Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-06-12

iaSo, Will 10 SPiS"uihS Jay, 10 SoiooA"'S" 90
being the headquarters Of Washington, and
also of being the place Of Major Andres ex-
cution, in 1880. Tarrytown, 26 miles from
New York, is famed as the place of the cap
ture of Andre, by Paulding and his compat-
riots. The spot is indicated by monument
erected about mile northward Of the town.
Stony Point, 40 miles above New York, is the
site of the historic fort of that name. West
Point, 10 miles further, famous as the seat
of the great military school, affords the finest
scenery of any spot along the route, being
surrounded with the Highlands. Among the
residences of noted men to be seen along the
route, are Washington Irving's Sunny
Side" Gen. G. P. Morris "Undercliff," ami
n. P. Willis Idlewild" Thus the entire
distance to Albany, $50 miles, is rich in OBJ
iects of interest to the traveller
As some of my readers may not have seen
a Hudson river steamboat, will venture to
describe the Isaac Newton, on which / took
passage. She is about twice as long as the
largest of the Northern Line packets, but
quite differently constructed. She has three
cabins, the gentleman's being below the deck
upon which we enter the boat from the dock.
In this cabin the berths are separated from
each other by curtains only. In the upper
cabins are staterooms, with lock and key, for
which one dollar extra is charged. The fare
from New York to Albany is 81 30 with
berth, 81 so, with stateroom-much cheaper
and much better accommodations than are to
be found on our western waters. This does
not include meals, which are fifty cents extra.
The time from New York to Albany is twelve
hours, the running speed being 12a miles per
hour. The shape Of the boat is something
like weaver's shuttle, and it was difficult for
me to tell which end was the bow. There is
fine promenade deck at each end, the one
at the bow being in the open air, and the one
at the stern having cover but open at sides
and end There is no hurricane deck prone
made, as on our western steamers, and the
boat seems much lower than its huge proper
tions would indicate. The smoke stacks are
near the stern, and the machinery in the cen
tire of the boat, where the engineer has an
apartment, in which he SITS arrayed in as fin
clothes as any gentleman, reading his news
paper, or RECALLING himself with Havana.
No steam is seen escaping from the boat any
where, as she is what is called low-pressure.
The boat makes no stoppages from New York
to Albany.
was disappointed in the appearance of
the public buildings at Albany. The State
House is beautifully located On hill, but is
not as large and fine structure as the great
Empire State should have. The Delavan
House, was told, was temperance insttu-
ton, but almost the first object that met my
sight, as stepped into its passage, was bar
loaded with suspicious looking bottles and
TASKS. 1t didn't took like temperance, and
perhaps if had tried the contents CT the bot
ties, it wouldn't have tasted that way, either.
However, walked up stairway, and got a
first rate temperance breakfast for seventy-fve
cents.
The ride to Boston, over the Western Rail-
road Gone of the best conducted 1 have yet
SEEM was througha rough but we'll improved
country. The Yankees know how to make
comfortable homes on their poor soil, but
fear some of our Western farmers would des-
pair Of getting living for small family out
of hundred acres l saw some tracts of
land which reminded me of the old story
about letting sheep down. by the hind legs
between crevices of the rock, in order that
they might get at the grass. Certain it is
that every farmer finds plenty of rock on the
surface of his land to build his fences, and
enough to spare to make monument of his
industry on every rood. .. ... ..
Boston, the self-styled club of creation"
"Athens Of America" &C., contains, at pre-
sent, about 1870, 900 souls, and is perhaps the
second commercial city in the Union, though
ranking only fifth in population. 1t is situa-
ted on a peninsula, about three miles in length
and one in breadth, on three eminences, for
merly called Tri-Mountain, from which origi-
mates the name fremont. The city was laid
out in the early part of the seventeenth CEN
fury, and is more intimately connected with
our colonial history than any other spot in
the Union. Here is the burial ground of In
crease and Cotton Mather; also the tomb of
that eminent philosopher and statesman,
Benjamin Franklin. Here it was that the
Revolutionary fires were first kindled by the
destruction of tea from the British ships in
the harbor and only eleven miles from here
Is the sacred ground of Lexington, where the
first blood was spilled to cement the fabric of
a mighty Republic. But more glorious still,
here is Bunker Hill, with its noble monument,
towering POI feet in the air, to point out to
generations yet unborn, the spot where was
fought the most memorable battle during the
whole struggle for our independence.
Bunker Hill, or rather Breeds Hill, (for it
will be remembered that Breeds Hill was for
tilted by mistake for Bunker Hill, and the
battle fought thereon,) is in Charlestown, two
miles north of Boston. Its summit is nearly
even with the surrounding houses. The
monument, rising 22l feet above this point,
affords an extensive view of all the surround
ing country. Having paid the admittance fee
15 cents for each person, which goes to a
fund for keeping the grounds in order,) our
party wendell their way to the top of the
monument, by spiral stairway of 295 stems.