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LETTERS OF R. L. ALLEN,—NO. 3. 
LETTERS OF R. L. ALLEN.—No. 3. 
The banks of the Ohio exhibit the same bold and 
attractive scenery which characterizes those of the 
Monongahela. There is. however, this difference. 
The elevated rocky heights, which seem almost to 
overhang the latter, frequently affording scarcely a 
by-path along the shore, recede from the margin of 
the former, leaving a wide alluvial bed on either 
side, beyond which the hills rear their gracefully 
rounded or precipitous crests, still almost every¬ 
where covered by the original forests. These, with 
the herbage on the plains below, had been stricken 
by the autumnal frosts ; and in the absence of the 
cheerful hue of the evergreens which line the more 
northern streams, gave a somewhat sombre aspect 
to the scenery. When clad in the luxuriant foliage 
of summer, 1 can imagine few views of the same ex¬ 
tent, that afford more interest and beauty. For 
nearly 800 miles, through the perpetual windings 
of the Ohio, scarcely a single view can be found 
that would not make an attractive picture. 
If shorn of its forests, more densely populated, 
and thoroughly cultivated, with numerous vine¬ 
yards up its steep hill sides, with here and there 
an old castle occupying its almost inaccessible 
heights, the banks of the Ohio would resemble 
those of the Rhine. The castles and their feudal 
oppressors, I trust we may never see; but the 
cultivation of the vine is destined to be much more 
extensive here than it ever was or ever can be on 
the banks of Germany’s famed river. Many vine¬ 
yards are now planted on the Ohio, and the«soil and 
climate are found suited to the production of the 
f rape. Its success is now placed beyond a doubt. 
'he perseverance and skill already enlisted in its 
cultivation will eventually enable the vine growers of 
Ohio to supply the Union with its wine and win¬ 
ter grapes. I have full confidence in the future 
application of chemical principles to the preserva¬ 
tion of this delicious fruit. This will furnish us a 
bountiful supply for months after its harvest, as a 
substitute for the insipid foreign grape which now 
graces the desert, rather as a luxury to the eye 
than to the palate. I have seen many specimens of 
wine from the native vines, which, though gener¬ 
ally differing in character from most of the import¬ 
ed, are rich in flavor, and yield the luscious odor 
and taste peculiar to that of the well-ripened for¬ 
eign grape. When connected railroads shall have 
crossed the Alleghanies, and brought this fertile 
valley into close proximity, with the sea board— 
which they will soon do—the markets of the At¬ 
lantic cities wall be as fully and as regularly sup¬ 
plied with luscious grapes as they now are with 
the fresh milk and cream carried to them from a 
hundred miles in the interior. 
We reached Cincinnati in one of the well-con¬ 
ducted packet boats which run between this place 
and Pittsburg, in about forty hours. Here all was 
activity and bustle. Success had followed the last 
year’s efforts of the merchant, the manufacturer, the 
artisan, and the farmer. Famine abroad, and war 
at home, had created a demand for the products and 
energies of all, and crowned each with prosperity. 
The consequences were evident in the lengthening 
streets, the new and massive buildings, and the 
more than Herculean excavations of the surround¬ 
ing hills, which everywhere met the eye. The site 
occupied by this city is a segment of successive 
table lands (originally requiring but little grading), 
of which the river forms the arc, and a cordon of 
high precipitous hills, the chord. The tablelands 
are already nearly covered with buildings, and 
those gigantic hills have recently been attacked 
with a vigor that indicates their speedy demolition. 
There is a spirit characterizing many sections of our 
country, that amuses while it challenges our admira¬ 
tion. Fifty years ago, the ground now occupied by 
Cincinnati was a wilderness. Five years ago, Mount 
Adams, then remote from the city, was solemnly 
dedicated to science, and set apart as a permanent 
retreat for the astronomers of the western hemis¬ 
phere. A beautiful observatory crowns its sum¬ 
mit and brings the star gazers nearer the object of 
their research. I climbed its lofty heights, and 
judge of my surprise to find a recent excavation of 
50 feet, directly in front of this consecrated spot. 
The foundations are already crumbling beneath the 
blows of the sappers, and these aye temporarily sus¬ 
tained only by massive buttresses of mason work. 
Streets are laid out, and shops and shanties encircle 
it. What was recently a worthless and almost in¬ 
accessible hill, yields a harvest of lots worth $40 
per front foot! The dollar has encountered science, 
and it needs no prophet to foretel the issue of the 
contest ; and like the Indians and Mexicans, she 
must yield, and seek a temporary retreat beyond the 
immediate convenience of her antagonist. 
What a vision is opened from the summit of this 
hill! What profusion of nature and art! A popula¬ 
tion of 100,000* lie at your feet, in the possession 
of wealth, luxury, and intelligence, far beyond the 
average enjoyed by civilized nations. They are 
surrounded by wealthy farmers, mechanics, mer¬ 
chants, and professional men, whose homes reach 
beyond the great northern lakes, beyond the Mis¬ 
sissippi, and to the very shores of the Mexican 
gulf. And this whole region, but half a century 
since, was an almost unbroken wilderness. From 
the comparatively ancient Fort Le Boeuf, boats may 
descend through French Creek, from 1,000 miles 
above. They can wheel on and ascend the Ten¬ 
nessee, 1,000 miles, through the midst of three mag¬ 
nificent states ; or they may coast along the borders 
of two others, 1,000 miles more by the Wabash. 
They may pass round into the Mississippi, and pene¬ 
trate nearly to its source, 2,000 miles more ; or turn 
into the Illinois or Wisconsan, and reach nearly the 
same distance. Returning, they may ascend the 
Missouri till the snow-clad heights of the Rocky 
Mountains meet their view ; and farther down the 
Arkansas, the Red River, the Washita, the Yazoo, 
and the innumerable bayous below, afford an almost 
interminable line of water communication. And 
through all these extended avenues, the resources of 
the country, in its soil and minerals, its elements of 
wealth, and capacity for ministering to the comfort 
and prosperity of its inhabitants, are unsurpassed. 
Art asks you to observe her achievements. She 
points out her thousands of buildings, all well fur¬ 
nished with the objects for which they were de¬ 
signed ; her numerous steamboats moored at her 
wharves : her miles of manufactories stretched 
* This is about the population of Cincinnati and its suburbs ; 
and the thriving villages of Newport and Covington on the oppo¬ 
site side of the river. 
