Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1860-03-08

clump of trees | stood 10 full view OF the
rrea, Snowy Range!I felt my whole frame
ttri ed as Il by an electric shock as The
sublime scene suddenly flashed upon me
For incie Than two hundred miles. from 8
Il to INV, the mountains we're IN full
view, While an intervening space Of more
than s xty MILES make a magnificent lore
ground to the Whole scene. These, how
ever, were al first scarcely noticed. The
grandeur Of the Snowy Range made all else
l. ok Insignificant. Had Niagara Numbered
at my feet, and had the ocean, lashed to
widest fury, foamed on either hand, they
could scarcely have been noticed. Far
above the clouds the snowy peaks glistened
in the rising sun like gigantic castles OF
3uresl marble. Had the view been confined
to a single peak, or had the range been
broken into seperate tracts, the effect might
have been less. But the lofty, long extern
ded line Of snow lifted itself up TO the skies
with a m%,jesty which made all else look
trivial. Ii the poor Hindoo Is 10 be excused
for any Of b is errors, IL is certainty for his
faith in a heaven beyond these glittering
mountains. After leaving the dust and
smoke of the plains and climbing into the
purer atmosphere of som of these submits
and gazing for the first time on the grea,
! shining wal before him, which seems to
pierce the ve.y heavens, it is not strange
that he should think that here was the line
where earth was merged into heaven. The
whole scene appears as il it might belong
to another world.
The view from this hill, independent Of
the Snowy Range, could hardly be sur
passed. More than 1000 feet below US the
little lake sparkled in the rising sun like a
silver mirror in a great mountain frame
fringed with evergreen oak. To the South
West the level plains stretched away far as
the eye could reach, while to the North the
terraced ranges of the Himmalayas, pre-.
s%enting every variety OF mountain landscape.
covered a tract sixty miles in width. One
could scarcely ever tire gazing on such n
scene. The morning passed swiftly away
and We Reluctantly descended, promising
our4"l'es y lar ger visit at u future day.
| cannot close thi, letter Without men,
ton NJ more particular y the occusion OF
our EXCURSION. The soldiers here are nearly
all inyu'ids, who are sent Down to the plains
or home to England as soon as they recover.
We have u class among these soldiers, and
as nigh. natural y be expected, these
changes cause many painful separations
among them. On this occasion two mem.
beers Of III class were leaving for Scotland
and il was suggested that a farewell meet
ing be held on the hill A few others were
invited, and all met according TO appoint
meDt for On eight O'Clock breaksast After
breakfast We met together in q little shell
tereed nook aud united in prayer aud praise
10 God. The company and the spot sug-
gested stirring thoughts. Among those
soldiers were men who bad fought in every
ha'tle OF the Crimea. and others who had
seen whole years of bloody war in India;-
men who had braved all dangers and en-
dured all hardships in the service Of their
country. How mysterious the providence
which led them into this remote ccrner Of
the earth and here taught them 10 war q
better warfare! or them II may truly be
said, that they "were led 10 a wsy which
they knew not" And then, what an in.
spring spot for prayer and praise 10 the
HiouHsuiH tOp! ouT tnuuSuto VI oWCc run
back to Moses on pisgah, and Elijah on
Horcb, and Him who "tnrried al night"
upon the mountain 10 prayer. With the
plains Of Rohlicund spread ont before us,
on which the huge shadows of the mountain
were falling, while the bright sun was smi-
ling on the fields beyond, we joined in
singing
"Could wc but stand where Moses stood,
And view the landscape DER,
Not Jordan's stream nor deaths cold food
Should fright us from the shore"
We then all joined in prayer, after which
we parted, to meet no more as u company
until with al the triumphant hosts of Gods
redeemed people we ascend the Mount Of
God.
In my last | promised to show why a mis-
sion was established in this singular place.
The answer to this question must be re-
served Tor another letter,
J. NJ. THOBURN.
| hAs-,,T avail ubara Tho hnvs ~ far nal