Chapter XXII: Letter XXI: Harper’s Ferry, June, 1848 (2)

Many persons are deterred from making any search, and are discouraged because valuable ores are not easily discovered on the surface of this country. This is not usually the case any where. Gold, it is true, because it always exists in the metallic state, and because it resists the action of the elements better than any other substance, remains unchanged, while the _gangue_, or mineral containing it crumbles to pieces and disappears, and hence it is easily found about the surface by the most careless observer. Such, however, is not generally the case with metallic ores. On the contrary, many of the best ores would, if exposed to the action of the elements, in progress of time be decomposed, or so changed from the appearances which they usually present when seen in cabinets, that none but a practised eye would detect them at the surface. In the counties west of the Blue Ridge, there has been as yet no exploration to any depth beneath the surface of the ground, with perhaps the single exception of the old excavations in the county of Cherokee. According to the most commonly received Indian tradition, they were excavated more than a century ago, by a company of Spaniards from Florida. They are said to have worked there for two or three summers, to have obtained a white metal, and prospered greatly in their mining operations, until the Cherokees, finding that if it became generally known that there were valuable mines in their country, the cupidity of the white men would expel them from it, determined in solemn council to destroy the whole party, and that in obedience to that decree no one of the adventurous strangers was allowed to return to the country whence they came. Though this story accords very well with the Indian laws which condemned to death those who disclosed the existence of mines to white men, yet I do not regard it as entitled to much credit. At the only one of these localities which I have examined, besides some other favorable indications, there is on the surface of the ground in great abundance that red oxide of iron, which from its being found in Germany above the most abundant deposites of the ores of lead and silver, has been called by the Germans the _Iron Hat_. Also something resembling that iron ore rich in silver, which the Spaniards called pacos, is observable there. It seems more probable, therefore, that some of those companies of enterprising Spaniards, that a century or two since were traversing the continent in search of gold and silver mines, struck by these appearances, sunk the shafts in question and soon abandoned them as unproductive. But which of these is the more probable conjecture, cannot perhaps be determined, until some one shall be found adventurous enough to re-open those old shafts. I am, however, keeping your readers too long from the interesting letter of Prof. Shepard.

T. L. CLINGMAN.

New Haven, Conn., Sept. 15, 1746,

Hon. Mr. Clingman,—Dear Sir:—To your inquiry of what I think of the mineral resources of Western North Carolina, it gives me pleasure to say that no part of the United States has impressed me more favorably than the region referred to. It is proper, however, to state, that my acquaintance with it is not the result of personal observation, but has been formed from a correspondence of several years standing with yourself and Dr. Hardy, and from the inspection of numerous illustrative specimens supplied to me at different times by my colleague, Dr. S. A. Dickson, of Charleston, S. C., and by the students of a Medical College of South Carolina, who have long been in the habit of bringing with them to the college samples of the minerals of their respective neighborhoods. I may add to these sources of information, the mention of not unfrequent applications made to me by persons from North Carolina, who have had their attention called to mines and minerals, with a view to their profitable exploration. Nor shall I ever forget the pleasure I experienced a year or two since, on being waited upon in my laboratory by a farmer from Lincolnton, who had under his arm a small trunk of ore in lumps, which he observed that he had selected on account of their size, from the gold washings of his farm during the space of a single year. The trunk contained not far from twelve hundred dollars in value, and one of the specimens weighed two hundred and seventy-five dollars.

I have recognized in the geological formation of the southwestern counties of North Carolina, the same character which distinguishes the gold and diamond region of the Minas Geraes of Brazil, and the gold and platina district (where diamonds also exist) of the Urals, in Siberia. It is this circumstance, beyond even the actual discoveries made with us, that satisfies my mind of the richness of the country in the precious metals and the diamond. The beautiful crystal of this gem which you sent me last spring, from a gold washing in Rutherford, however, establishes the perfect identity of our region with the far-famed auriferous and diamond countries of the South and the East.

