Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-03-13
NoteS OF n Tr,yelIcr-NO. i.

wandcringS and doltings of nature, and the
general events # vy,ry dag life, the most pleas
ing incident have to relate, Is one Which oc-
CURED twn weeks sine, sJnn alter starting with
n party vf friends To vi>is the great 'Gcy>ers -
mineral springs Of California. SO happy was the
event, could but feel it would interest the
many readers of our time honor,d Gazette, who,
in their own appreciation, can understand the
delight one would naturally feel 10 meeting an
old subscriber, who, for twenry-odd years, had
NOT seen Il copy OF IL home paper:
We ncared llealdsburg. en- route to 'Gey-
scrS alter a somewhat tedious stage drive
over Il road So rocky, tho people told lis al. lhyy
h:d 10 do was TO pick the stones up out OF the
road IL make fences ot-whcrcat we suggested
ti,.v ,.,lg ht To make more OF them Hungry
and thirsty We brought out the lunch basket
the cold conventiunaties of city lie were drop
pcd-the warmth Of he day, perhaps, melted
all appearance of irgiIity. and the passengers
w..rr very pleasant. A. we chatted, and took
eur lunch in the shade of the beautiful Nladuna
tr;., backing away TO Mt. Diuhlo, an cd uian
leaned forward III the Stagc--oniy Vpcu stages
arc lis Ii here and w;h trembling voice ask
ID The loan IT The paper he had noticed lying
open Wit, fruit upon il. 1t wa, passed to hln
aIu! H.. rycaiu."G: ''A!cXandria Gazette cd
friend. | am glad ~ sac you once more \
sytn,.tilctic cilord was touched ana curious 20
know his inter, st in the shcct-tlic first copy
OF which, in twu years, we had received the
day picvous--a lively questioning was started,
and nc proved to be an Old 49cr -uative Of
Fau1ucr county, Va.,-Warrcn by namc-
wi:o>c wonderful success in those days Of >trlk-
il. rocket miucS-aS the gold hcap- are called
s;S IL rapidly followed, through specializing,
b; utter luin. aud to-day he lives Il hermit in
the shallow II the great mountain, over which
We la>,c.l on our "Trip. Odd looking aud ecccn-
trio never going near the village cXcep, wien
compelled, bu', a. a native told Us, one @. the
most intelligent and best read men Of the day.
''Coluc TO my cave, said he upon alightiug. to
descend The hill, ''cr wait, and LII brlag You
the one only Gazette have, cld, ragged, and
worn; 1t Is precious to Me, especially, az II re-
Gods the death ii my only son after Lett ny
home Tor this be" cluntry he traveller
alone car understand the strange pleasure IN
meeting like this br u4h: about is 50 trivial Il
matter We would g'aiiy have talked for hours
vi h this oh man. since our l4vcd Virginia was
has i been cur privilege 70 sec. but no place.
"
10 SKY, or fertile in SOL than the Valley OF Iir-
giuia Homncd in by towering mountains.
wat rel by silver streams, enriched By broad
acres, yielding the rlcst precious and certain Of
wealth, bpautifod by flower. vine and leaf, ~
habited By -wor>hlrping people. Eirglula
in her glorious beauty, gives Us an idea Of that
Paradise i'll which our first parents lived aud
u better idea OF life. humanity, aud OF that
Being who is the author and glver OF all that
is good, either in the physical or spiritual.
ga We went to Geysers, stopping ouly TO tax
SIX fresh horses to carry u up and down the
mountains at regular break-ncck speed; indeed
1t is dangerous for them 10 stop. From Heads
burg there is a very tiuc road, but narrow as
you approach the ascent; the horses are per-
fectly trained. the drivers experienced, and SIX
iu hand. in Que hour and fifteen minutes they
make the perous descent from the summit of
what is called The Hogs Back" an altitude
OF over 1900 feet, to the hotel at the splings.
California is a wonderful country, but one
must travel about il to understand fully how
great it Is We dimiy believe that there are
petrfed trees. and GcyserS. where icy. cold
water bubbles out Of the rock within ten feet of
that which is boiling hot and with others Of Il
dozen different kinds Of mineral, all side l,y
side, steam escaping all the while from sui
phurous deposits We sat between two small
springs. caught fish in QUE boiled them in the
other, and ac them with Boston brown bread.
Refreshed by this ready repast of nature, fol-
lowing the guide, each with a staff in hand, on
foot ami il single file, we wendpd our way up
the canyon to the Gcyscr Springs. The great
spaces oi rock and eli! f. loD" intervals of ravlnc,
and fearful precpicc, the vast, silent forest,
with its underground Of huge ferns the Sombrc,
tr,nc bo cp pipr,us fumes rho
pory clouds, in the distance, sporting above
these hot springs; ali make up scene 50 wild.
and weird, the merry jest died on every lip.
For moment We pause TO gaze upon the IN
posing and majestic beauty of this landscape,
moulded By the Hand Of the Great Master and
Teacher Of! Us ALL our hearts stirred by the
same emotions, the same mysterious, uu<poken
sympathy, felt, and alike recognized, yet sub
ducd by the awc-lnSplrlng scene around u>--thc
Impressive silence Of the natural elements, and
the ullSpcakablc emotions of the soul mutually
rccognIz 1t, and feel the mysterious workings
Of the Hand of God, and skcptici>tn, lDfdcty,
dwell not hcfr! These are scenes only to be visit
cd by those who will share and appreciate their
glorlcS. or cSc-aIJnc-that We may bow the
head with true humility, before the grandeur
which surrounds u, in recognition of the pres
cr,ee Of our God, and the Impotence and in>ig-
niiicancc OF man ERRATlC.
\ MISTAKE. An exchange "l"cs an account
nl Il singular mistake that occurred at the DrX
ter Asylum, Providence, f. l.. last week. \
woman died in the institution. and The ovcr>ecr
notified. as he supposed. the fact to her hus
band but there had been two women Of the
same uumc in the Asylum. and the oversee:
Informed the wrong man. who arrived with
cuiu after having made all his preparations
for 4 funeral, only to find his wife i'll excellent
ana living health lie also had sent word to a
large number of relatives aud friends in New
York, and they had come on for the funeral.
Nnw. this husband, who ism I i widnwcr after
all, wants to know who is to pay for the cntiu
which he has on hand, and for which he has
no use; and he threatens an action in the case
against the oycrSecr.
a SOLDIERS DEvoTIoN.-Lastw week, VIM
NJ Smith, who lost his right arm at Seven
Pines land was one Of the first to volunteer in the
22ud \. c. Reg. Pet,igrew'> Brigade, arrived
iu Lexington, having walked all the way from