The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-08-10

were present at the interesting scene of
yesterday who were not absolutely oc
cupied in laying the cable.
| The first sight of yalentia from the
land Is disappointing. From Waterville
the road is uninteresting and dull
Large, gloomy mountains alternate with
vast patches of wild and uncultivated
bog, while the merciless showers ofwhat
is. surely the rainiest country in the
world, damp the spirit at they soak the
body of the traveller. Low-hanging
dense clouds obscured the view, the i'm,
possibility of obtaining trustworthy in
formation soured the mind, and the
uniformly evasive answers of peasant
and wayside pedestrian-who might be
as impenetrably stupid and blandly va
cuous as they pretended, but who sue
ceeded in roasting the inquisitive Sasse-
mach with considerable humor and force
--irritated the tempers of those who
were hurriedly pressing on, in the hope
Of arriving here before the shore end
! was laid. After much modification and
bumbling of the spirit and great weari-
ness of the flesh, ferry-house was
| reached, from which, at distance of
half mile across the water, the island
of Valentia, and the white houses and
slated roofs of its little town were plain
ly visible. Two perfectly idle steamers
! lay in the land-locked harbor, but not q
| vestige of either cable, or electricians, or
of the Great Eastern, or her heavy sup
| plement, the Caroline, or her guard of
her guard of honor, the Terrible and
| Sphinx, or her companion steamer, the
Hawk, or her messenger steamboat, the
| Advice, was to be seen. But for the
paIpable newness Of the roughly hewn,
half-barked stumps of wood supporting
| the single wire which ran by the road
| side along which we had been jolted al
most to dislocation-but for the strained
air of excitement and expectancy of the
| three bare-footed, bare-chested, shock
| headed young tatterdemalions on the
wharf, one Of whom said Of the old port
manteau and fat carpet bag he had con-
siderately pounded OH a stone-heap, and
then dropped into the water, "Shure,
Mickey, an these are his honner's in
sthruments for laying hur!'--and but for
the conscientiousnesso of the old boatman
who demanded half a crown for taking
us across, while admitting penny to bt
the price to "our own people;n but fo
these trivial circumstances, there wa
nothing to herald the mighty strid,
about to be taken in the history of civil
ization, or the ameliorating effect its ap
preaching consummation had brought
about.
Once in Valei,tia, however, the in
quirer heard, on authority, that the lay
ing Of the shore end was expected to
commence that morning, In bay at the
other side of the island, and five miles
from the town, and that horse and cal
could be hired as favor for small sum
| fha Of hnf in ,i,t
his "honor would thravel as iligant an
asy as in his cradel purvided he slipped
uptinderly, and avoided prissing too hare
on the wake side.n Seated in this pre-
cious vehicle, which required as mucf
trimming and careful distribution o
! weight as one of Series lightest outrig
gers, our typical explorer journeyet
! along the banks of the sea channel sepa
rating Valentia from the mainland, aalt
running from the bay. Passing group:
of peasantry, and pigs and fowls, al
strangely animated, and all journeyine
toward 4" the telegraph to 'Meriky, yei
honner!" he reached, nearly atthe sum.
NIT of the last hill, a low wooden hut,
painted black, and not unlike the sum
mer establishment of some watering
place photographer. This is the tenn
porary Office Of the Atlantic Telegraph
Company. Along the waste land, al
some distance to the right, are half a
dozen matched novels, while a few feet
J from the grass-grown turf-wall, which
divides the field containing this office
J from the cliff, you look down upon the
Caroline, which is in communication
with the land by lengthy floating
bridge of fishing boats. TO the righl
and left precipitous rocks rise nearly
three hundred feet from the sea, so hol
lowed at each side as to give to the Sc
curely sheltered little haven, which is
scarcely mile from end to end, the con-
formation of a horseshoe. Rugged, steep
and utterly inaccessible, save where q
rude and broken path has been formed
by the cable men, these cliffs are studded
with wild flowers and ferns, and varie-
gated by large patches of the brightest
verdure, which alternate with masses of
tangled sea-weed and huge blocks of
slate and parti-colored rock. Buffers
Island, a large grass-grown strip Of
stony ground stretching from left TO
right, from the far point of the bay,
lessons the opening to the sea. ana ma
terially helps to shelter this beautiful
nook. though, as there is, OF course
neither land nor breakwater between its
entrance and America, it will be readily
understood that in rough Wolther it pre-
sents very different appearance to the
one it wore yesterday. Then all was
smiling, sunny, and calm. The spec
tor who, after drinking in the beauties
has, re him from the heights, sclambl ID
S Io,v 4he rugged path and stood among
the mon hauling the cable on shore, or
h tnG , i, mself on one of the crags ar
reating his downward path, was, as
f have said. in a magnificent natural
a am with toiling peasants,
earnest sqvans, excited seamen, and
eager capitalists for his actors priests
local gentry, electricians, sndtelegraph-
lists for his fellow lookers-oi,. and the
broad Atlantic for his stage. M. Ores.
wick never surpassed the rich hues and
bright tints of the rocks and vegeta-
ton around; Firth neverpainted brighter
eyes, more. supple figures, or more
picturesquely artistic costumes than
those of the barefooted nymphs
assembled to look at Pat or Mike
" helping the Telegraph gintlemen; ]"
Stanfield never transferred TO canvass a
more beautiful and varied sea-piece than
the one before us. On the highest pin
nacle of the cliff, to the right, the coun.
try people had planted succession of
improvised flags consisting of colored
pocket handkerchiefs, scarlet eloaks'
blankets, petticoats, and what not,
which fluttered gaily in the breeze,