Neither can there remain any doubt concerning the existence of valuable deposites of manganese, lead, crome and iron, in your immediate vicinity, to which I think we are authorized to add zinc, barytes and marble. I have also seen indications of several of the precious stones, besides the diamond, making it on the whole, a country of the highest mineralogical promise.

Enough has already been developed, as it appears to me, in the minerals of the region under consideration, to arouse the attention of prudent legislators to this fertile source of prosperity in a State. If a competent surveyor of the work were obtained, under whose direction a zealous and well-instructed corps of young men, (now easily to be obtained from those States in which such enterprises are just drawing to a close,) could take the field, I have no doubt that numerous important discoveries would immediately be made, and that the entire outlay required for carrying forward the work, would in a very short time be many times over returned to the people from mineral wealth, which now lies unobserved in their very midst. But the highest advantages of such a survey would no doubt prove with you as it has done elsewhere, to be _the spirit of inquiry which it would impart to the population generally_, producing among their own ranks an efficient band of native mineralogists and geologists, whose services, in their own behalf, in that of their neighbors and the State at large, would, in a few years, greatly outweigh all that had been achieved by the original explorers. It is thus in the States of New-England, New-York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland, that there are scattered every where through those communities, numbers of citizens, who having first had their attention called to the subject by the scientific men appointed by the Legislature, have now become fully competent to settle most of the questions which arise relating to the values of the unknown mineral substances, which from time to time are submitted by their less informed neighbors for determination. A very observable impulse has in this way been given to the development of underground wealth; and many valuable mines are in the course of active exploration, which but for these surveys and the attendant consequences of them, would now remain not only unproductive but unknown. Nor is the mere mineral yield of these mines to be considered in determining the advantages that accrue to a community from such enterprises. The indirect results to the neighborhood in which the mines are situated, are often very great; such for example as those flowing from the increased demand for farming produce, from the free circulation of capital, the improvement of roads, and the general stimulus which is always imparted by successful enterprise to the industry of a country. I may be permitted to add in conclusion also, that an important service is always rendered true science, in restraining the uninformed from unprofitable adventures.

I have a wish to see the public survey of North Carolina undertaken, not only on account of its economical bearings, but from the conviction with which I am impressed, that it will equally promote the progress of science, and elevate the character of our country at large.

I have the honor to remain very truly and obediently yours.

CHARLES UPHAM SHEPARD.

_To Hon. T. L. Clingman, but originally published in the New-York Albion._

My Dear Sir,—I promised my friends in the Western counties that they should hear from me through the Highland Messenger, and to the editor of that paper that he should receive one or two communications. As the person who undertakes to inform the public on subjects not strictly in the line of his profession is likely to fall into some errors, and to say some things which will not be thought very wise, I have wished that what I have to offer, might, before going to press, pass under the eye of one, who, like yourself, has long taken a deep interest in every thing connected with the mountain region, is well acquainted with the larger part of it, and in whose friendly feeling I could fully rely. The statements and remarks that are to follow, will fall naturally under the four heads of _Elevation of the Country and Height of the Mountains_, _Soil and Agriculture_, _Minerals and Scenery_.

The elevation of the highest mountain peaks was ascertained by me within certain limits of accuracy about eight years ago. So little was known about them before that time, that the Grandfather was commonly regarded as the highest of all. With the view of coming somewhere near the truth, one barometer was stationed at Morganton, and another carried to the tops of the mountains. Their elevation above that village was thus ascertained; but in order to get their height above the level of the sea, that of Morganton must be known, and for this there were no data in which implicit confidence could be placed. I finally fixed upon 968 feet as a moderate estimate, and in my desire to avoid an extravagant and incredible result, it now appears that the elevation assigned to Morganton, and therefore to all the heights measured, was somewhat too small.

