The New York Herald Newspaper, August 28, 1873, Page 5

- LONG ISLAND RETREATS. Beauty Spots on the Nose of New York. THE SOUTH SIDE. An Outside and an Inside View of the Great Land-Locked Bay. GARDINER’S ISLAND AND CAPTAIN KIDD, Fire Island---Its Shore and Its Sandy Surroundings, Clam Chowder and Clam Roast by the Sea, Salling in Smooth Water and Swimming in the Surf. OUR HOME BOURBONS. Characteristics of the Conservative Na- tives of the Island. BABYLON AND THE BABYLONIANS. Summer Houses and Villas of Metropoli- tan Millionnaires in the Vicinity. % Basyton, L. I, August 26, 1873, Pasquino, the famous comic paper of Italy, has a Standing cut representing a fowler with a long gun Betting out m search of sport, while on his far Stretching, spectacled nose, perched unseen, stands ® goodly proportioned snipe. In this the taunt, that certain men cannot see farther than their noses, is exceeded in bitterness of reproach by the representation of a people who cannot see even as far as their facial promontories extend. The sketch might have been made for us, though with a differ- ent meaning. The witty Italian teaches a political lesson in a few strokes of his pencil; to us the cari- cature would apply to the summer wanderers in Search of pleasure abroad while the bird they seek is under their eves and within easy reach, Long Island, stretching out from the face of the bay into the Atlantic Ocean, is the nose of New York, and upon it Stands unappreciated those very attractions that Gothamites go far and wide to seek. Of those who ‘would fy from the heat and clamor of the great tity it may well be asked where could be found in this broad expanse of snake-fenced territory, or {n that of more cultivated Europe, places so aban- doned to cooling airs and solitude as on the rocky and sandy shores of this MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED MILES OF WATER FRONT ? ‘&nd where can the lovers of ocean scenery and Ocean sports discover grander panoramas of wild or placid sea, shelving sand or high-banked cliff, breast bigger waves in Nature’s bathing dress, enjoy more exciting sailing or catch larger and more ferocious fish? Nowhere. And nowhere, be {t said, without prejudice to the foregoing, can a Man or woman enjoy those other delights that con- tribute to the pleasures of fashionable life in Eu- ope and America than on Long Island. 1 am writing from mental notes—the experience of a week. Have we not in Paris been charged a franc for @ candle to light us to bed? A genuine Long Islander will let you go to bed in the dark and charge you for a calcium flame. Have you been worried by butler, boots and chambermaid (n an English hotel on taking your departure in fear and trembling? Trust to a Long Island Bourbon prince-republican to recall your expe- Tience when he computes his sufferings in your behalf in dollars and cents, Let no “traveilea Thane” boast of encounters with Spanish fleas in Gingy hostelries, with mud-covered floors and more tnan doubtful beds. Here we have the in- quisitive, enterprising and ever active mosquito, and night attacks from bedbugs of distinguished mien and determined aspect. Persons who have gobbled maccaroni at Messina and soured their stomachs and temper with wine labelled for Americans are adjured to try our clam chowder {not @ la mattre de hotel) and swell themselves ‘with native cider. IF EXCITEMENT 18 THE OBJECT pought for by tourists who have erstwhile swelter- * ed orfrozen in British first class carriages, and blessed their stars that their fate (or their fathers’) brought them not into contact with the vulgar in the third class, try a ride from anywhere to any place on @ Long Island Raliroad. Our turnpikes alone suggest a food of sweet monarchical reflections. In short, all the elements necessary for extreme comfort or thorough respectability are on the nose of New York; it only requires the Duke of Kickick- makick, or some other equally distinguished per- on, to give the tone to Long Island to make it More fashionable than Ems, Wiesbaden, Long Branch or Newport. Quiet ease with rational en- foyment, or fashionable folly with ostentatious sea- ‘fide life, can botn be obtained within less than two hours from New York. Several days’ travel in unfrequented, but not always inhospitable regions of the island, in rain and mud, brought me large experience—an expe- rience, however, which I found useless, in view of the publication of an able letter, covering all the ‘points, from one of the HERALD correspondents ‘who preceded me—and I can now only condense Unto a few paragraphs my impressions, To call in all the flying facts, and put them together tn the crucible of the mind for the production of an im- Pression at once just and comprehensible, 1s no @asy task. THE CHARACTER OF THE ISLANDERS chemselves is composite, and has peculiarities that defy analysis. Perhaps for that reason it is just as ‘Well that Ishould not attempt it. Settled by the Dutch and the English, and ravaged by the Meets and armies of both, the cessation of ‘ostilities found this patchwork quilt of Yerritory in an anomalous state, as com- pared with other portions of our Atlantic coast. It was conservatism, nearly surrounded by ‘the widest liberty. Every reverberation from the ‘World about amote on the heartsof the settlers as ‘the knell of doom. The sounds of progress from Sfar brought the pious awellcrs.in the cabins of pine boards to their knees in prayer. To them im. provement meant annihilation. ‘Thrifty, coin-sa ing, industrious (as our civilized Indians are indus- trious), jealous of theft rights, hating foreigners (New Yorkers especially), they presented @ Teapeor able dyke against the sea of modern innovation. NEVER ADVERSE TO MAKING MONEY, they tolerated foreigners who were willing to ex- Pend their wealth apd leave; but persons, with Cash or without, who came here on the island in- ging about lots and speculating concerning tories were their aversion, For many r8 after 1812 the island’ waa a ‘terry Then followed, with the expansion gna. some apraye “of the weve “an 80) le Wave dash fated island. In tim the sand in the eyes of their cows, mares, ‘tail up,’ snortin; dering boors and brin; ng consternation with them. Soon the pnif of the Innovating locomotive was heard, and then conservatism was up in arms, The ties of the ratiroad were burned, rails were laced awry, forest tires biazed all along the tracks, it was the story of the Sioux’s oj ition to the Pacific Ratiroad. The obstructors had to give sending into the midat er med ‘way and the dreaded steam cars actually roared from bridge to the tip of the nose Bt @ feart fifteen miles an ul rate—actually hour (express) om the Long Island road, as Jam now ready to testify on oath. For many Se the obstructive mind of the ave: isiander been quiescent; the ,daming crogs of the ngng- NEW YORK HERALD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 1873.