Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-07-21
ST.. ALRANs. July. ISIS.

J lnc tallaua inc l. 80 near To TINS beau
tiful, romantic village, that during the
war a score of Confederate guCTtilas
with perfect ease left the Queens do
mnions and established themselves. one
/ by one, in st. Adams. some of them
actually ingratiatcd themselves in the
respect of the inhabitants by entering
the weekly prayer meeting and indul-
cling in very tcrVcnt prayer. Suddenly
they flung oil disguise; approplia ed
/ the best horses, held the whole popula-
/ ton in check with their revolvcrs until
| they had killed one or two of The citi-
ZCns, and appropriated about Il quarter
of Il million Of dollars from the banks,
with which they effected their Cscapc
into Canada. The English authorities
would not surrender them, and the
money was never recovered.
This, too, is a favorite rendezvous of
the Fcnians, and doubtless viii figure Of
ten again in the Geographic dispatches
relative 10 their movements, for the APP
/ proach to Montreal from this village is
simply a march over a broad level plain.
! ! nave seen distinctly from this place.
The Mountain near that city.
st. Adams is built upon The side of a
! lofty hill, which affords to several of the
mansions near the Summit a fine view
of Lake Champlain, which lies two or
J tiAANN iIlliNi7 INibN' anu ~ Tue NNNl Mtllii.
a large square, adorned with clms and
NAPLES, Is in the centre OF the village.
and the graceful dropping of branches
along the principal streets gives dis
well built, neat, and beautiful border
town charming effect. The principal
hotel is large and elegant, and some Of
! the private residences spacious. and sur
rounded by highly cultivated p0rfc1rcs
and ornamental shade trees.
On the summit of the hill is an cXtcn-
siVc plateau, and here stand two elegant
mansions, one the residence OF cX-{iov..
ernor smith, OF Vermont, and the other
occupied by his brother, Hon. WORTH
ingtOn smith, member of Conorces
from this district Every appliance Of
art and taste have been employed to
render these residences and grounds clc-
CANT summer retreats, and from the
windows ana every lawn outside, eX-
! Quisltc views are had lake, mountains
and woods. These residences look down
upon st. Adams, occupying rs they do
the very crest Of the hill Every view
from this cmincnce is a dream the air
is pure and oXhilalating in the hottest
days Of July, and while the mercury of
the thermometer in New York city has
been ranging from ninety to hundred
it has here barely touched eiehty-five.
and that only for an hour OF two in the
middle of the day. Three quarters Of
the day time are perfectly luxurious and
! inVigOrating.
But there il secret here known to
few Of caTth's wanderers, and after on
joying the superb views below him
from the plateau, stranger will hear
casually mentioned The fact that there
is "a good view" from a mountain in
the rear, which lies in full sight, rifle
shot farther back from the lake. n goOd
0ioW! great heavens! 1t is one OF the
most magnificent spcctacles my eyes
ever beheld; and | have Witnessed
many.
| was not long III making my prepar-
ations, when learned that there was
an Excelsior" a young lady volun-
teered to be my guide, and her saddle
horse was soon at the door. Horses. n
mountain to be climbed, and guide Of
sweet sixteen, graceful as PSYCHE. and
gifted as Myrtis. These are the Golden
episodes Of existence. / promised not
to look behind me until the guide should
indicate her permission, When we
started, st. Adams lay far below Us.
with the lake glimmering in the sun
! light beyond it. 1T was almost painful
10 leave 50 noble prospect behind me.
We crossed the meadows, and soon real
lied that we were ascending. The
horses toilcd upward choosing their
own pace, for the road was arduous, and
the swift mountain torrents Of the
spring had cut deeply into the soil on
either side OF us, and any preclpitate
toolishness would endaneer necIs di-
vine gifts, and not lightly to be broken.
Glow happens it, | onquired, that
sofew tourists find out so lovely Il To-
cality for summer idling as st. Albans?"
I Il - I.
tourists generally go in shoals. They lack
individuality and COURAGE to undertake
anything new. But some appreciative
ana enterprising souls stray Off to this
spot. Fanny Fern, for in stance, has
visited the very height to which / am
taking you"
"Ah,' said /, "the interest decpens.
So the spicy Halcyone, the most lumi-
nous OF all the American Pleiades, has
touched upon this mountain. / shall
like it all the better, that this star has
crested Belleview."
So we chatted away as our horses toll
ed upward and | felt 10 inclination TO
violate my promise and look behind
me. We followed a curving, difficult
road, and after time we left it and
| turned into the grass again. The sum
nit was now directly before us, crown
ed with bare, brown shaly rock, and ell
tirely destitute oftrees. The grass COW
cred the entire mountain, with the eX-
ceptiOn of Il cone of bare rock at the very
top shooting directly up some thirty
feet above the grass, which refused to
climb any further. A few struggles
now, and we stood upon the summit.
My eyes were looking directly to the
east. Almost at my feet sank away a
grand valley, or rather gorge, $50 preci-
pitate were its sides,) rich green fields,
dark woods, and miniature lake Il lost
pearl in an emerald wilderness, visible
far away in its centre.
Beyond the immense valley, lowered