of New Hampshire. S3 



^ In the United States, exclusive, or possibly inclusive, of Loui- 

 siana, the highest point or ridge of hnnd is undoubtedly that of the 

 White mountains in New Hampshire. From the eailiest settle- 

 ment of the country these mountains have attracted the notice of 

 the inhabitants, and of mariners along the coast, by the distance 

 at which they are visible, and the whiteness of their appearance 

 during three quarters of the year. They were for a long time 

 the subject of fabulous representations ; the Indians had a super- 

 stitious dread of them ; and travellers who occasionally ascended 

 their summits, returned with exaggerated reports of the difficulty 

 and distance, as well as of the strange productions found on the 

 more elevated parts of their surface. 



The earliest account of an ascent of the White mountains is 

 given in Gov. Winthrop's .Journal, and appears to have taken 

 place in the year 1642. This account is somewhat curious, if not 

 otherwise, at least for its antiquity *. 



'- " One Darby Field, an Irishman, livinc about Pisrat, being accompa- 

 Tiied with two Indians, went to the top of the Wliite Mill. He made his 

 journey in eighteen days. His relation at his return was, that it was about 

 160 miles from Saco : that after forty miles travel, he did for the most part 

 sscend ; and within tvsxlve miles of the top was neither tree nor grass, but 

 low sa.vjns, which they went upon the top of sometimes, but a continual 

 ascent upon rocks, on a ridge between two valle^^s filled with snow, out of 

 which came two branches of the Saco river, winch met at the foot of the 

 hill, where was an Indian town of some !200 people. Some of them accom- 

 panied him within eiuht miles of the top, but durst go no further, telling 

 iiim that no Indian ever dared to go higher, and that he would die if he 

 went. So they staid there till his return ; and liia two Indians took courage 

 by his example, and went with him. They weiiFdivers times through the 

 thick clouds for a good space, and within" four miles of the top they had 

 1)0 clouds, but very cold. By the way among the rocks there were two 

 ponds; one a blackish water", and the other reddish. The top of all was 

 plain, about sixty feet square. On the north side was such a precipice as 

 they could scarcely discern the bottom. They had neither cloud nor wind 

 on the top, and moderate heat. All the country about him seemed a level, 

 except here and there a hill rising above the rest and far beneath them. 

 Jle saw to the north a great water which he judged to be 100 miles broad, 

 liut could see jio land beyond it. The sea by .Saco seemed as if it had been 

 within twenty miles. He saw also a sea to the eastward, which he judged 

 to be the Gulf of Canada : he saw some great waters in parts to the west- 

 ward, which he judged to be the gnat lake Canada river comes out of. 

 lie found there much iMu<,covy glassi they could rive out pieces forty feet 

 long, and seven or eight broad. When he ( aine back to the Indians, he 

 found them drying themselves by the fire, for they liad had a great tempest 

 of wind and rain. About a month after, he went again with five or six of his 

 company ; then they had some wind on the top, and some clouds above them 

 which hid the sun. They brought some stones «hich they supposed had been 

 diamonds, but they were n)ost crystal." — Wint/iro/i's Journal, p. 247. 



The relation of Darby Field may be considered as in the luain correct, 

 after making reasonable deductions for the distance, the length of the Mus- 

 covy glass, and the (juantity of water in view, which it may be suspected 

 has not been seen by any visitor since his time. 



Vol.49.No.225. j«n. 1817. C Within 