—TRIPLE SHEET, Yeenvn, calling to wat te retreating forces of the ‘seventeenth century, has not only been allowed to flame undimmed, but many, very many, have awoke to ita light. And to-day there may be found, in between headstrong tor- eigners, descendants of conservative, non-inter- course Dutch and English, persons of property, who do not disdain to poets by the stranger within their gates; in { who are aud somewhat too willing, to make money out of the people who look upon the island in the light of the age in which we live. THE GREAT SOUTH BAY, Along that magnificent stretch of barring sand and ever-warning sea extending from Montauk Point to Long Beach there are many points of in- terest. Smiling DAD Tushing lovingly into the outstretched arms of verdure-clad land; rivers, eel-like, twisting in anda out, shining in the sun; lantastic mounds of storm-beaten sand and tem- pest-defying cliffs, that for ages have withstood the flercest assaults {rom the hidden powers of the turbulent Atlantic. The Orient looks across from Montauk Point, and between, grim and lonely, is GAERDNER’S ISLAND. W. L. Gardner must have been @ curious old fellow choosing that as his inheritance and place of abode. History and tradition agree were not always ways of pleasantness.. One a the redoubtable Copan Kidd came along and buriet certain treasure there under the eyes of Mr, Gard- ner, whom he compelled to swear that he would never reveal what he saw or what he knew. wa3 a Tammany oath. In due time Kidd was caught and referred to my lords in England to be hanged, and was hanged; and Mr. Gardner dug up the chest of treasure and handed it over to tne Colony ond ponpectons sad eens pocelye, thks 4 on rs $ compri many hundre ouneea of Bia ead shiver coin, precloas stones, &¢., of what value in. ai the chronicle {ails to set forth—probably enough to make the Connecticut Crédit Mobilierists of the period feel independent of ordinary ways and means, and tostart many first families on their way rejoicing down the path of time. Island (now, alas, without Sgardencr !) Was in men’s mouths in the early days of the Cuban excitement. It was there that the fated expedition of the unfor- tunate Giacouria made its halt and came to La 7 the hands of Uncle Sam’s marines, Chivairic tre wandered on its sands, and chivalric American officers there attempted the vain task of making them understand that discipline precedes victory. There it was also that a tall, muscular man, of vast cheek and wide expanse of hat, first easayed the rather ridiculous part of fiibustero, and bein, caught, struggled and kicked himvelf into brief an: not altogether unprofitable notoriety. Gardner’s island baaks in the gun to-day innocent of honors as the clams that at the rising tide gape forrefresh- ment on its shining sides. ve SKIRTING THE SOUTH SHORE— swimming, if you have strength and not a yacht and etceteras—you may pass down the outer nostril of the nose, without Joaing. much, until, rising on the majestic waves that here, in long, regular strides, strike out from the great body of heaving waters, hissing out from envious Europe, you turn suddenly to the right and float through the inlet to Fire Island. This is the enly good opening in an outer wall of sand that guards the mainland for seventy miles, There are a few other inlets, but not so safe or good as this, Within this extended bar, the most remarkable in the world, whether for its renee or peculiarities of forma- tion, is the Great South rage The navies of the world we live in—and the fleets of many worlds that we see above us at nighs, if ocean warfare is there considered a pastime and they have navies— might hide here securely and never break loose and goon a naval tear. There are ONLY A FBW FEET OF WATER ANYWHERE} a splendid place for Mississippi steamboats that can float on malarious dew resting on a cactus leaf, but unsuited to vessels of pretentious draft. Cat-rigged boats, with one man of cat-like activit; (to attend to the pean and with a well rawn chart of shoals and sands in his level head, delight to dance upon its waters. Blue fish, black fish, weak fish and strong fish of every fin, turn thelr tails up datly to heaven in thankfulness for this retreat; and itis because the fish are picased to turn in at seasons for shoal water jam- borees that crabs roam the sands, gesticulat- ing with their starboard claws, that oys- ters smile at rising tide and clams grunt in satisfaction. For all these several reasons, come! Fire Isiand, that on one side faces the waving ocean, and, on the other, smirks through fog to-day over toward flatfaced Babylon, is regarded by many as the best place for a day’s sport that can anywhere be found, Here the epicure can indulge in that delightful bivalve, the clam, at all hours and in many shapes, and those who prefer oysters can have them iresh from the water, dressed in more than a dozen forma of the art cuisine, THE CHOWDER HOUSE, Before one can reach the island (the extreme westerly end of te long, sandy breakwater) from the mainland he has to pass a reach of low ground standing out a few feet above the sea, which is marked on the map as Fire Island, but which is a mile or so from the place now given that designa- uon, On this sand is a tavern Roverned by @ Mr. Conklin, of the great Babylonian house of Conk- lin, where strangers can be fed and fieeced in the most approved fashion. Boating a le and yachtsmen en route to Fire Island stop here to moliify their angry appetite. The succu- lent clam is the piéce de résistance of the cook, The clams are served _as chowder, or roasted. Chow- der making is a fine art, and Conklin and his men are reputed artists, The chowder of the city con- tains as many unknown particles of indigestible food ag there are mysteries in Filth ward nasi; but here, taken au nai it 18 @ soothing, deli- cious compound, tick! to the palate, and o1 that peculiar flavor and consistency that as you eat you will, like Oliver, continually ask for more, I tried hard to find out how it was made, intending to take notes for home reference, but found that there are lengths to which no outside barbarian can go iu culinary inquiry. Those who can make a first class owder are not numerous, and ad delightful business find it to rofit to keep the secret of their success ‘o themselves. Of the clam bake proper nothing can be said here. The Down East bake is unknown on these sands—the layer of hot stones, clams on top, layers of oysters, chickens, blue fish, pota- toes, &c., in a trench and covered up with a heap of wet seaweed. Quicker, and, perhaps, not less delightful, is the process bere. THE CLAM ROAST. It is not a clam bake, but a clam roast. In ahol- low in the sand the clams are laid, nose down, thickly together, as many as are wanted for imme- diate