Connecticut western news., 1872-09-06
On the Reach.
By Our Special Correspondent.

J 10 Hartford so often and so ably, MT. Ed itor, and if Eggeston's excursion had not gone and been and taken about everyone of your readers who had never been over the road before, would give you my expert ence that morning. Hartford, as you have probably noticed in your visits there, has been tolerAbly busy place since the Conn
 Western R. R. opened up for it connec- uon with Salisbury Centre and Lakeville
 The Hartford people are very much pleased at he idea of being in such easy communi- cation with these two centres of wealth and intelligence. Our time dld not permit us to tarry long in this thriving village, so pass ing through we took a train which was 1 waiting for us on the Conn. Valley R. R.
 We noticed that the cars on the Valley road were each furnished with station annunciator, by which the name of each station in turn is conspicuousy displayed in the forward end of the car some time be- fore the arrival of the train at that station,
 thus silencing the brakeman's howl and re- lieving the fdgets of nervous passengers.
 Tine pleasant aroma of the fragrant onion now salules us and we find that we have reached Weathersfield, the onions native home. Long rows of that powerful escu- lent stand dressed ill living green, but we fail to notice in passing the monumental piles of last years knee pans, the sight of which tradition has led us to expect crowning the bulbous field. There, beyond the trees in the distance, is the Connecticut State boarding house, where, I presume, languishes in durance vile many a delin- quent subscriber to his local newspaper.
 Here is Mddletown, where are located the Connecticut State Insane Asylum, the Wesleyan University, and the end of the Air Line railroad that is, the Middletown end. This thriving place is also remarkable on account of it's standing about opposite the spot where the excursion turned around the other day. Now comes North Haddam, East Haddam, South Haddam, Haddam | Centre, Haddam Neck, Haddam Landing, Had-'em-bad, and Haddam. The time- honored story of the travellers profane re- mark when these various Had-dams fell on his ear, will occur to every ones recollec- ton and so need not be repeated. Down through the pleasant valley we sped, arriving in due time at Saybrook, where, early in our history, our fathers wrestled over the famous Platform. We see nothing of the Platform now however, and so pass along over to Fenwick, where the old 7th c. V. reunite today. It is worth the expenditure of considerable time and trouble to see again the old familiar faces, and to clasp the hands of the comrades of many march and battle. The Seventh appears to have been engaged in recruiting service, as quite body of light infantry accompany the vet
 erans. The day passes pleasantly at Fen wick Hall, telling the old stories, singing the old songs, and finally discussing the excellent dinner provided by Landlord I Rood. But another re union than ours took place that day at Fenwick. The hardy veterans of the Mosquito Legion were pres ent in full force. They are healthy, ac- tive fellows and were desperately hungry. At every turn they presented their little bills and enforced collection at sight We fought, and bled, and dyed (the ground with their blood) pretty much all day, but finally, before I saw singularly morose old fellow perch on the railing Tn front of me, and gazing critically on my attenuated | limbs, pull out a whetstone from his side pocket and proceed to sharpen his bill, I retreated in good order changing base to l Saybrook Point. The next morning saw us on board the Sunshine" en route for Sag Harbor. The morning train from Hartford brought down Q number of ex- cursionists bound for day of pleasure on the Sound. We stop first at the landing for the Pequot House, which seems to be a very comfortable hotel. It is to be pre- sumed that MT. Pequot knows how to keep a hotel, as the house appears we'll filled. Hence to New London, suburb of the Pequot House, formerly a fishing village of some importance, but now somewhat at a stand still in consequence of the disap- pearance of the whale from the Thames river. Leaving New London we cross the Sound, and passing Plum Island, we enter the placid waters of Gardiner's Bay. As we sail we see on the right, near the viii
 iage of Orient, the og-factory of our old Quartermaster, w. T. Seward, now of the Atlantic Oil and Guano Co.,, asfine fellow as ever wrote "A. Q. M.' after his name during the late ''onpleasantness." Touch. ing first at Greenport, then at Shelter Island | rriu ot leave the boat and take a seyen-mile stage ride to Easthampton on the ocean beach.
 Awakening next morning we found thai old Father Atlantic had taken considerable
 pains to get his back up for us, knowing probably that our stay was limited. The
 surf rolled in grandly, running so high tha
 bathing was pronounced unsafe, much tc
 our disappointment. One never wearies oi
 gazing on the oceans vast expanse, ant cannot fail to experience in some degree {
 deeper sense of the littleness of man the
 finite, and God, the Infinite. Many have
 slight attack of poetry when seeing the
 ocean for the first tune, but like the measles
 if properly treated, the complaint is easily
 subdued Easthampton is quaint ole town, consisting of one long struggling street, pleasantly ornamented at either enc by cemetery, a windmill, and a goose pond, upon whose placid depths sails the contemplative goose, and on whose banks
 singeth the melodious and melancholy frog The Easthamptonites shingle the sides ot their dwellings as well as the roofs, which :, imparts to them a very picturesque appear ance. The windmill, however, took my eye, as the great wings went lazily around grinding the grist within. Oh, Miller, it is meet and proper that the gentle breeZps