Evening star., 1869-08-11
LETTER FROM LAKE GEORGE.
Pleasant Contrast scenery on the Upper
hudson-The Fort William Henry-His.
torical Landmarks. Etc.


Especial Correspondence Of The EUeainy Siar
FoRT WILLIAM HENRY HorEL,
LAKE q RoRGE, August 9, 1869.
The heexquisite beauty and grand maguifi ,ence
OF the scenery at Lske George. lighted up this
day with an atmosphere as bright and spark
ling as an October morning in the South, Is a
pleasant calm to follow the exhaustion OF the
rus b and display at Saratoga. There Art runs
rIo', while here Nature lifts up its haud in
lavish grandeur and charms the senses into
silent contemplation. Out from the surge
folly and furbelow and into these peacsfu
elens and hills aud m mountains, where every
foot is the most classic Of American soil, and
where the picturesque scenery is uneq ualled,
even by Lake Como in Switzerland, where
with turret, and arch aud fretwork fair,
And pillars clear as the summer air.
s but a ride Of three hours, twenty miles in
the cars and nine mites in the stages. The lat
ter is the best part of it. Leaving Glen's Falls,
(where the railroad has been completed this
summer0 you take the seats on the top of the
stage and roll rapidly over q smooth plank
road up the hills and far away, until you de-
scend on the mountain side to the head of Lake
George. These nine miles are worth all the
car travel from Washington. With the Green
Mountain range on your right and the Adirou-
dacks on the left and In the foreground, the
bold and rugged scenery is in peaceful contrast
to the quiet farming lands tar beneath your
feet. The sixty passengers who We're within
and without the handsome Concord coaches
were fortunate In their afternoon ride of yes
terday. When about midway bet ween the
Falls and the Lake, a brisk shower was falling
in the mountains on the east OF Lake George
while the sunlight was streaming brightly this
side, forming brilliant rainbow, which made
a complete arch OF the prismatic colors bet tween
two distant hills. 1t was Of SURPRISING love.
illness. and for half an hour excited the enthu.
slasm OF the company, when it passed away,
and attention was called by the lady passen.
gers to the boquets of lilies which the country
boys had gathered from the historic BLoody Pond
by the roadside, which, ON September 8 I.75,
was half-filled with the slain in an engage
ment with the French and Indians. A monu
ument marks the place where COL Williams
fell, who commanded the English forces At
the head of the Lake, which the French called
Horizon, from the purity of its waters, stands
the Fort william Henry Hotel, which is bu,
lew ieet from the site OF the fort used by Gen
Burgoyne as a military depot, and where, in
l15s, Gen. Abercrombie fitted out a fleet of over
one thousand small boats to transport the
English army in Its descent on Ticonderoza.
The outlines OF the old fort are plainly visible.
while portions of the walls of Fort George, a
mile to the southeast, are still standing, though
dense forest OF pines has grown up around
II, so dense that only foot passengers can get
near the old RUNS. scramble over the rocks
and through the pipe-woods is fully repaid not
only by a full sight of the old fort but by a
beautiful view OF the Lake obtained from this
enlineuce.
The Fort William Henry Hotel is a spacious
anair' SIX and seven stories in heighth, with
towers, having colonnaded portico, fronting
on the Lake Shore (but few steps) OF threa
hundred feet, and possessing even here in this
seeming wilderness all the modern jmprove-
ments OF gas, water, etc. 1t can accomm odat-
over thousand guests and has Iust been re-
Quilt and refurnished by It's owners IT
Roeseiie d Son, who, it Will bs remembered
are the lessees of the new Arlington a Wash
ington, which they will open IN October. The
arrivals from the South and North avaravs
about two hundred a day. The little steamer
MInnehaha comes in every evening, and is re-
celved with salute from a field piece, while
the band plays welcome air on the pier
Inc trip up Lake George, 30 miles, and
thence by stage four miles to old "Forr Ty'
threading In and winding out among the hills
and islands, OF which there are over 300, Is of
fascinating interest. Every foot almost is his
torical. The first island, in front of Dnnharn
bay, was Burgoyne's military depot in M
the next, Long Island, is where Montcslm
moored his boats and landed In 1857, and In the
middle OF The Lake is Doom Island where Put
mans men took shelter. Further up, the Mar
rows are entered at the base of the boldest and
loftlest shores OF HorIcon-one of the hills hay.
ing an altitude OF 1900 feet. Beyond the Mar
rsws is Sabbath Day Point, so called by Gen
Abercrombie, who embarked his army on the
spot on Sunday morning. There was also a
fght there in 1855 between the colenists and
1ndass, and again in 1776, between American
militia and party of Indians and Tories. in
which the latter Were defeated. Prisoners
Island is where during the French war. those
taken captive by the English were confined
and still further up is Howe's Point, where the
English army under Lord Howe, consisting of
1900 men landed prior to the attack ON Ticon.
deroga. But this Is mere glance, for there are
other and many important landmarks of this
picturesque and romantic lake
-Four miles over the land brings you to the
Indstinct ruins of the famous Old Fort Ticon-
deroga on Lake Cbamplain, one Of the first
sropgholds taken from the British at the
commencement OF the Revolution, by Colonel
Ethan Allen, whose surprise OF the English
commander and famous demand tor surrender
is familiar to most every reader. Surprising
the garrison IN the night, he woke up the com.
mandant and demanded his surrender s.In
whose name and to whoml" exclaimed the sur.
prised officer. "In the name Of the great
Jehovah and the Continental Congress" thun.
cered Allen in reply. VI course the fort sur.
rendered. LOSING says, OF this famous saying,
that Allen was probably as ignorant ofthe great
Jehovah as The British commander was of ths
Continental Congress, for the latter body was
not organized until some days after wards.
The travel through Lake George is very large
and Washingtonians are frequently registered
Among them, within q few days, have been the
Hon. T. j. ID. Fuller and wife, Frank ID. Orme
and wife, and Mr.. L. L. Orounse and wife.
The display OF the aurora borealis on Satur.
day night last was very bright-so bright as to
be mirrored in the Lake.
Thermometsr Saturday was down to 81
degrees. Yesterday Sunday 81 degrees. and
to-day 20 degrees. ZsrA.
WkRLlKs PRBPARATIoNs In FRAnoR-A
recekt circular from the Minister of War
Marshal Mel, instfuets the commanders of
military divisions TO proceed with the greatest
ACTIVITY In inSuucQuG the corns oF an