use. Then a pile of shavings is placed on top and set on fire, the time the shavings fre burned to ashes the clams are thoroughly and properly cooked. They are then taken up and placed before you on a huge dish, @ plate of melted butter is at your hand and very good white bread. you are particular you will take a knife and fork; if you comprehend ‘the importance of the occasion you will use your flugers. Take the black neck of the steaming clam between the forefinger and thumb of the right hand, race the body of it through the melted but- ter, seize the pepper-box—if you have not shed Pepper on the butter—and dash a little on; strike out deftly and swiftly at a plate of salt placed con- veniently near (if you think you have time take a mouthful of bread and butter), eat and be happy. Your happiness can be continued as long as you have capacity in your stomach and money in your purse. Clams washed and prepared in this way cost $1 per 100. CLAMS ON FIRE ISLAND are cooked inthe same way. You can see more clams cooked, more shavings fae and enjoy More excitement thro them at the Chowder House, as the Sand Tavern is called. The result, Umi em A considered, is, however, not diferent, There are two hotels on the tsiand, the Surf Hotel and the Domino. The former can ac- commodate (Boniface and guest here, as elsewhere, differ as to the Ge of the word accommodate) 400 people, well packed and who have roughed it; the Domino not quite as many. Then there are two rath No attached to the Surf House, a private ( jas house and of course bathing what is visible to the naked eye. is very fine. One who has tried and fatled im against the At- lantic waves can trot over the sand halfa mile to the other side and Soligas in still water, and many people tly prefe e latter indulgence. The sea on the outer bank comes in in tremendous breakers as it sometimes does at Ltn Lage and is much “nicer"’ to look at than to #' in. There are now on the island about three hundred peopl who are the most of the fading days Summer in SAILING, FISHING, BATHING AND WADING. The water ts so shoal that one can wade almost out of sight of land before getting out of depth, But sailing apd fishing are the main occupations of the visitors, who, I should have said before, are mostly transient. 'Cat-rigzed boats can be had $5 per day, with a man to take charge. Fishing nes are furnished, and one can catch the jumping- jacks and Spanish mackerel uatil his arms ache. ‘A good gun will be found Cg asthe sand snj are running in flocks and fine sport. by cat-rigged boat is also the best wi if going to Fire Island (which is about nine miles from Babylon) or returning, provided the wind is fair ‘and a good Le yal g There is @ little steamer, the Joun A. Dix, that runs to the tsland from the Baby- lon dock, and most visitors avail themselves of her “accommodation.” Tue interest of the visitor nowise flags when he returns to the mainland from Fire Island beach. “an ancient and fish-like smell’ pervades the bean Lng oleh A by one be be being in the own e Navi ie inny being about the dock. It 1s A VILLAGE OP INCONSISTENCIES, Bright, smart-looking stores of yesterday crowd against plackened houses, built a century ago; a railroad track, both paws stretched out like lion at par. is close on one of the most conserva- tive of Babytonian strongholds, Some of the people, late arrivais, are active and enterprising, but the majority are still blinded by the too radiant sun of rogress that has burst iu upon them. In a popu- frden of 8,500, with an outlying People numbering as mucl here are nO banks « no ingurance oflices. Then, on the other hand, is Puck amid ts of the Pyramids—a telegraph office, and road stations, with locomotives that snort at the dormant village all daylong. As it wae in le, of the es ag the majority of these ple want it ever more. There is & messenger who collects al) the cash of the hotele and traders dex! Goo — old, it to New York for deposit, accor oid pene bs spo: ding THE BABYLONIAN BOURBONS. It does not occur to these people that it wonld be aafer, cheaper and better for one of their num- ber to these moneys, pay them out when wanted, an ‘do, tn fact, a ban business, When the messenger leaves for New York or Brooklyn it is hard to find @ ten dollar bill in the village. There 18 no gags when the few stores clove there ia not a glimmer of light, and the darkness of settles upon Babylon. But, backward in every- oes else, the village is progressive in the matter of fish supply, Ten tons of blue fish, Spanish mackerel, weak fish and other varieties are re- ceived di and forwarded by the railways to the New York market. Eminently conservative in other things, they are no conservers of flah. BABYLON AS IT 13 1s undoubtedly a beautiful village, What it will be depends much upon the liberality of the railroads and the abolition of the spirit of insane Chinese exclusiveness cherished by the mass oi the people. These people comprise the Smiths, the Conklins, the Carris and the Willetts, These names are the most nunierous, and eee be classed in the order ven. Iam told that adry goods drummer came own here a few days ago to look for a Mr. Smith— he forgot his first name—and was sent back to New York a raving maniac. The hotels, of which there are two—.\merican House and the Watson House—are good of their kind, and harbor no more mosquitoes than they can help, 4 PRCULIAR FEATURE OF THE PLACE 4g that its perfect natural drainage renders it free from fever, The many trout ponds in and around the village have their outlets to the inlets and creeks, and sa ee All that is boxious and fever- breeding. Mr. Litchfield, of the Brooklyn Fire In- surance Company, owns the best pond in th vicinity—if he has not recently disposed of it—an this 6 only excelled by Mr. August Belmont’s twenty acre pond on his 700 acre farm on the road to Hyde Park. Fine summer homes are about this Bleatant and interesting village. Among those elegant residences in the vicinity, attention has been attracted to those » Royal Phelps, Dr. Wagstaff, Udell Spa bya August Belmont, “finor Keith (brother-in-law of Henry Meigs, of Peru and who owns 10,000 acres of South Side land) Mr. Johnson, of Boorman & Johnson, New York. Mr. Hyde, Vice President of the Equitable Life Insur- ance Company, has a fine place near Islip, and the buildinge and grounds of the Olympic Club are on the shore, not far away. In fact the roads about Babylon, which, by the wuy, are very good and Well kept, are lined With elegant villas and splendid mansions, THR GREAT DRAWBACK to the rages of the village of Babylon, after the Bourbon osbing: an of the natives, has been the lack of ras and enterprise on the part of the South Side ad people. It is periectly mon- strous that one should have to spend three hours in a rickety railroad train going a distance of thirty-five miles, More