178 



with the house upon it, and the White and Franconia 

 Mountain ranges. 



No visitor to the mountains needs to he informed of 

 the bewitching character of the location of the Profile 

 House in the Franconia Notch. While similar in its sren- 

 eral character to that of the Crawford, it is more closely 

 hedged in under the shadow of perpendicuLar mountains 

 and frowning cliffs. The cannon maintains its outlines 

 on the summit of Cannon Mountain, and though genera- 

 tions of men come and go, the "Old Man of the Moun- 

 tain" still keeps looking off down the valley as if to 

 watch the march of applied science as it Avorks its way 

 into these regions in the form of railways, and the prog- 

 ress of speculative science in its efforts to unfold the 

 mysteries which are hidden among the rocks and the 

 mountains. The attractions about here were abundantly 

 improved by the party, most of whom rode to the Flume ; 

 visited the lake at the base of the Old Man's mountain ; 

 and tested, with their own lungs and ears, the prime 

 quality of the echo at Echo Lake. 



This morning full two-thirds of the party started for 

 home, a few remaining over till Friday. The larger part 

 of those who came away went back to Littleton in the 

 stage, and at that point took the Boston, Concord and 

 Montreal road for home, l)y way of Lowell. A fortunate 

 few, however, took the stage ride of thirty miles through 

 the Pemigewasset valley to Plymouth. The ride al)ounded 

 in scenes of magnificence and loveliness. The winding 

 road through the Franconia Notch is shaded by the dense 

 woods through which it passes, and at many points in its 

 delightful curves, could be caught, by looking up and 

 back, views of the steep rocky cliff Avhere the Profile 

 bangs, but the identity of the Old Man's face was lost in 

 the surrounding crags. All through the valley are lovely 



