The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1867-12-18
THE REAUTIEs OF THE HUDSON

L
In natural scenery partaking alike OF tne
wild and sublime, the Hudson nver s'a NV
unrivalled. The tall, beautiful pahsaacs,
rising gracefully along the shores one above
the other. and extending . distance OF tWen-
tv miles, are the first person salIing up i's
broad, ripping stream, views They are n
ceedingly picturesque, and call forth many
an exclamation of delight and wonder from
atlmirine eyes. The great, moss coverea
rocks, gray with age. piling up one above
another, seem monuments Of Natures great
ness Their highest estimation is from tour
to five hundred feet. Countless numbers of
trees mostly fir or cedar, hardy and defiant.
obtain foot-holds on the granite rocks. ana
breast the storms that betimes sweep re-
morselessly over them In many places the
trees and shrubs hide the huge old rocks
from view. a
! "Aloft the fir and warrior oak
Cast anchor In the rifted rock:
And higher yet the pine tree flung
His shattered trunk, and frequent nunS
| Where seemed the cliffs to meet on high,
| His boughs athwart the marrow sky.
Passing Fort Lee, memorable in the cam
paign of 1776,-and where the palisades are
! displayed in all their wild beauty and
grandness we arrive at Tarrytown Here,
in 1880, occurred one of the most interesting
incidents of the whole war. refer to the
execution of the brave unfortunate Andre
martyr to the basest, blackhearted treach-
ery that was ever Matched from evil brains.
Next comes the Tappan Fee. Tor sea- an ex-
pansion of the river; here Hudson, more
than two hundred years ago, imagined his
voyage must end. A fierce tornado was
raging at the time, and the waves on the
sea. dashed into foam. was breaking violent
lv against the sides of his vessel-the Half
Moon" He had actually turned the prov
of the ship southwark, when the storm ceas-
ed almost as suddenly as it had arisen, and
he was again enabled to pursue his dis
coveries.
Passing West and Stony Points-the lat
ter the scene of Mad Anthony Waynes
brilliant and daring exploit, and rounding a
curve in the river, The Highlands burst upon
our view stupendous in magnitude, and
hanging over our heads like vast sentinels.
Huge, scraggy rocks stand forth in bold re-
lief against the northern sky, overlooking
the Hudson. Grand old rocks! Often the
care-worn step of the great Washington,
weary at heart, but never despairing paced
up and down thy sides. His noble heart
rose triumphant through the dark, threat
ening clouds of despair. and shone bright
and brilliantly through the uncertain future.
Many brave patriot, faint and weary, laid
his head against thy moss-covered side, and
by thee slept the sleep that knows no waking,
the sleep of DEATH Could We but speak,
what tale We could unfold what tragic
scenes We have witnessed during the days OF
the struggle for American liberty Here
.'Mongst dizzy, towering cliffs
| Their tips surrounded in misL-here
| 'MOngst eyergreens and shrubs
Growing on jutting lodges Of cleft rocks,
| Here, in the solitude Of the mountain
Fastness revealing in its wild, thrilling beauty,
Nature delights to hold her court"
Eagles and other birds have their homes
far up the heights, and occasionally they
may be seen, looking mere specks in the blue
expanse of the heavens Beautiful, -four.
ishing villas line the shore on either side, and
fields, rich in soil and culture. and clad in
the bright garments of spring livery, stretch
as far as the eye can reach, and further
Now and then some princely mansion, the
property, perhaps, of retired merchant
prince, peeping through tall, spreading elms
and poplars, greets the beholders's eye. FaI
up to its source in the Adirondacks and
nearly at the base of Mount Marcy, the high.
est in the Empire State the scenery is be-
witchingly beautiful, and wild and startling
in its nature. A traveller has not seer
| America in all her natural beauty until he
has seen the peerless Hudson. 1t is unsur
passed in this respect. Bards have sung fol
ages of its beauty, and barels will continue
to sing its praise for all time. lt