156 



A VISIT TO MONTGOMERY PLACE. 



the river bank, A path on the left of the 

 broad lawn leads one to the fanciful rustic- 

 gabled seat, among a growth of locusts at 

 the bottom of the slope. Here commences 

 a long walk, which is the favorite morning 

 ramble of guests. Deeply shaded, winding 

 along the thickly wooded bank, with the 

 refreshing sound of the tide-waves gently 

 dashing against the rocky shores below, or 

 expending themselves on the beach of gray 

 gravel, it curves along the bank for a great 

 distance. Sometimes overhanging cliffs, 

 crested with pines, frown darkly over it ; i 

 sometimes thick tufts of fern and mossy- 

 carpeted rocks border it, while at various 

 points, vistas or long reaches of the beautiful 

 river scenery burst upon the eye. Half-way , 

 along this morning ramble, a rustic seat, 

 placed on a bold little plateau, at the base ; 

 of a large tree, eighty feet above the water, | 

 and fenced about with a rustic barrier, in- 

 vites you to linger and gaze at the fascinat- ! 

 ing river landscape here presented. It em- j 

 braces the distant mountains, a sylvan fore- ! 

 ground, and the broad river stretching away 1 

 for miles, sprinkled with white sails. The j 

 cmip-d'cBil is heightened by its being seen i 

 through a dark framework of thick I'^aves j 

 and branches, which open here just suffi- 

 ciently to show as much as the eye can 

 enjoy or revel in, without change of posi- 

 tion. 



A little farther on, we reach a flight of 

 rocky steps, leading up to the border of the 

 lawn. At the top of these is a rustic seat 

 with a thatched canopy, curiously built 

 round the trunk of an aged pine. 



Passing these steps, the morning walk j 

 begins to descend more rapidly toward the 

 river. At the distance of some hundred ! 

 yards, we fiiid ourselves on the river shore, 

 and on a pretty jutting point of land stands 

 a little rustic pavilion, from which a much 

 lower and wider view of the landscape is ; 



again enjoyed. Here you find a boat 

 ready for an excursion, if the spirit leads 

 you to reverse the scener}-, and behold the 

 the leafy banks from the water. 



THE WILDERNESS. 



Leaving the morning walk, we enter at 

 once into " The "VS^ilderness." This is a 

 large and long wooded valley. It is broad, 

 and much varied in surface, swelling into 

 deep ravines, and spreading into wide hol- 

 lows. In its lowest depths runs a large 

 stream of water, that has, in portions, all 

 the volume and swiftness of a mountain 

 torrent. But the peculiarity of "The "Wil- 

 derness," is in the depth and massiveness 

 of its foliage. It is covered with the na- 

 tive growth of trees, thick, dark and sha- 

 dowy, so that once plunged in its recesses, 

 you can easily imagine yourself in the 

 depths of an old forest, far away from the 

 haunts of civilization. Here and there, 

 rich thickets of the Kalmia or native Laurel 

 clothe the surface of the ground, and form 

 the richest underwood. 



But the Wilderness is by no means sav- 

 age in the aspect of its beauty; on the 

 contrary, here as elsewhere in this demesne, 

 are evidences, in every improvement, of a 

 fine appreciation of the natural charms of 

 the locality. The whole of this richly 

 wooded valley is threaded with walks, in- 

 geniously and naturally conducted so as to 

 penetrate to all the most interesting points ; 

 while a great variety of rustic seats, formed 

 beneath the trees, in deep secluded thickets, 

 by the side of the swift rushing stream, or 

 on some inviting eminence, enables one 

 fully to enjoj- them. 



There are a couple of miles of these 

 walks, and from the depth and thickness of 

 the wood, and the varied surface of the 

 ground, their intricacy is such that only the 

 family, or those ver\- familiar with their 

 course, are at all able to follow them all with 