In the first report of the President and Directors of the Louisville, Cincinnati, and Charleston Railroad, it is stated as one of the results of the surveys and measurements made with reference to that work, that “the elevation of the summit of our mountain passing above a line drawn along what may be regarded as their base about twenty miles below, does not exceed 1054 feet.” This will leave 1114 feet for the height of that line above the sea, or 146 feet more than I had allowed for Morganton.

But the surveys referred to were carried along the French Broad river, in the immediate vicinity of Ashville, and therefore afford a base, or starting point, from which all the heights in that region could be conveniently ascertained. Dr. Dickson having undertaken to observe the barometer at Ashville, and knowing that in his hands it would afford results in which confidence could be placed, I determined to try the Black once more, in which mountain I was well satisfied that the highest points are to be found, as I was, also, that I had never yet been upon the highest.

The Black Mountain, as you well know, is a long curved ridge, 15 or 20 miles in length, its base having somewhat the form of a common fish-hook, of which the extremity of the shank is near Thomas Young’s, in Yancey. It sweeps round by the heads of the South fork of the Swannanoe, Rim’s Creek and Ivy, and ends at the Big Butt, or Yates’s Knob—Caney river drains by a number of forks the hollow of the curve. The summit of the ridge is depressed at some points, and rises at others into peaks or knobs, 2, 3 or 400 feet higher than the rest, and it is a matter of considerable difficulty to determine before ascending which is the highest, as we cannot tell how much the apparent elevation is affected by the distance of the different points. The general elevation of the ridge may be stated at 600 feet. The following are the heights measured, which are likely to have most interest for the readers of the Messenger.

Feet.
Ashville, 2200
French Broad at Ashville, 1977
Lower Ford of Pigeon, 2475
Waynesville, 2722
Head of Scott’s Creek, 3240
Tuckaseege Ford, 1927
Cullywhee Gap, 3397
Blue Ridge head of Tuckaseege, 3795
Col. Zachary’s Cashier’s Valley, 3324
Chimney Top, 4433
Chimney Top above Zachary’s, 1109
Burnsville, 2763
Top of Black, 6672
Morganton, 1031
Table Rock, 3584
Grandfather, 5719
Roan, 6187

It appears that the valley of the French Broad is a trough, or depression, extending quite across the great back-bone of the United States, having the parallel, but considerably higher valleys of the Nolachucky and Pigeon on its two sides. Ivy Ridge is the boundary of this valley on the north-east, the ford of Ivy creek, near Solomon Carters, having very nearly the height of Ashville. The difference of temperature and climate corresponds to the indications of the barometer, grain and wild fruits ripening sooner about Ashville, than in the neighborhood of either Burnsville or Waynesville. At the ford of the Tuckaseege, on the road to Franklin, we are at the bottom of another deep and warm valley, but this does not, like that of the French Broad, extend across the whole range of the Alleghanies.

These measurements are not altogether without value, to the people of Haywood and Macon, showing as they do, what is the amount of obstacle that has to be overcome in carrying a road from Tennessee into South Carolina, along the Tuckaseege. Such a road should be made, or rather the existing one should be greatly improved, and the route altered in some places. There is likely to be a good deal of travel along it, but the gap in the Blue Ridge, where it is to pass, is about 1500 feet higher than that at the head of the French Broad.

There are but two routes by which the highest peaks of the Black Mountains can be reached, without an amount of labor which few people are willing to undergo. One is by the head of Swanannoe. This brings us to a point a little higher than the top of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The other is from the south fork of Tow. It is represented as quite practicable, and leads to the highest summit.

_Agriculture._—The mountain counties, Ashe, Yancey, Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood and Macon, do not appear to have adopted fully those modes of culture which are the best suited to their soil and climate, and which are likely ultimately to prevail. For this two reasons may be assigned.

1. The great amount of travel, through the counties of Ashe, Henderson and Buncombe, (but especially the two last,) between the Atlantic states and the West, has created a demand for the different kinds of grain, and given a direction to the industry of the population of those counties, which but for the circumstance mentioned, would be neither natural nor profitable. The roads have consumed all the corn that could be raised. The practice of the farmers living near the roads, which will answer very well for them, (especially if somewhat more attention be paid to the cultivation of the grasses), may be expected to have an under influence in the remote parts of those counties.

