﻿Vol. 
  XLI, 
  No. 
  4 
  

  

  WASHINGTON 
  

  

  April, 
  1922 
  

  

  TEE 
  

  

  N 
  ATONAL 
  

   0GKAPMDC 
  

   AGAZD 
  

  

  COPYRIGHT. 
  1 
  922. 
  BY 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  SOCIETY. 
  WASHINGTON. 
  D. 
  C. 
  

  

  THE 
  SCENERY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  AMERICA 
  

  

  By 
  James 
  Bryce 
  (Viscount 
  Bryce) 
  

  

  Author 
  of 
  "Impressions 
  of 
  Palestine/' 
  "The 
  Nation's 
  Capital," 
  "Two 
  Possible 
  Solutions 
  for 
  the 
  

  

  Eastern 
  Problem," 
  and 
  "Western 
  Siberia 
  and 
  the 
  Altai 
  Mountains/' 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  National 
  Geographic 
  Magazine 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  article 
  zvas 
  probably 
  the 
  last 
  work 
  zuritten 
  for 
  publication 
  by 
  the 
  

   distinguished 
  scholar 
  and 
  statesman 
  whose 
  remarkable 
  career 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  close 
  in 
  his 
  

   eighty-fourth 
  year, 
  on 
  January 
  22, 
  1^22. 
  James 
  Bryce 
  was 
  a 
  frequent 
  contributor 
  

   to 
  the 
  National, 
  Geographic 
  Magazine 
  and 
  an 
  interested 
  and 
  helpful 
  factor 
  in 
  

   all 
  other 
  activities 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Geographic 
  Society, 
  on 
  whose 
  Committee 
  of 
  

   Research 
  he 
  served 
  during 
  his 
  residence 
  in 
  Washington 
  as 
  the 
  British 
  Ambas- 
  

   sador, 
  his 
  counsel 
  and 
  advice 
  proving 
  invaluable 
  in 
  the 
  Society's 
  preparation 
  for 
  the 
  

   successful 
  Peruvian 
  expeditions 
  which 
  found 
  and 
  unearthed 
  Machu 
  Picchu, 
  the 
  

   Lost 
  City 
  of 
  the 
  Jncas. 
  Every 
  scene 
  mentioned 
  in 
  this 
  article 
  had 
  been 
  visited 
  by 
  

   Viscount 
  Bryce, 
  the 
  news 
  of 
  whose 
  death 
  was 
  received 
  with 
  profound 
  sorrow 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  which 
  he 
  loved 
  so 
  well. 
  — 
  The 
  Editor. 
  

  

  THIRTY-FIVE 
  years 
  ago, 
  when 
  I 
  

   was 
  occupied 
  in 
  writing 
  on 
  the 
  

   political 
  and 
  social 
  institutions 
  of 
  

   the 
  United 
  States, 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  my 
  

   plan 
  to 
  give 
  some 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  scenery 
  

   of 
  North 
  America, 
  finding 
  in 
  it 
  a 
  feature 
  

   of 
  the 
  country 
  which 
  will 
  continue 
  

   through 
  all 
  the 
  ages 
  to 
  affect 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  

   its 
  inhabitants. 
  

  

  For 
  this 
  task, 
  however, 
  time 
  failed 
  me, 
  

   while 
  the 
  book 
  that 
  embodied 
  my 
  political 
  

   observations 
  grew 
  to 
  a 
  length 
  that 
  made 
  

   it 
  impossible 
  to 
  make 
  room 
  for 
  descrip- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  Nature 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  the 
  doings 
  

   of 
  man. 
  

  

  Today, 
  invited 
  by 
  my 
  friend, 
  the 
  Editor 
  

   of 
  the 
  National 
  Geographic 
  Maga- 
  

   zine, 
  to 
  a 
  less 
  ambitious 
  task, 
  that 
  of 
  

   writing 
  something 
  short 
  and 
  simple 
  about 
  

   the 
  broad 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  

   scenery, 
  I 
  present 
  in 
  response 
  to 
  his 
  call 
  

   a 
  few 
  observations 
  on 
  those 
  general 
  as- 
  

   pects 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  landscape 
  which 
  

   have 
  most 
  interest 
  for 
  the 
  lover 
  of 
  nat- 
  

  

  ural 
  beauty, 
  and 
  especially 
  of 
  mountain 
  

   beauty 
  and 
  mountain 
  grandeur. 
  

  

  EVERYTHING 
  IN 
  AMERICA 
  IS 
  ON 
  A 
  GREAT 
  

   SCALE 
  

  

  First, 
  let 
  me, 
  to 
  use 
  the 
  famous 
  phrase 
  

   of 
  Alexander 
  Hamilton, 
  "try 
  to 
  think 
  

   continentally." 
  

  

  Everything 
  in 
  America 
  is 
  on 
  a 
  great 
  

   scale, 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  Asia, 
  far 
  greater 
  

   than 
  that 
  of 
  Europe, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  world 
  whose 
  scenery 
  most 
  Americans, 
  

   as 
  nearly 
  all 
  Englishmen, 
  know 
  best. 
  

  

  The 
  American 
  rivers 
  are 
  of 
  immense 
  

   length 
  and 
  volume. 
  The 
  lakes, 
  or 
  rather 
  

   inland 
  seas, 
  are, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  

   the 
  Caspian, 
  the 
  largest 
  in 
  the 
  world. 
  

  

  America's 
  mountain 
  ranges 
  exceed 
  those 
  

   of 
  Asia, 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  from 
  New 
  

   Mexico 
  to 
  near 
  the 
  frontier 
  of 
  Alaska 
  

   being 
  more 
  than 
  twenty-five 
  hundred 
  

   miles 
  in 
  length, 
  as 
  against 
  the 
  Himalayas 
  

   of 
  about 
  fifteen 
  hundred 
  from 
  the 
  Indus 
  

   at 
  Attock 
  to 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  Tsanpo 
  

  

  