376 Intelligence anil Miscellanies. 



badly repaired, and excessively rough, passable in strong 

 waggons, in which the mail is conveyed, but not in coaches. 



Six miles above the elder Crawford's, stands on the lei't of 

 the road, the Willey house — a melancholy spectacle. No 

 voice of man, or child, or dog is heard at the stranger's ap- 

 proach. All is still as the rocks around it ; its owner, and all 

 its occupants, having been swept from the land of the living 

 by a fatal avalanche, and buried under it. The tale of this 

 shocking event has been told, better than I can tell it, all 

 over the civilized world, and it would be useless to repeat it. 

 I will only say, that an immense mass of matter — liquid and 

 solid — rushing from the mountain, west of the house, mena- 

 cing with destruction, every thing that lay in its way, was 

 separated, two or three rods before it reached the dwelling, 

 by the hand of Him, " who rideth upon the wings of the 

 wind and directeth the storm," into two branches, the one 

 passing to the south, and the other to the north, leaving the 

 house uninjured, in the angle between them. 



Standing at the younger Crawford's, and casting your gaze 

 around the ridgy horizon, surveying the wildness of nature's 

 works, your eye is attracted to the south-east, by a vast pyra- 

 mid, that mocks, and holds in utter contempt, those of Egypt 

 — raising its majestic summit among the clouds : — it is " a 

 tower, whose top reacheth unto heaven." When I saw it 

 first, from this spot, the last beams of light, from a bright set- 

 ting sun, were falling fast upon it, which, being reflected, 

 with diminished, and softened lustre, presented the object be- 

 fore me, clothed with inexpressible beauty and grandeur. 

 Light and shade were sporting on its front. The dark shad- 

 ows of the opposite hills and mountains were slowly travel- 

 ling up its rugged cliffs, and vanishing in thin air. But soon 

 clouds and darkness concealed it from my vision. This is 

 mount Washington. Its distance from Crawford's is nine 

 miles. Three miles of this, can now be travelled with safety, 

 and some comfort, on horse-back, and even in strong vehi- 

 cles. This road has recently been made, by Mr. Crawford, 

 who designs to extend it to the foot of the mountain, three 

 miles further, the present summer. 



Schorl, in small, imperfect crystals, thickly interspersed in 

 granite, occurs on the very pinnacle of mount Washington, 

 The mica, contained in the granite, is distinctly foliated, and 

 has the whiteness, and lustre of silver. 



