New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-05-12
VIEW PUBLICATIONS..
NOBLE AFTER ICEBERGS.

Instead of deyOtiDg his ounmoi '
pursuit OF deer and trout among Tue AuiI0"
Mountains. or fishing for salmon On .no '"4"''
C.rtior and sapuenay, the author Of this volume
d.o;dss n accompany the distinguished painter oil
&c Niaoara" and the q Heart OF the Andes, IN his
search after the materials for the picture OF the
Northern icebergs which has since been brought
20 such successful completion. He embarks IN
the enterprise with a certain glow of enthusiasm,
which is often paraded somewhat too ostenla'
tiously on the surface, and lends a dazzling bril-
iancy to the rhetorical flights that perpetuany
tempt him beyond tho limits of discreet narra'
tive aud resOlute good taste, into the regions OF
fanciful and inflated defamation. The fasheS OF
the finest kind of writing which almost blind the
eye of the reader, need not, however, conceal
the frequent expression of true pOetical senti-
ment, and power of description that presents
the stern and frozen scenery Of the northeastern
coast in impressive reality.
The FIRST sight of an Iceberg OIL the rocky
shores of Newfoundland gives occasion to a
spasm OF feeling which finds vent in the follow
iDg grandilOquent ellusiCn:
Ieeberg, Icebergs The cry brought us upon deck
at sunrise. There they were two OF them, large one
and smaller: the latter pitched upon the dark ana
misty desert Of the sea like an Arabs tent ana lhe
larger like dOmed mosque IN marble Of greemsh
white. The vigorous attn OsQLere vailed ITS safP ou-
lines and gave Il sol entd, dreamy ana mysterious
character. Distant ard dim, IL was yet very gfahd
and impressive. En,hroued on the deep IN lonely
majesty, tie dread OF mariners, and the WONDER OF inc
traveller, 1t one Of tuOe Imperial cieaohs oi ma
ture that aiken powerful emotions, ana liiumne he
imagination Wonderful structure Fashioned by
thOse fingers that wrought the gtterng fabrics ot the
upper deep and launched upon those adauantne ways
into Arctic seas how beautiful how strong ana tei-
BILE glacier slipped into the ocean, ana henceior'h
awandering cape, u restless beadland, a revolving
island to compromise the security OF the world broad
highway. No Chart, no sounding, no KnoWledge OF
latitude avas to fix thy whereaboat thou rowing i5h
mae of the sea. No lookout, and no friendly bail OF
authoritative warning cope with thy secrecy or
thy silence. Mist and darkness arc thy workday raj
ment. IT ough the Gilman lay his ear 10 the water,
he may not hear thy coming footsteps. .
We gazed at the great ars Of nature bulldng with
steady silent eyes, Moti0nless and solemn as tomC,
it seemed to look back the waves as we sped for
ward into its grand presence. I9e Captna enansea
the course of the st few points SO as to pass IL
as closely as possible. G was quietly making
preparation TO sketch it, The interest was momena-
rily increasing We we're on our way to hunt ice
bergs, and had Unexpectedly come up with the game;
We fancied it was gro Ning collier, and felt delighted
at the chilly air as ii ii had been much breath fresh
from the living lie. To regret may say, TO our
grief, the fog suddenly closed the view NO grop-
cartan could have ut the spectacle more quickly
and more completely. The steamer was at once put
on her true course and the cebergs left to pursue
their solitary way along the misty Atlantic.
Here we have glimpse Of Newfoundland IN
somewhat mlder tone.
The flowers by the wayside, mostly small and pale,
touched the ar with delicate perfume. looked Tor
the bees but there Were none abroad neither was
there to be heard the bum OF insects nor Warbhng oil
birds Now and then q lonely bird piped feeble
strain. We continued wIndlng among the tulnly-
wooded hills, our wheels ringing along the narrow
gravel road for hour At last reached the hight
Of land and overlooked the ocean. Here we rested
few moments, from the seats, and looked around
upon the majestic sceDe Far out upon the blue were
many sails white in the bright sunshine as the wines
of doves. The fshiDg-boats, little schooners with
rakipp masts which swarm in these seas, were scud-
ding under their tan-coloIed canvas in ell directions,
looking like many winged flies far down upon the
Spangled plain, most lively and agreeable contra, 10
the desoste highlands, where you behold no dWeIDe,
or field or sign of human work, except the ROAD,
which, cannot help repeating, hes among the rough
hills and rocky masses, clearly cut, and smooth as
a road in genilemans park. What token OF great
ness and refinement Is The perfect road No nation
makes ouch roads these, ia land bTistling with
rugged difficulties that has not wound It's way up 10
the summit of power and cultivation. The savage
contents himself with path that is engineered and
beaten by the wild beast.
The scenery of Labrador is made the subject Of
an ambitious bu: powerful description.
The prospect was a to me- although long
accustomed TO mountain views, and more impressive
than anything Of the kind l can remember: Rather
ocean; the remainder was Labrador, most desolAte
extent Of small rocky mountains, family tinted here
and there with greeni,h gray, and frequently slant
ing down TO lakes and ipleis OF the II may be
said that Neptune setting his net Of blue waters along
this solitary land, sprung at last and caught full OF
these bony bills, bopelessy hard and barren, that
he, poor old fellow appears TO have thought it never
worth his trouble TO look after either net or game
Quite ia the interior few SUBMITS higher than
the st. Charles, the upon which was standing
The looking red and fiery through long lines
and bars OF dun clouds, and she'd his nays In streams
that bathed the stern and gloomy waste with wonder
ful brightness Seaward, the prospect exceeds any
power of mine a. desert lion. have no expectation
of witnessing again any such magnicenee in that field
of nature. Poets and painters will hereafter behold it,
and feel bow suggestive IL s of facts and truths, past
present and to come. The coast-that irregular and
extended line far north, and far away south and west,
upon which the and the continent embrace and
wrestle-witb its reefs and ets nets bays, and caes
waves breaking into snowy foam, twilight shadows
streaming out upon the from behind the headlan0s
aud the lights sunset ganUg through the gorgesand
valleys OF the shore, all combined 10 weave fringe
of glory both for land ocean. The sky over the
was Of great extent, and gave wonderful breadth
and yastness TO the water. There was truly tc face
of the deep" And a most awful, vet a glorious
oouutenancei was and most exquistely compexohed,
rejecting family both the imagery and the hnes OF
heaven the bright the purple and the blue the saffron
and the roey Belle Ile with its steep shores REDEEM
ing with light lay in the south, lovely to look upon
but dcsoate in reality, and often fatal TO the mariner
Looking further south and south west, a dark line
lay along the sky-tbe coast Of Newfoundland. was
looking up the straits Of Belle Isle. All the sea IN
that quarter under the last sunlight shone like pave
ment of amethyst, which all the eharots OF the
earth might have rolled, and all its cavalry wheeled
with ample room. Wonderful to behOld it was only
fair field for the steeped icebergs vast metropolis
ia ice pearly white and red roses gterng IN the