Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1890-07-29
MISCELLANEOUS.
Letter from Hartford.

George ". Hd1ieS. Esq.
DEAR SIR 81 undertake, hur-
.riedly, and fear imperfectly, to give
you brief account of the New En-
gland City, from which 1 post this
letter. After leaving Charlestown,
our party visited several cities in Vir-
ginia and Maryland, before we reached
New York. Unfortunately for our
comfort, the eunprecedented hot wealth
er of this rosy month came in the
midst of our soiourn, and though our
stay was brief and our welcome
hearty, as is proverbial in those
States so dear to us all yet the in
tense heat was nevertheless the all
pervading subject, felt and heard at
every step. That it effected our inn
pressions of the cities we visited,
would be going too far, butvery ser
ionsly did it influence the length OF
our stay and the enjoyment that we
had anticipated therefrom. You can
imagine, therefore, our feeling when
we left New York for Hartford and
found not only pleasant breeze but
temperature that bordered on the
actually cold" As che finely
equipped train sped along its straight
and well constructed track, through
country rolling aud covered with
vegetation, we felt as we had not for
more than ten days-realIy comfort
able. The swelteripg heat of the
noon-daY sun was dissipated by the
cool wind, and we were able in per.
feet comfort to form our first impress
sion of New England. And viewing
it from the car windows as we hur-
ried along, was surprised to find
instead of the poor country, bleak,
waste, sterile soil, that have read
.ahout, perspective of rolling coun-
try, well wooded hay fields with fine
timothy newly cut, and orchards of
splendid fruit appearing here and
there. The country looked well cared
for, and cultivated with peculiar en-
ergy and pains. A fine season, 1 un-
derstand, that it has had this year,
and perhaps the abundant rains has
given to their forest trees deeper
hue and more outrageous foliage, and
to their cultivated fields q more album
dant yield than usual. The country
through which we passed did not
seem more densely populated than
our own fertile country, but every
few miles along the railroad we fonnd
actual cities, towns from 10000 to
$4,000 inhabitants, apparently thrift
ty. wealthy and prosperous. The
New England people are evidently
gregarieus, if not so by nature at
least by occupation and habit, and
the frequent city and town is the out
growth of this propensity. At last
we reached Hartford, beautiful city
of about so, 600 inhabitants. at the
head of navigation on the Connecti-
cut River, the Capitol of Connecticut,
the Metropolis of Insurance Co.'S,
where the English Elms grow with
peculiar beauty aud where energetic
people seem to prosper individually
and collectivel. One of the finesty
buildings in the City is that of the
A1tna Life Insurance Co., which is
aptly called the ''Old Reliable" and
in which so many of our citizens are
insured. Through the kindness of
the Vice President, Mr.. Webster, we
were conducted to the top of this ele-
giant granite structure, which gave
us, as we were informed, the best
view to be obtained in Hartford,
magnificent view it was, we could see
for miles tue windings of the Connec-
ticut river, as it sweeps around the
City on its way to the sea; the hand
some residences here and there at
greater or lesser distances on the
various elevations and all the beauti-
fui edifices in the City proper at
short distance was pointed out to US
the place where stood what is known
in the history of the Nutmeg State as
the Charter Oak, one of the few his
torical trees in this Sisterhood of
States. The story of this Oak is, 1
believe, briefly as follows; Sir Edward
Andre, Governor of New England
and New York, came to Hartford in
1867 by order of King James II, to
demand the Colonial Charter of Con-
necticut. In order that this mission
of the Governor might prove abor-
tive, one James Wadswcrth, a citizen
of the State or colony, as it was then,
took the Charter and concealed it in
the hollow of huge oak tree, stand
ing in what is now the present limits
of the City of Hartford, and by this
prudent foresight, the Charter was
preserved, many years after it was
found and is now framed and hung
in room in the Capitol of the State.
This old Oak, known ever since as
the Charter Oak, was blown down in
1856 by a severe storm, but all through
Hartford its history is preserved and
woven even into the business life of
its people We saw up its streets the
Charter Oak Building, so called, the
signs of the Charter Oak Insurance,
and in the Senate Chamber of the
beautiful Capitol building and for the
use of the President of the Senate, is