SOLON ROBINSON, 1842 305 



In passing along the North River, the eye of the lover 

 of delightful country residences, meets with constant 

 pleasure. 



It ought to convince us of the folly of crowding our 

 sons into "a genteel situation" in a city, to see such a 

 large portion of them make a wreck of all happiness, and 

 sink in poverty into an early grave, while the few whom 

 fortune favors with the mass of wealth that would not 

 suffice the mass of citizens if equally distributed, are to 

 be found escaping from the city and spending their 

 wealth in ornamenting the banks of this beautiful river ; 

 thus proving that in looking for real social enjoyment of 

 life, the country is ever preferable to the city. There is 

 much food for reflection and profitable application in that 

 trite old proverb, that, 



"Man made the town, but God made the country ;" 



and those that love Him, ought to love to cultivate, im- 

 prove and beautify the works of his creation, and to be 

 more happy and contented amid the georgeous beauties 

 of nature, than in the artificial atmosphere of a crowded 

 city. 



And now, Mr. Tucker, I come to the time when I first 

 had the pleasure of meeting you face to face, although 

 we had long been acquainted — and although it may not 

 be particularly interesting to you, it may to some other 

 of those acquaintances of mine who I am in the monthly 

 practice of meeting in your columns, to describe some of 

 the things with which you are already familiar. 



I will therefore address myself to them — I landed at 

 Albany, upon one of those delightful days in the last of 

 September, for which the autumn of our country is so 

 justly celebrated, for affording the most beautiful 

 weather imaginable. 



After depositing my baggage, (and here let me ob- 

 serve that I am one of those old fashioned men who do 

 not scruple to "carry my own bundle,") and reading a 

 few letters from that place which I am never able to for- 