frequent trains, better time and better guarantees for the safety of life and limb, were wanted These wants are in /‘@ measure puypiied in the extension of the Centr: Railroad from Farmingdale to Babylon, now completed, Trains run at good speed over this road and make quicker time than on the South Side line, the dis- tance from Hunter’s Point being also less, Still it should not take one hour and forty minutes for an engine and a few cars to transverse thirty miles of level road, and the Central and Central Extension Company will have to do better before they can pe to build up Babylon to the proportions of Elizabeth, But, take it in all, those who have delayed their vacation fntil now, when tired Summer ts dropping asleep in the arms of Autumn, can make no better use of their leisure and enjoy more health giving breezes of land and sea, than by adventur- ing on the Central Railroad and spending a few days among the isiands and creeks of the Great South Bay. WATERING PLACE NOTES. Every house in Atlantic City, N. J., is frame ex- cept the light house. It is proposed to build a sea wall to protect the bluff at Long Branch. Dr. A. G. Agnew, of this city, is at the Grand Union Hotel, Saratoga. The main topic of conversation now at ail the principal watering places is Casarism. Mr. A. G. Jones, Prestdent of the Fulton Bank, of Brooklyn, is at the Metropolitan Hotel, Long Branch, Bev. T. De Witt Talmadge, of Brooklyn, has pur- chased a cottage for a summer residence at East Hampton, L. 1. Mr. Charles Broadhead, ex-United States Senator, with his family, of Betulehem, Pa., is at Congress Hall, Saratoga. J. H. Lyman, belonging to the United states Coast Survey, of St. Augustine, Fla., is at Con- gress Hall, Saratoga, The camp meeting at Round Lake, Rensselaer county, N. Y., having broken up, there are only about 100 persons left who occupy cottages, Hon, William E. Lansing, of Syracuse, representa- tive in Congress from the Twenty-third district of this State, is stopping at Congress Hall, Saratoga. ‘The faces of Register McLaughlin, Deputy Reg. ister Barry, Superintendent of Schools Field, Com- missioner of Charities Cunningham, Supervisor Osborne, Assessor Bryan, Justice Riley, County Treasurer Gardiner, Commissioner o' Elections Wheeler and Commissioner Fowler—embracing nearly all the principal fat office holders of Brook- lyn—have been seen at Caldwell, Lake George. The Mercury speaks thus of the season at New- port:—**The cry that ‘Newport is dull this season’ seems to be hushed at last. There was no real ground for the report in the first place, except that there were some fiiteen less cottages let this season than last. The past week and tie next to come wiil show the season’s height, for every hotel and boarding house is iull, and private residences have no spare rooms. The Ocean House the present week has dined about 300 cach day. The season will be @ success.”” COMMODORE FAIRFAX AND THE NAVY RUGISTER. LEXINGTON, Greene County, N. Y., August 23,'1873, } To THE EDITOR oF THE HERALD:— The HERALD of the 19th inst. contains a “synopsis ofthe Navy Register for July, 1873,’ wherein the Washington correspondent states that “1 decltped to appear before the Examining Board,” and, therefore, ‘‘am ineligible for promotion,” and ‘4t is presumed I will continue to be borne on the register aa sentor captain until, by reason of age or length of service, Ican be retired” In naval circles this needs no comment, but among my friends and acquaintances iu the army aad in civil life the question would naturally arise, Why should I make this selection when by an ex- amination I would have all the advan- tages accruing from promotion? As it is susceptible of an unfavorable interpretation, you will oblige me by publishing in your widely circu- lated paper a brief statement of the facts. In the regular order of promotion I was entitled to the vacancy created the 28th of December last, and, in compliance with au order from the Navy Depart- ment to report to the President of the Exam ning Board, I duly appeared, and aiter a “physical” examination, waved the “rignt to be present,” re- ferring the Board to my record of thirty-six years on file in the Navy Department, and witndrew. 1 am sustained in my course by the decision of the Secretary of the Navy, under whose supervision the laws were framed and enforced for near seven years; by the practice of the several boards up to @ very recent date and by the opinions of several of the most prominent legal men. It was not until January 25, 1869, and just before the former Secretary retired from Office, that any regular examinations were practised, even amoung the junior officers of the “line.” At that time & circular was issued requiring all “line” officers or- dered before the Board to be “professionally” examined, but the very Board to whom it was first addressed understood it to apply to junior offi- cers, whose ‘professional standing’ had not been as yet satisiactwrily estublished, a9 is shown ee cat te rgreater ta the senior officers simply on their “records.” Under the act of July 16, 1862, first establishing examining boards, @large number of the “‘line’’ officers were pro- moted by a “careful acrutinizing’’ of their records. Bo in on July 25, 1808, The amendatory act of April 21, 1864, requires no more of the Board than to “satisfy themselves” of the fitness of “the officer to be acted upon,” and who “has the right to be present if he desires it’ (section 3). ‘The first section of this act, instructing the Board in ita duti to the “line” officer, fers to the “staf” in these words, “And ail other officers.” Now, it is well known that “professional” examinations in this corps cease with the assimilated rank of lieutenant commander. On July 16, 1870 (cf. sec. § Naval Appropriation bill), boards were more directly empowered to ex- amine all the “line” officers junior to commanders ; then for the first time a system of regular “pro- fessional” examinations was commenced with the junior grades. None of these very officers who ad- Yocate the examining of captains and commanders were “professi ly” examined! The Board that I appeared before (the President, however, being absent on account of sickness) recommended two captains for promotion only a short time before on their “records.” A “careiul scrutinizing” of an oMfcer’s record is the best test of his fitness, and where the Board are in doubt as to “moral aud mental” attainments, the act of April 21, 1864 (cf. sec. 1), gives them the power to summon “wit- nesses” with whom the oficer has sey~ed, ‘*Pro- fessional” examinations sre not practised on senior officers in our army. It would be laughed atin the British Navy. After contesting the point till I found two of my juniors confirmed by the Senate, ant seeing no prospect of promotion under the present Beorscery t availed of bis offer to “‘re- fer case to the rd,” and for the second time Went bofore it, and was examined on some rudimextary points in international law and steam tactics, occupying possibly ten minu' when I ‘Was recommended for promotion—ail of which 1s vil or A etim BoD, Ol oT HON, FAIRFAX, Commodore V. & Ne Juhi’ :| WHITE MOUNTAINS, A Visit to Bethlehem and the Franconia Notch, N. H. STAGE COACH TRAVELLING. Fatal Consequences of a Driver's Recklessness. An Overloaded Stage Dashing Down a Steep, Rocky Road. GUSHING VIEWS. Tahbleaux Vivants and the Daugh- ters of Fashion. An Angel Who Could Not Fold Her Wings. The Largest Panorama of Yankeedom. At the Plateau of the Giant’s Grave. BETHLEHEM, N, H., August 28, 1873, This is an exceedingly pretty little village, right in the heart of a far-iamed mountain district, being only twenty-two miles from Mount Washing- ton, seventeen from the White Mountain Notch and ten from the Franconia Mountains. It is such @ nook in the highlands of New Hampshire as com- fort-seeking people, not mere sight seers, would desire, During the cheeriess, unceasing rain which made your city so uncomfortable for a few days there were only bright skies and naught to veil the wonders and beauties of nature, so liberally spread out before the sojourners at Bethlehem, The ce- lestial water cart seems to be judiciously careful of the convenience and clothes of the people here, and gives sufficient warning before turning on its stream. The hotel and surrounding farmhouses are well stocked with visitors, the number being greater than during any previous season, COMFORT BEING THE CHIEF OBJECT in view, the daily changes of toilet may be generally considered in the singular number. The New Eng- land girls tie their hair on the tops of their heads in the form of a squash, and bind it with a gay band of ribbon, while a few strangers trom a lower lati- tude let it fall in curls or frizit, so that it looks like the co(fure of an Ashantee chief. Muslin or tarla- tan or light silks, within reasonable bounds of fashion, set off the conflicting styles of wearing the hair. The country is not favorable to agriculture around here, so there is hardly a prospect of a mountain “grdnge” being formed, Hunting and lumbering occupy the time of a large number of the people during the winter and spring months, Eee 27 ae as ee BiB i terms to most of them, and the only genuine origi- nal man that insists upon always voting for Gen- eral Jackson might be unearthed in some corner Of thjs district. There ts excellent hunting in the fall, and only last season three bears were kiiled within a short distance of the Sinclair House. The slaughter of the Bruin family served as a Sanday morning pastime to the guests of the hotel. About a mile and a half from this house occurred THE TERRIBLE STAGE DISASTER Jast week, an account of which has already ap- peared in the HERALD. A visit tothe spot and a conversation with parties familiar with all the cir- cumstances of the sad affair tended to convince me that it resulted from gross carelessness on the part of tne driver. The coacn, drawn by six horses, was on its way to the Profile House, in the Franconia Mountains, and had reached the worst section of a road which all through is extremely rugged and dangerous, Before it was a steep in- cline, nearly a quarter of a mile in length, at the end of which the road gives a sharp curve to the right. At this curve the “accident” occurred, The stage had crossed a water bar (a few boards placed over @ mountain rill running across the road) and the sudden jerk which followed threw the forward tackie almost on the leaders’ haunches. They started on a run and the other four hurses became equally frightened, Once in swift career down that steep decline the arm of Samson would be powerless to check them. When they reached the curve the momentum was too great to round it safely. Had the driver headed them for the brush and trees instead of attempting to round the curve he would have killed the entire team but would undoubtedly have saved the lives of his passengers. The rule with experienced drivers on these mountatn roads is to apply the brake or check the team in crossing a water bar, This prevents the leaders’ tackle from being thrown forward and removes the danger of the horses becoming frightened. Tne leaders are enerally spirited and more easily excited than ‘he other horses, and on a down grade the atten- tion of the driver is wholly taken up with them and the brake. Tne driver in question crossed the water bar at a sharp trot, RECKLESS OF THE PRECIPITOUS ROAD BRFORE HIM, He is & young man, who on this occasion had taken the pl of the regular driver. His experi- ence in stage driving with six in hand has been very limited, No part of the stage harness gave way, contrary to report. If the pole straps broke, a3 Was alleged by the driver, the coach would have one clean over the wheelers. They were found lying in front of it. It may be said, in favor of the driver, that when the horses started on their nad race he clung to the reins with desperation, and did his best to stop them. But no human being coald accomplish that in such a place. There are six stage lines on this route, and the utmost indif- ference and recklessness are shown in loading each Bu To convey eighteen passengers, with a pile of age wowering over the coach so as to render it the more lable to upset, may be regarded as @ risky undertaking. But stage companies here are like other corpora- tions, thinking only of money making and reckless of human life. The unfortunate young man whose brains were dashed out was struck by the end of the Saratoga trunk on which he had been Lo ca moment before. Little did the fashtonable belle who packed ore her myriad tollets in that monstrous receptacle think that tt should ever be spattered with the brains and life blood of & young man. The hotel proprietors and stage drivers assure me that this disaster is an ex- ceptional case, No accident has occurred on this road for over ten years. This is about as reasona- ble arepiy a8 might oe made by a trapeze per- former, & rope walker or an aeronaut in favor of their respective pursuits, They might say that no accident occurred to them in a long term ef years. Yes, but had an accident befallen them they would not be present to testify. Mr. Austen G. Fox and Miss Fox, of New York, who were so seriously injered in this disaster, have been re- moved from the farm house to which they were first conveyed and are now out of danger. It is very Fico tr hy that they will be maimed for iile, David Reeves, the brother of the lady wi! was killed, 8 recovering from the effects of his injuries, He ts cared for at the Sinclair House. A CARELESS DRIVER'S REWARD. L dwell at length upon the details of this disaster and the recklessness of the stage compantes, because @ very Lag number of