Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-08-06
WARRINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

SIGHTSEEING on THE HuDsoN-THE CATskILLs-
MOUNTAIN HousE-THE CITY OF HUDsoN-
RIVER MISUNDERSTANDING ATKR- I
vLIET-THE RIVER BASKs-THE GREEN NouN-
TAISs-SARATOGA SPRINGS, &c, &c. 1
4 Editorial COrrsspOndemes Of The Star
SARATOGA SrRINes, n, Y.,} i
mo. Is I, July 90, 1885,
Ere closing my last, 1 remarked that the banks
Of the Hudson, above Poughkeepse, were less pic
turesque than below. Nature has done less to
make them striking to the eye, and one cannot
trace on and around them, every where below,
the expenditure of money lavishly by persons en-
gagged IN business in the countrys commercial
emporium. Nevertheless, the voyage between
them is far from proving uninteresting We pass
| the Catskin mountains not far above Poughkeep-
| sic, and though not more than two Thousand
| feet high, such is their relative location with
| respect to the surrounding country, as that they
| are very impressive For thirty miles up the
river above them, they continue in sight at every
favorable turn Of the stream. In all that distance
| l occasionally had fine views Of theMOuntain
House, famous rusticating spot where at this
season. there rarely less than two three hum
| bred health or pleasure seekers gathered. The
ascent to 1t from the landing is seven miles long
One winds up cliff after cliff, and passes through
gorge after gorge in thus reaching IL, situated
II ~ Is on the nest ldHu OF range. Sumclently
level to afford opportunity to improve and en-
bellish properly location for such establish
| ment. The view from it must be Of the
finest in the country-perhaps, the finest from the
immediate premises OF any rural scjourning place.
| 1t strikes me that about the only drawback to
/ entire cOntentment there, must be the difficulty
Of getting about any where. except over the small
| space that has been improved by the proprietors.
All persons do not fancy fatiguing exercise at
such places, 1t will be remembered.
/ The city Of Hudson forms a noted feature Of the
| voyage up the river. 1t appears to be one of the
thrftiest neatest, and most tasteful towns In the
Union, as presenting itself to view the steamer
| passed its wharves. Indeed, both sides of the
| river, from Poughkeepsle to Albany, towns and
| villages appeared in rapid succession few Of
| them antiquated, but most showing themselves 10
be the residences Of live, bustling energetic and
practical population. The people in this section
evidently study the effect of first impressions far
| more closely than we of the South do and profit
| carefully by that study. The locations of their
homesteads, where that is possible are all chosen
with an eye to making the most of the advantages
nature presents at hand No tree is destroyed that
might serve to beautify the grounds Of the house
nor is any spared that on the other hand m 2 hit
| mar the effect Of view Of II from any point
Lawns are constructed, at times at a cost as great
| as clearing the timber of a considerable estate
| with us. Groves and grottoes formed, with
patient labor and excellent taste. 1t not unfre-
quently happens that glide past little estates (of
say ten acres) wherein half n dozen varie-
ties of petite fields and as many striking objects of
foliage, paths, arbors, grottoes anc horages orch
ards &c. The spirit that works out these improve
ments isvery commendable and 1t is to he regretted
that it does not exist strongly at the South Our
| things. Yet nought tends more surely to man s
| Improvement, mental. moral and physical. than
his Improvement of the natural advantages Of loca-
ton by which he is surrounded
Shortly after passing the foot of the Ca.skills a
brief storm arose, that enyeloped the tops of the
range in rain cloud wholly hiding most of them
from view for some time The varying density of
the clouds cast varying shadows upon the elevated
and depressed points-the knobs and gulches OF
the range-which made the former stand ont ap-
parently larger and in holder relief and the latter
sink down into huge cavities and deiles; thus
giving the little mountains Alpine features, as it
were. temporarily, 10 the eye Of the distant b.
holder
n" we r.su1'-a Albany the water sh,.aie,,
| rapidly ana islands appeared in our cour.e
| most Of them too small or TOO nearly subrne,,ed
| To admit Of cultivation. Shoals and natural rip-
raPs were seen on all sides: their positions being
marked by miniature light houses, two or three of
which must always be in sight when navigating
the river at night. Wrecks of valuable carpoes
are evidently numerous on that portion of the Hud
son. Tor traces OF them are at each turn Of the
stream. I saw heayiiy.laden schooner, of per.
haps 100 tons burden, I'm the act of sinking. She
had struck on rock, knocking big hole I'm he,
bottom. perhaps half hour before the stea,ne,
passed her.
Here, as wherever wrecks common there
are class OF people who devote themselves for
the most part to saving what may be saved afte,
such catastrophes. Half dozen Of them were
engaged around this unfortunate schooner. Those
who judge the wreckers only from the represen
| tations Of the melo-dramatists and noveIists ye.
very erroneous ideas of their pursuit and char.
| acter as class. There are thieves and mur
| derers among them, Of course but most of them
are daring fellows who life and property
under circumstances Of great danger to them
selves, and are, therefore most beneficial to the
Interests Of society.
| We reached Albany at p. m, and hurried
over to the depot OF the Albany and Montreal
railroad, where after kicking our shins for hall
an hour we started for this point ALBANY is now
city OF 1900 souls, engaged principa in
| manufacturing and the forwarding business: the
iatter an Immense trade there. owing TO the many
4 dnu tnc TWO canals converge that
point. Its location the side Of the high hin
bounding the Hudson gives its buildings a fine
| appearance from the river. | perceive that its
capitalists have fallen into the fashion Of build
Ing up their main streets with huge marble and
brown stone fronted houses Some of them on
the main street would cut no insi gnihcant figure
in Broadway, New York
| Six miles of rapid rail travelling brougbt ma 70
Troy, the Yankees opposition place to Dutch Al
bany. Though now quite a city. and a very
heavy manufacturing one, II does not wear AL
bangs air Of improvement The land on the
| west side Of the Hudson between ALBANY and
Troy seems to be devoted almost erclusi yeIv 10
| gardening. or course every foot Of the soil inn
provable is highly cultivated, as tile towns and
Villages in the immediate n-ighborhood are mn
merous and densely populated. Indeed, along
the whole Of that portion Of route the country
looked almost like a continuous village where not
| closely buit over town-fashion The view of
Rensselaer, county the other side of the rive, !.
very fine from the cars Of this railroad. From
| five to ten miles back Of the stream conside,ah,.