2. The families by whom these counties were settled, were from below the ridge, and carried with them into the mountain region, the kind of husbandry to which they have been accustomed in the warmer and drier parts from which they came. It is only gradually that men change the habits and practices of their earlier days. This influence of custom is exhibited on the northernmost range of counties in North Carolina, along the Virginia line, where the culture of tobacco prevails much more extensively than a little farther south, where the soil is equally well adapted to the growth of that noxious weed.

The latitude and elevation—and of course the temperature of the mountain counties as far as it depends upon these two, are very nearly the same with those of ancient Arcadia—the country of herdsmen and shepherds. Their soil is different, having been formed by the decomposition of primitive rocks—granite, gneiss and mica slate—whilst limestone abounds in Arcadia, as well as other parts of Greece. But it is to the raising of cattle and sheep and the making of butter and cheese for the counties below the ridge, that it may be expected there will be a tendency in the industry of the mountain region for many years. The quantity of rain falling there, is greater than in the eastern parts of the state, and luxuriant meadows of the most valuable grasses, but especially of timothy, may be easily formed. This is for winter food. But the summer pastures, too, are susceptible of great improvement.

Whilst the Indians held possession of the country it was burnt over every year. The fire destroyed the greater number of the young trees, that were springing up, and the large ones remained thinly scattered, like the apple trees in an orchard with large open spaces between. In these, the different kinds of native vines and other wild plants,—pea vine, &c., contended for the mastery, and each prevailed and excluded the other according to the vigor of its growth. Macon county still exhibits in some parts the appearance which the whole back country of North Carolina may be supposed to have borne when the first settlements of the whites were made. But after the Indians had been removed and large quantities of stock were introduced, the cattle and horses lent their aid in this contest of the different vegetable species and in favor of the worst kinds. They ate out and destroyed such as they found palatable and suitable for the nourishment of animals, whilst such as are worthless were permitted to grow and occupy the ground. In the mean time the annual firing of woods that had been practised by the Indians having ceased, bushes and small trees have overspread and shaded a large space that was formerly covered with herbage. For these two reasons, therefore, because the best kinds of vegetables have been in a great measure eaten out, and destroyed, and because of the thickening of the forests, the range (even if the population were still the same) would be greatly inferior to what it was fifty years ago.

It is necessary here as in other cases that the industry and ingenuity of man should come in to direct, and to some extent, control the operations of nature. The best grasses—best for pasturage, must be introduced and made to take the place of such as are worthless. The milk, butter, and cheese would be improved in quality as well as increased in quantity. As the wild onion, where eaten by cows, gives milk a flavor that is intolerable to some persons, so it may be expected that bitter and unpalatable weeds of every kind will give it a wild and savage taste; that it will be inferior in purity and richness to such as is yielded where the sweetest and best grasses are the only food. It appeared to me as I rode down from the Flat Rock to Ashville that there were very extensive tracts in Henderson and in the southern part of Buncombe now almost waste and worthless, which would, in the course of a few years, be converted into artificial pastures; not the most fertile in the world—but such as would amply repay an outlay of capital upon them; that the marshes and low grounds would be drained, and rank timothy take the place of sedge and other coarse grasses that afford no nourishment. In the immediate neighborhood of the Flat Rock I saw that the good work had been begun and made a considerable progress.

The sides of the mountains are too steep to be cleared and converted into pastures that will have any permanent value. The soil that is exposed would be washed away. But there are tracts, some of no inconsiderable extent, and especially near the crest of the ridge and along the head springs of the western waters, where the surface is comparatively livid, the soil sufficiently moist and fertile, and where capital might be advantageously invested for the purpose of converting them into meadows and pastures. The tops of the mountains also, where the ridge is broad or a single summit has a rounded surface instead of a sharp peak, will afford a few grazing farms. I do not altogether despair of living to see the time when the highest summit of the Black shall be inclosed and covered with a fine coat of the richest grasses, and when the cheese of Yancey shall rival in the market of the lower counties that which is imported from other States.

