains with which
they are connected. Their detached
position, overlooking a wide lowland re-
gion, with the majestic Hudson rolling
through it, has given them distinct
character, aud rendered them at all times
rallying point for romance aud fable.
Much Of the fanciful associations with
which they have been clothed may be
owing to their peculiarly suhjectto those
beautiful aimosphercal effects which con-
stitute one Of the great charms Of the
Hudson River scenery, To Inc they
have ever been the fairy region Of the
Hudson. speak, however, from early
impressions, made in the happy days OF
nutu eli NuS NOi'N hNH ''HHN
Of fairy land. | shall never forget my
first view of these mountains. 1t was
IN the course Oft voyage up the Hudson
in tho good old times before steamboats,
ana railroads had driven all poetry and
romance cut of travel A voyage up tho
Hudson in those days was equal to a
voyage to Europe at present, and cost
almost as much time; but we enjoyed
the river then-we reished it as we did
our wine, sip by sip, not. as at present
gulping all down at draught without
tasting it. My whole voyage up the
Hudson was full OF wonder aud romance
was lively boy, somewhat imagina
tive, of easy faith, and prone to rolisl
everything which partook Of tho mar
vellous. Among the passengers or th'
sloop was a veteran Indian trader, on biz
way to the fakes to traffic with the ma
4 tives lie had di.eoyered nv proBensi