The Kansas herald of freedom., 1859-11-12
Hsrper's Ferry

The scene of the recent disturbances in
Virginia is place of remarkable natural
beauty. It is described as follows by
Jefferson, in his "Notes on Virginia" pub
lished in 1857:
"The passage Of the Potomac through
the Blue Ridge IS perhaps one of the
most stupendOus scenes in nature. You
stand on a very high point of land. On
your right comes up the Shenandoah,
having ranged along the foot of the
mountain an hundred miles to seek
vent Or your left approaches the Poto-
mac, in quest of passage also. In the
moment of their juncture they rush to-
gether against the mountain, rend it asun-
der, and pass off to the sea. The first
glance of this scene hurries our senses in
to the opinion that this earth has been
created in time, that the mountains were
formed first, that the rivers began to flow
afterwards, that in this place particularly
they have been damned up by the Blue
Ridge of mountains, and have formed an
ocean which filled the whole valley; that
continuing to rise they have broken over
at this spot, and have torn the mountain
down from its summit to its base. The
piles of rock on each hand, but particu-
larly on the Shenandoah, the evident
marks of their disrupture and avulsion
from their beds by the most powerful
agents Of nature, corroborate the impress
sion. But the distant finishing which ma
ture has given to the picture, is OF very
different character. II is q true contrast
to the, foreground. It is as placid and
delightful as that is wild and tremen-
dous. For the mountain being cloven
asulder, she presents to your eye, through
the cleft, small catch of smooth blue hor-
izon, at an infinite distance in the plain
country, inviting yon as it were from the
riot and tumult roaring around TO pass
through, the breach and participate of the
calm below. Here the eye ultimately
composes itself; and that way to the road
happens sotually to lead you across the
Potomac above the junction, pass along
its side through the base Of the mountain
for three miles, its terrible precipiee:
hanging in fragments over you, and with.
in about twenty miles reach Frederick.
town, and the fine country round that
This fence is worth q voyage across the
Atlantic. Yet here, as in the neighbor
hood of the Natural Bridge, are people
Who have passed their lives within half I
dozen miles, aud have never been to sur
vey these monuments of war between riv
ers aud mountain, which must have shak
en- the earth itself to its center.p o..
A part of the srmory works, we believe
were upon the Potomac, and a part upol
the Shenandoah. The Baltimore auc
Ohio Railroad, in its westward course from
Baltimore, after close passage between
the Potomac and the Maryland noun
tains,-the narrow space being part oocu
pied, also, by the Chesapeake and 0hi'
Canal-crosses into Virginia BY a bridg
$50 feet long, at Harper's Ferry, and par
sues the rest of its course in that State
leaving the northern bank of the river, i
Maryland, for the caual. The railroad q
this point is bailt for considerable dis
tance upon platform elevated above th
water. The trains stepped here for din
ner, and passengers who have ever beel
over the line can scarcely fail to remem
Der the noisy demonstrations made by tn
keepers Of the rival eating-houses in so
liciting their patronage. ~ Boston lMessen
0er, - es