New Yorkers dare the perils of the Franconia road every Summer, They generally take the stage at Litticton and reach the Notch in the evening. It may be con- soling to them to be informed that the driver, whose carelessness was the main cause of the late disaster, is in charge of one of these Littieton stages, It will be an additional element of excite. ment to ‘“pleasare” seekers, Aside from this tragedy s nuisance in mountain travelling. All the poetry with which I invested it has been knocked out or me, and the inspiring air of the mountains can hardly compensate for vai jmEAEEE Cal aD an ACHING BACK, ‘et it has tts ami features. On the way from Bethlehem to the Profile House my ‘COMpUONONe de voyage (1 apologize te the ocean for comparing its sea sickness and vessel pitching to the in- famous ruts and rocks in these mountain roads), were @ gushing you! lady, her beau and mis- chievous brother, wtat 10. They sat on the top of nT pan santa ot ea va meen ce There was a len jh pe a8 cabin passengers (I THR GUSHING YOUNG LADY Beg her name was Louisa), had the usual oxy- ived arsenal around her waist, and her youn, man, Charley was his eognomen, was radiant an The setting sun bathed the valley before sea Of crimsen hue and Gildgd the ruggea taging is a necessary | ‘aks with inexpreasible beauty. Rgited charmed, entranced—and 80 was Charley. hi (this ejaculation iong drawn out) whut -s lovely view!” “Oh! what a cunning little bird!” “On! what a dear little stream!” “Maria! Hattie! pa! ma! (this to the insidres) look at the sunset |? e@ hav us.’? (One for Charley.) ie eapec icici “Now, aes you're real mean. 0O-oh! I'm afraid Ibu ‘Ten year old brother en — 4 know, I harley to put his arm know. You only want er are moti f the kind ‘Tain’ nothing of the kind; Freddy, i/aettitt tie tach ereupon Freddy whistled a tew bars or “4! Goes. ae 4 ee Cg violent arimaces v iow know e Was for an Amer! tender years, * On aa OF As we entered Franconia Notch the shades of evening had blotted out the last golden streak of the sun, ang Louisa, aiter a pretty scream or two atthe thou it of the possibility of the coach tipping over, began to get drowsy, sang a verse of “Whe wil comiort you when I am far awage”’ and sub- sided, Tableau, curtain and drivera, “Get up there, you darned critters |?" to the guide boo! Louisa was de- our’e aw- ak to Preday.” : Franco, Roteh, scoe: nine, 8 @ Scene of enchantin, uty. To me it seeme only @ narrow, disagreeable toad, closely Kaden by ‘trees. If the euterprising Janda wne only clear away a few trees on clther side and give @ glimpse of the mountain wails, travellers inight be tempted to forget the road and indulge in the regulation ecstacies, But how cana ir Way- farer “‘ecstasize”’ when he oa 6 AN: Et ™ THA REALMS 01 10) At the Profile House we found 200 New Yorkers and 250 inhabitants of the outlying districts of the great metropolis, such ag Philadelphians, Bosto nians, &. uisa was tenderly lifted down from the coach, after lamenting the loss of a paper of maple sugar, which dropped out of her hana during her short slumber, So{to voce, Any one WRO can siumber on the top of a New Hampshire stage coach might bid deflance even to Gumore and his Paujandrum myrmidons, Here we found a series Of tableaux vivants commencing in the parlor, and @ look at the extravagant toilets among the audi- ence Was suficicnt to convince me of the impossi- bility of getting a New York belie even 10 the mountains without her two dozen Saratoga trunks. No wonder, then, that an overloaded stage should upset, If they could engage a reliable balloon ex- press a portion of the necessary age might be ere Ce entome the aphet Pas Littleton out endat ody’s neck except the Reronaut’s, and that is his business as a man aad brother, ‘fhe curtain went up before an audiénce fully 3 brilliant in point of DISPLAY OF RICH, DRESSES AND ABUNDANT JEW- ELRY ag any that Nilsson or Lucca ever sang to at the Academy. The tableaux were as lovely and be- witching—well, as all tableaux are when pretty girls take part in them. Every one was encored @ dozen ieee and the glittering assemblage of the daughters of Fashion poured out in the halls and corridors about eleven o'clock just as they do in the iobbies at the opera, With Eve-like curiosity some poked their pretty noses into rooms where & circle of smokers blew a cloud, and then retreated in paroxysms of coughing. Others invaded the sa- cred precincts where their papa, brother and, per- haps, their particular young inan, indulged in a game of euchre. The ladies who took part in the Vableaux mingled with the promenaders. It was curious to meet Ophelia, Undine, Cleo- patra and La Pompadour in propria persond, iter a weary trip into the heart of the Franconia Moun- tains, THBRE WAS AN ANGEL (of course they were all angels, but I mean a par- ticular one with wings), but she vanished after the tableaux were over, I believe she had some dim- culty with her wings, which were of the obstinate kind and would not told. A small party of elderly ladtes were in the railroad ticket ottice attached to the hotel, in a state of intense bewilderment at the myriads of lakes, notches, ponds, boulders, Indian graves, &c., which the bland agent was telling them about, and which they must not for the world miss. Looking at the hotel registers in these regions one ts astonishod to find so many outland- ish and unpronounceabie Indian names of places opposite the musical signatures of pretty girls. Ishould be afraid to ask one of those charming creatures what happy land claimed her as its own, lest she might answer, ‘Pemigewasset,’’ or some other pollysyallabic barbarism. There was one feature of unilormity about the ladies of this house, Each wears asose in her hair, Even the waitresses were decorated with this simple ornament. They wisely dispense with the undertaker-like faces of colored citizens to-wait on the table in the moun- tains aud choose waitresses instead. The change 18 an agreeable one, except when, as I saw in one piace, some of the waitresses wear spectacles and ave 2 nasal twang. The scene at this hotel was suilicient to show that wherever New Yorkers con- regate igre je gure to be excitement, fun, enjoy- ent and dress, *: eos The tel ante enjoyed by the Profile House in thie region is likely to be disputed in a season or two by a Littleton company, who have purchased tract of land 200 acres in extent, on a plateau higher than the Profile and commanding a finer view of the scenic points of interest which cluster around these mountains. On this land a large hotel will be built. The ascent of Mount Lafayette by a bridle path leading from the present house is one of the favorite excursions of the guests; also visits to the Flume, @ look at the Old Man of the Moun- talp and a row on the lake, Fieecy clouds hid the mountain peaks from our view in the