S28 



to the Great Kcnd Iwrnpikc. Besides 

 Ihcse roads, the state has laid out one, 

 which conimenccs in Sii.si)iichannah 

 county, and passes, in a western course, 

 thronjjh all the counties on the northern 

 line of the slate. 



Montrose, the capital of Siisqnehan- 

 riah county, is situated nearly in Jhc 

 centre, and at the intersection of the 

 ti!ni[)ikc leading; to the city of New 

 York, Avilh iiie one leading to l^hidrl- 

 p1iia. The \illagc is at present lint 

 small, contiiining about Iwejsty lionscs, 

 togetiier with ant'at couri-!iousc. When 

 these roa<ls sh.all !)e finished, it is ex- 

 pected tiie vi!ia<^e will improve rapidly 

 in consequence of its e!i;i,il)le situation. 

 The fortunate position oi'Sustiueiiannah 

 county, equally rcinotr IVoni tiic frontier 

 on tlic one hand, wnd the sea-hoard on 

 the other, appears to ensure its tran- 

 quillilj ; and the losses and disturhances 

 of the late war were known there only 

 by the arrivals of tlie mail. 



Seven years a£;o, nitliin the limits of 

 Susquehanuah county, there were scarce- 

 ly two hundred families ; there are now 

 seven-fold that number. I'^otn this 

 small and quiet county we mny form 

 some id(.-a of the innnense increase of 

 population in the interior of the United 

 States. AVith wiiat pride may not an 

 American contemplate the r;ipid march 

 of his country to iiowcr! Should that 

 'Rein^, with whom is the destiny of ail 

 tliinsis, inspire our public councils with 

 wisdom, and teach oiu' citizens to csti- 

 niale and guard, in a proper manner, 

 the blessings whieli they enjoy, the mind 

 ean scarcely conceive the magnificent 

 Bpectaele which, before the close of the 

 present century, this country will exhi- 

 bit to the world. — Port Foliu. 



Collections from American Literature. [Nov. 7, 



stinet receives from i7nptcasing objects. 

 We peru.sed his " Marinion," under a 

 total ignorance of the powers of the 

 j)oet, and with a confident cxpeetatioii, 

 and a sincere desire of being delighted 

 with the pociH. From some parts «e 

 felt the gflow of rapture, which the ma- 



gic of genius can so easily kindle in the 

 mind ; but from the general mass we 

 flcrived no pleasure: it gradually tinil 

 Uniform barbarity, only 



on tlie mind, 

 distinguished by crime. 



and unvaried 



CHARACTER OF WALTER SCOTT. 



From the Portico of Baltimore. 



" 'Tis not the seraph bard that sings, 

 And soars to Heaven on Homer's wings." 



It has been our felicit)', or misfor- 

 tune, r.s the world may choose to 

 decide, to have invariably dissented 

 from the popular judgment, and dilfered 

 from the prevailing taste, in estimating 

 the merits, and applauding the beauties 

 of the poetic works of \\ alter Scott. In 

 thus departing from the beaten track of 

 ©pinion, and remaining silent amidst 

 the general shout of admiration, we 

 have neither been prompted by the 

 pride of singularity, nor influenced by 

 the vanity of superior penetration. The 

 impressiou was originally such, as in- 



superstition, prone to the blackest bi- 

 gotry, as they stripped the story in 

 M hich they predominated of ita brightest 

 charm, soon relaxed atteiitiou, and failed 

 to impart satisfaction. 'J1ie poet ap- 

 jieared to descend to the barbarous le- 

 vel of the times, and the harsh features 

 of the manners that he described. His 

 sentiments became uniform, and his 

 images alike ; the tiinmlt of conflict was 

 mistaken for elevation of fancy, and the 

 gloom of ignorance or passion was fic- 

 quently intended to produce the elfect, 

 and be received as the genume picture, 

 of sublimity. In the last place, the 

 measure of his verse grew tiresome, and 

 we concludetj '' Marmion" with the ex- 

 pression of a wish for more poetry, and 

 less rhyme, and with a conviction of the 

 genius of the author, of his bad taste, 

 and of his having made an ill choice of a 

 subject for the display of his powers, 

 and the perpetuation of his fame. 



A slight acquaintance with this cele- 

 brated poet did not, however, induce us 

 to abandon him with the precipitancy 

 of . disg-»ist ; the glimmering of genius, 

 that occasionally shone throughout the 

 perfornnuieet excited our curiosity, aud 

 gained on the aft'ections. Willing to 

 judge with candour, and eager to see 

 more of his productions, his " Lay of the 

 Ijast Minstrel," attracted my attention ; 

 but I found my previous sentiments fully 

 confirmed, without feeling an equal por- 

 tion of pleasure to compensate the la- 

 bour of perusal. In this work the evi- 

 dence of his bad taste was still more 

 complete. An acquaintance with his 

 more recent productioi/s did not remove 

 the unfavourable impressions so delibe- 

 rately formed, and so firmly corro- 

 borated. 



Sueli was the simple process of a sin- 

 gular opinion. The world admired, ap- 

 plauded, and caressed him ; the critics 

 tolerated what they could not overthrow, 

 and the popular tide of pleasure swelled 

 to a stream, that swept away every ves-« 

 tige of taste, judgment, and reason, 

 By repeated eianiiaations of my judg~ 

 nieut. 



