Valley of Worcester. 



91 



the traveler, as he looks forward, can often see no opening through 

 which the river can find its way. The murmuring of its waters, 

 however, at the bottom of the gulf, sometimes swelling into a roar, as 

 they rush through some narrow defile, tell him that they have found 

 a passage. At length the road leaves the river and ascends the ridge, 

 which in the vicinity is alone denominated Hoosic Mountain, and 

 which is here 1448 feet above the river. It is well to follow this road 

 at least to the height of a thousand feet, in order to look back upon 

 the wild and singular grouping of mountains, among which this 

 river has strangely found a passage ; and also to get a view of some 

 of those vast slopes of unbroken forest, which the sides of these 

 mountains present ; and which during the twilight, are most splendid 

 objects. 



In two or three instances it has happened that I have passed along 

 this ravine in the evening, when the moon was well above the hori- 

 zon ; and I can truly say, that the wildness and sublimity of the scene 

 were thereby immensely heightened ; so that I felt it to be a privilege 

 to be thus benighted. 



Near the mouth of Deerfield River, in Deerfield, is a remarkable 

 gorge through which that stream empties into the Connecticut. A 

 greenstone ridge of 300 or 400 feet in height, has been cut through 

 in some way or other, in width only sufficient to suffer the river to 

 pass. This pass is in full view from the stage road between Deer- 

 field and Greenfield where it crosses Deerfield River. 



Valley of Worcester. 



Apart from human culture, this geographical center of Massachu- 

 setts would present no very striking attractions to the lover of natural 

 scenery. But this valley possesses precisely those features which 

 art is capable of rendering extremely fascinating. And there is 

 scarcely to be met with, in this or any other country, a more charm- 

 ing landscape than Worcester presents, from almost any of the mod- 

 erately elevated hills that surround it. The high state of agriculture 

 in every part of the valley, and the fine taste and neatness exhibited 

 in all the buildings of this flourishing town, with the great elegance 

 of many edifices, and the intermingling of so many and so fine shade 

 and fruit trees, spread over the prospect beauty of a high order, on 

 which the eye delights to linger. I have never seen, in a communi- 

 ty of equal extent, so few marks of poverty and human degradation 

 as in this valley. And it is this aspect of comfort and independence 