morning, and mud-colored veils con- cealed the faces of the ladies who sat on the stage coach as we returned to Bethiebem. A SINGULAR FORGERY CASE. The Two Dromios—How a Draft Went Astray—A Merchant and a Watchman with Similar Cognomens—A Banker “Taken In”=—Custodian Mackenzie's Kind Solicitude Unappreciated—Held for Examination. On the 30th day of June last the office of Classon & Hayes, bankers and brokers, doing business at No. 6 Broad street, was visited by two men, who inquired for Mr. Hayes’ brother. Being informed that the gentleman was absent they asked for Mr. Hayes, of the firm. On his appearance the men presented to hima draft for $83 74 on the Metro- politan National Bank of this city, drawn on the Wisconsin Marine and Fire Insurance Company, of Milwaukee. and payable to Messrs. Goodrich, Terry & Uo., of that city, or their order. The man who handed Mr. Hayes the draft introduced him- self as William R. Mackenzie, and stated that he wished to get the draft cashed, but, he was not known at the Metropolitan Bank, he was un- able to obtain any money upon it at that institu- tion, Mr. Hayes mildly insinuated that, ashe did not know the visitor any better than the bank cashier did, he also would not be able to cash the draft; but the applicant meekly remarked that ne was the night watchman for his brother in Fifty. fourth street, and raising the lappel of his coat, exhibited a badge tnat proclaimed him a deputy sheriif also. Mr. Hayes naturally thought that all was right, @nd being willing to assist the stranger in his emergency, sent one of his clerks to the Union Bauk with the draft to get his signature identified and then sent it to the Metropolitan Bank, re- ceived the amount named on the face of the drait and handed it over to Mackenzie. A few days subsequently Mr. Hayes received word that the signature of William A Mackenzie on the drait mentioned was a forgery, aud he was requested to return the amount. Now, it seems that Mr. William A, Mackenzie, of 16 College place, is a Wine merchant, who enjoys an extensive Western trade, while another Wii- liam A, Mackenzie, who resides at 124 Kast Twen- ty-fourth street, is a night watchman. In the early art of June last the firm of Goodrich, Terr; g Co, of Milwaukee, Wis., received the draft, requesting. @ remittance in payment therefor. Much to their surprise the Milwaukee tirm replied that they had forwarded their drait for the amount of the bill ($88 74), drawn on the Wisconsin Fire and Life Insurance Company Bank, duly endorsed by them, and gg Ase at the Metropolitan National Bank of New York, where gaid draft bad been honored and the money paid thereon. Mr. Hayes, on being informed of the imposition that had been practised upon him, at once reported the affair to Captain Irving, chief of the detective Race who ia) ene Gacellen Dececeles ces ae ully to work up the case. After a careful investi- gation tue omicers discovered that. the rate had jilen into the hands of Mackenzie, who was the nocturnal custodian and not the dealer in vinous beverages. After considerable trouble the detec- tives discovered Watchman MacKenzie, and found that he was the man who, in company with his father, George D. Mackenzie, of 942 Third avenue, had presented the draft. They also ascertained that be was not a eputy sherif, and that the badge of office he bad exhibited to Mr. Hayes was equally bogus with the drait. The officers arrested the Mackenzies, father and son, and caused their incarceration at Head- quarters, where they were indentified by Mr. Hayes this morning, and sobeaquently taken before Judge Hogan at the Tombs Police Court, and com- mitted for examination. The prisoner William A. Mackenzie, on his formal examination, said that he was twenty-seven years of age, and a native of New York and a night watch- man by occupation, He admitted haying received the draft and getting it cashed at Mr. Hayes’ office, but pleaded in extenuation that the draft had come into his hands by mistake, and thathe had de- posited the proceeds ef it in the Seamen’s Savings Bank, to await the appearance of the rightiul owner, “PERMIT ABUSES. The committee from the merchants of the city that waited on the Mayor on Tuesday afternoon had 4 hearing before the Committee on Ordinances of the Board of Assistant Aldermen yesterday afternoon in reference to the exorbitant ch required by the permit ordinance regulating the delivery and loading of goods across sidewalks. ‘They asked {or the abolition of the ordinance. The committee took the papers and will consider the matter. 5 A PRENCHMAN’S FATALITY, Singular Suicide in a Washington Square Boarding House, A Musician Shoots Himself Because of Disap- pointment in Love—The Deed Caused by Jealousy and Despair—Interesting Letters Found in the Dead Man’s Hand. Shortly after twelve o'clock yesterday afterqoon Mrs. Ellen Parsons, a lady keeping @ respectable boarding house at No, 42 South Washington square, laboring under an intense state of excitement, Tushed into the Fifteenth precinct station house and stated to Sergeant Murray, then in charge, that Luigi Tito Rocco, a Frenchman, thirty years of age, who gave lessons on the harp, and a Skilled musician of scientific attainments, formerly @ member of the Parepa-Rosa troupe, had com- mitted suicide in his bedroom, on the fourth floor, by shooting himself in the mouth with a revolver. Sergeants Murray and Young after first notifying Coroner Young, entered the house of Mrs, Parsons, and, proceeding to the room of deceased, found him lying in bed on his right side and having a pistol shot wound of'the mouth, the bullet evidently having passed inward and upward and lodged in the bram. The bed clothing was partially BESMBARED WITH BLOOD, - and there was @ quantity of blood on the floor fronting the bed. Rocco clutched the revolver in his right hand, while in his left hand he held a bunch of keys, two letters (one of which was addressed to his friend Francisco Schleiss, of No 120 Third avenue, and the other one seemed to |dressed to no one in particular), and a miniature picture of Miss Mary Louise Parsons, & young lady, sixteen years of age, daughter of the landlady, to whom ha was de- votedly attached, Coroner Young, on arriving at the house, assisted by Sergeants Murray and Young,searched the effects of the deceaged, and in his trunk found upwards of $80 in bills, an old-fashioned pistol of foreign manulacture, articles of clothing sie other ne all of which were arranged with great care. is wardrobe was also in pu order, all his gar- ments being hung up and folded with great care, he doubtless desiring to leave everything in order~ in anticipation of his death. THE CAUSE OF THE TRAGEDY, On Wednesday of last week Miss Parsons visited Long Branch with a friend and put up &t the Clarendon Hotel to awalt the arrival of her brother, Mr. Solon Parsons, who