he reader who proposes to follow our course due
west, as presented in these pen-and-ink sketches of many lands. It
should also be mentioned that the season of the year had been
judiciously chosen, so as to bring us into each country at the most
favorable period for its healthful and agreeable enjoyment, a
calculation which is imperative for any one contemplating a journey of
this character. Otherwise, the intense heat of the tropics, as well as
the Arctic chills of the north, may render such a trip a hardship rather
than a season of pleasure.

The first day's experience served to acquaint the little party with each
other, and no possible association can effect this so rapidly as
traveling together, where individuals necessarily become inseparable,
and where fixed traits of character must inevitably exhibit themselves.
Mr. M---- and his daughter, as also the author of these notes, were
Bostonians; the fourth person being a Miss D----, of Yorkshire, England,
who came hither to make the long circuit of the globe. Even American
parlor-cars, which embrace as much of domestic comfort as is compatible
with their legitimate purpose, could not prevent our being somewhat
fatigued by an unbroken journey of over five hundred miles, when we
reached Niagara Falls at two o'clock in the morning. And yet the day
seemed short by reason of the varied and beautiful scenery of the Hoosac
Tunnel route, particularly in the region of the Deerfield Valley, and
also west of the Massachusetts state line. The abundant foliage was in
its autumnal prime, not yet having been touched by the wand of the Frost
King, while the teeming fields gave evidence both of fertility of soil
and skilled cultivation. The neat farm-houses were ornamented by
creeping vines, and tiny flower-gardens in their fronts. Tall conical
haystacks flanked the spacious, well-filled barns; big yellow pumpkins
dotted the half-cleared cornfields; and handsome groups of cattle
quietly ruminated in the pastures. A picturesque line of beehives, half
a dozen happy children at play before the house door, and the sturdy
master of the thrifty scene, leaning over the fence to exchange pleasant
words with a passing neighbor on horseback, were frequent rural
pictures, which were afterwards contrasted with those of other
countries.

A quiet Sabbath was passed at the Clifton House, on the Canada side,
where an excellent opportunity is afforded for viewing the falls in
their various aspects. I