The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-11-01
Niagara Falls in 1906.

i; .:.; - Niagara Falls in 1906.
| From the Boston Advertiser. 49, ~
There was not much time for pleas
ure in this country IS or 100 years ago,
and the new journals of pleasure trips
that have come down to us have per-
manent value for the light which they
throw on the condition Of the United
States at the organization of the gov
eminent. Two records of such jour-
neys have recently been discovered in
manuscript, and printed for the first
time. The first is an account of a jour-
ney to the White mountains in July,
1884, by the Rev. DR.. Jeremy Belknap
and a small company of friends, which
will form part of the Belknap papers
now nearly ready for publication by
the Massachusetts Historical Society,
and Of which a few copies have been
separately printed. DR.. Belknap's
Journal is marked by his characteris-
tic keenness of observation and accura-
| cy of statement, and will be found to
| be an interesting and valuable mono-
graph. It has been carefully edited
! by the Well.known and thoroughly
equipped antiquary, Mr.. Charles Deane,
who has added all ncedful editorial
illustration, and prefxed a short intro
duction.
| The other diary is much more elab.
crate production, and contains a jour-
nal of tour to the Niagara Falls in
the summer OF 1905. The writer was
the Hon. Timothy Biglow, for several
years speaker Of the Massachusetts
House of representatives, and his
travelling companions were prominent
merchants OF Boston, Mr.. Samuel P.
Gardner, Maj. John Williams, and Tim.
othy Williams, Esq. A fifth gentleman,
also merchant Of Boston, Mr.. Ma
thaniel G. Lee, started, but, for some
reason which is not explained, left the
party at Albany, and returned home.
the journey from Albany was perform
ed partly in their own carriage, and
partly in stages and wagons, and occu-
pied II days. AS Springfield was not
on the direct route, they determined
to go by way Of Northampton, where
they visited Gov. Strong, and severe
very politely received" The govern.
OF had forgiven a little breach of Ell.
quette which had occurred the day be.
fore, the account of which is too
characteristic Of the feelings then Ell.
tertained for persons in authority not
to be quoted here. ''Gov. Strong had
set out from Leichester before us but
we had passed him rather rudely in
Spencer, owing to the thoughtlessness
Of our driver. Having slackened our
pace till he again overlook us, we
made the best apology for our incivil-
ity that the case admitted, by laying
he blame where it properly belonged.
Our apology was accepted
Mr.. BigeloW had never seen the
Hudson, and our travellers found il
'Fmore respectable in magnitude than
we had anticipated The next day he
viewed the place, and found many oh
jects to excite attention and crafty
the curiosity Of q man who had never
before been out Of New England. The
old Dutch church and many other
ancient Dutch buildings, in the Gothic
style, are striking monuments Of the
taste of the age and nation Of the first
settlers here. But Dutch fashions
and language, and even Dutch inhab.
itants seem to be fast wearing out.
All the new buildings are Oh an i'm.
proved construction, and one would
now almost as soon think of employing
a Dutch draWing-master here rs {,
Dutch architect.' Schenectady seemed
mot to be a word fitted for common
organs of Speech and Mr.. Bigelow
recognized six different ways of pro-
nouncing it,-Snackady being much
the most common. Utica is described
as ga little city, and contains several
elegant dwelling.houses, some of which
are of brick and a few Of stone, to.
gether with a great number of stores
and manufactures of different kinds. .
Of the salt springs in the neighbor.
hood of Syracuse and at Cayuga there
are interesting notices.. as there are al.
so OF the sulphur springs near Geneva
At Canandaigua the population was
rapidly increasing, as many as thou.
sand families having migrated to that
region in the previous year, tWo.thirds
of whom were from New England. Al
Batavia we read that the land has only
been cleared three years, and sit is
now a considerable village. Here is a
large building, nearly finished, intend.
ed for a courthouse, jail, and hotel,
under the same roof The tavern was
poor, and our travellers were told that
their s'sheets were clean, fol-
they had been slept in but few times
since they were washed.' The next
morning they bl eakfasted at another