was expected and aid arrive from Philadelphia by the afternoon train. Mr, Parsons and his sister remained at the hotel, and on Saturday last Rocco visited the Branch to see the idol of his affections, and, as he subse- quently alleged, saw Mr. Parsons and his sister in company which, he claimed, was not respectable. Rocco, who was of a very jealous disposition, abruptly left the Clarendon the same evening, on the pretenceithut he was sick, and re- turned to the city by the last boat, followed on Monday by Mr. Parsons and his sistey, On the aiterncon of Monday Rocco seemed usually cheer- ful, and, watching his opportunity, called Mra. Pats sons aside and asked for the hand of ner daughter, whichfwas promptly refused, on the ground that the girl was as yet only a child and altogether 700 YOUNG 10 MARRY, This seemed to unnerve Rocco; but he maintained his composure yery well during the evening, and @t nine o'clock asked Miss Parsons to take a walk with him; but she could not leave, in consequence of the absence of her mother. Rocco then went alone to a drug store, and, re- turning with a bottle of citrate of magnesia, retired to his room shortly before eleven o’clock, He did not appear at breakfast as usual, the next morning, and, in fact, was not seen all day Tuesday. Finding his room door iast yesterday and all silent within the family became alarmed, and bursting in the door Rocco was discovered dead in bed, as stated. Below will be found coptes of the letters Treterred to, ey nee oo uy Reve eee deceased speaking that language ently. letters were translated by Mr. al, @well known opera singer :— LETTER. MonDAY NIGHT—11 o'clock. God, who wiil shortly be my true judge, J surprised the young irl, Maria L. Parsons, in Long Branch, with her oldest brother and in company with thieves (di ladri), Saturday, 23d, I watted for her at the Clarendon Hotel, she being my intended (la mio amoroso), with a basket of flowers, and in the book of the hotel I signed my name L. T. Rocco, When sue saw me she was surprised and aston- ished, and invited me to go with them to the races, and 1 refused, as the proprietor of the hotel is witness, who saw and heard my refusal, because I felt my life was in danger, and I imme- diately departed for New York, saying | was sick. She returned immediately to New York on Sunday, and on Monday { saw her, and she seeks ny ruin for betel Aka Say something. This that [ write is the truth. I cannot lio, as | would go to eternal punishment ifI did. Iswear! 1 swear L. T. ROCCO. SECOND LETTER, ADIEU DEAR C1010 :— In great hurry, because my moments are fatal, I leave you my watch and chain, and the rest of my wardrobe, which you can sell at your leisure. Know that your Tito, your iriend from iniancy, swears to you at the moment he is about to leave this world and go to the presence of the Supreme Judge, that he dies guiltless of ail that the world can say of him, I leave this world by the fault of- my intended (dela mio a@moroso) Maria L. Parsons, having surprised her at Long Branch with her brother and in company with thieves (in compagnia qd ladri); she was thunderstrack, aod they sought to assas-inate me. I hurried immediately to New York, and now I leave this world for her fault, to say and to swear that her family sought my ruin. I gwear! I swear!t Iswear!!! God help me! Your TILO, To Mr. FRaNcis SCHLEISS, care of Mr. Vanni, 120 120 Third avenue, New York, P.S,—Should you write to my family, say I am traveiling; also receive any letters from my sister Louisa (Which will arrive about the end of septem- ber) at the Post office (Gran Posta). Again adieu; @ last tear and @ last embrace from your Ls Mr. Solon Parsons, who ts @ very respectable gentieman, and weil kuown in business circles, says he was only in the company of respectable men at Long Branch on Saturday, when Rocco saw him and bis sister there, and is whoily at a loss to account for the language used by deceased in his letter. As deceased left means sufficient to give hima respectable burial, Coroner Young ordered the remains to be sent to an undertaker’s in Car- mine street, where an inquest will be held, PAOIFIO MAIL MAPfERS “~~ The directors of the Panama Railroad Company heid a meeting yesterday at their offices, No. 69 Wall street, for the purpose of taking action in regard to a proposed loan of $500,000 to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. They adjourned after a rather lengthy debate without having accom. plished anything definite, and rumors were rife that the meeting had been a stormy one, and that it was unlikely the two companies wouid be able to eet ub ‘ter called Ii BRALD reporter last night upon Mr. Bellows, the President of the Puntos Beneoed Company, at his residence, on Twenty-fourth street, in relation to the matter, and in reply to the visi- tor’s interrogations Mr. Bellows said that the meetii was @ ag pleasant and quiet one— that the pros and cons of the affair were ba ds amicably—and that the ‘rumors cir- culated on the street und by the evening Papers were entirely without foundation. He considered that thi were working smoothly and well, and thought there was every probability of the loan bein, competes without delay or bag- Gling about stipulations, The meeting of the directors of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, in regard to the same busi- ness, which was to have taken place yesterday, Was postponed on account of the Panama Railroad directors not coming to any definite decision. THE OOAL EXCITEMENT, It is believed that the heatea term has expired, and that in eight or ten days families will desire to lay in their winter supply ofcoals. A combination has been effected during the last week to raise the Price of coal, and the operators in that line of in- dustry have been working very nard and have had some success. The sales of Scranton coal at the Exchange place auction salesrooms gathered to- ether @ large number of persons who were inter- ted in coal The.operators did seme hard work in their endeavors to raise the price of coal, and they were victerious to some extent. The princi- | purchasers of coal yesterday were the Andrews Riadutactaring Company, Staten Island Ferry Com- any, Tucker, Swan & Uo., Ord & Na Sturges, rwin, Dorlan, Wells, Vau Dusen, Nichelson, and’ some few other firms. Ninety thousand toms of coal were sold at auction and brought very good prices. No lump coal was offered either at ng by or soe, eee sale. went off a Steamboat all Oo. Bee I swear before m sold at $5 and rose t $5 0236 an: ‘g t at $5 40, fell off to $5 3735, ant rose to $0 40 sone wold rapidly at 5 45, cad comanain at $4.75 and $4 TT. The following (om the comparative rates obtained ot the last and present sale: Tons. 10,000 000, 7,000 85.0) 13,000, ++ 90,000 ‘Total The average rise is—On grate, 56; egg, stove, 24¢,, ADA chestaut, 3346 by