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other minerals hitherto discovered: and so range the 

 falls of our great rivers. But the courses of the great 

 rivers are at right angles with these. James and Pa- 

 towmac penetrate through all the ridges of mountains 

 eastward of the AUeghaney ; that is broken by no 

 water course. It is in fact the spine of the country 

 between the Atlantic on one side, and the Mississippi 

 and St Laurence on the other. The passage of the 

 Patowmac through the Blue ridge is perhaps one of 

 the most stupendous scenes in nature. You stand on 

 a very high point of land. On your right comes up 

 the Shenandoah, having ranged along the foot of the 

 mountain an hundred miles to seek a vent. On your 

 left approaches the Patowmac, in quest of a passage 

 also. In the moment of their junction they rush to- 

 gether against the mountain, rend it asunder, and pass 

 off to the sea. The first glance of this scene hurries 

 our senses into the opinion, that this earth has been 

 created in time, that the mountains were formed first, 

 that the rivers began to flow afterwards, that in this 

 place particularly they have been danmied up by the 

 Blue ridge of mountains, and have formed an ocean 

 which filled the whole valley; that continuing to rise 

 they have at length broken over at this spot, and have 

 torn the mountain down from its summit to its base. 

 The piles of rock on each hand, but particularly on the 

 Shenandoah, the evident marks of their disrupture and 

 avulsion from their beds by the most powerful agents 

 of nature, corroborate the impression. But the distant 

 finishing which nature has given to the picture, is of a 

 very diflTerent character. It is a true contrast to the 

 foreground. It as placid and delightful, as that is 

 wild and tremendous. For the mountain being cloven 

 asunder, she presents to your eye, through the cleft, a 

 small catch of smooth blue horizon, at an infinite dis- 

 tance in the plain country, inviting yon, as it were, 

 from the riot and tumult roaring around, to pass 

 through the breach and participate of the cahn below. 

 Here the eye ultimately composes itself; and that way 

 too the road happens actually to lead. You cross the 