For accomplishing this a good deal of labor will be required. But the person to whom it has happened to visit Burnsville soon after it was fixed upon as the seat of Justice for Yancey county, and during the present year, will have good hopes of very rough and unsightly places. A more doleful spot than it was in the year 1834, cannot well be imagined; and though there is ample room for improvement yet, it is not difficult to see that the time is near when there will be a range of meadows passing by and near it, alike productive and beautiful.

If an inhabitant of the mountains shall be desirous of calling in the experience of other parts of our widely extended country for the purpose of directing his own labors, there is no section of the United States which he would visit with more advantage than the genuine Yankee land—the New England States. The soil is to a great extent the same with his own, having been produced by the decomposition of primitive rocks; elevation compensating for difference of latitude, there is a considerable similarity of climate. And if after seeing what the labor of two centuries has accomplished there, he shall pass through the mountain region of North Carolina, whilst he will be pleased to see how much has been done in his own section, he will fix upon many spots that are now in a great measure neglected, as those which a patient industry will in the course of a few years render the most productive and valuable. Extensive tracts in Henderson county, the moist grounds inclining to swamp in the neighborhood of Waynesville, the valley of Scott’s creek, bordering the road, the head waters of the Tuckaseege and those of the Savannah on the south side of the Blue Ridge, are cited as examples because they fell under my immediate observation.

Closely connected with agriculture as affording access to a market are good roads, and it was with some surprise that I noticed certain indications that the road scraper has never been introduced into the western part of the State, but that all the difficult passes in the mountains had been wrought out with the plough, the hoe, and shovel. The Warm Spring turnpike has inequalities, elevations and depressions, even between the village of Ashville and the point where it first comes into contact with the river, that would not be permitted to continue for a year if this excellent labor-saving instrument were once to come into use. For removing earth through short distances, for a hundred feet to a hundred yards, there is nothing comparable to it. A single man and horse will accomplish as much as six or eight men with the ordinary tools.

I am respectfully yours,
E. MITCHELL.

To Hon. T. L. Clingman.

THE END.

Footnotes

[1]Since writing this letter I have discovered there the diamond,
platina, blue corundum in large masses, of brilliant colors, and
the most splendent lustre, sapphire, ruby, emerald, euclase,
amethyst; also in various localities, zircon, pyropian garnet,
chrome ore; and manganese, and barytes in large veins; likewise
plumbago of the finest quality.

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1 vol. 12mo, with two engravings. $1 25.

The edition with extra illustrations, handsomely bound, will be ready in the autumn.

“Mr. Turnbull gives us the orange groves, and the fountains, and the gondolas, and the frescoes and the ruins, with touches of personal adventure, and sketches of biography, and glimpses of the life, literature, and religion of Modern Italy, seen with the quick, comprehensive glances of an American traveler, impulsive, inquisitive, and enthusiastic. His book is a pleasant record of a tourist’s impressions, without the inflection of the tiresome minutiæ of his everyday experience.”—_Literary World._

“At a moment when Italy is about to be regenerated—when the lone-slumbering spirit of the people is about assuming its ancient vigor, a work of this kind is desirable * * * The country, its people, and prominent features are given with much truth and force.”—_Democratic Review._

_Views A-Foot_;

Or, Europe seen with Knapsack and Staff.

BY BAYARD TAYLOR.

New edition, with an additional Chapter of Practical Information for Pedestrians in Europe, and a Sketch of the Author in Pedestrian Costume, from a Drawing by T. Buchanan Read. 12mo., cloth, $1 25.

—— The same, fancy cloth, gilt extra, $1 75.

“There is a freshness and force in the book altogether unusual in a book of travels * * * As a textbook for travelers the work is especially valuable; it tells how much can be accomplished with very limited means, when energy, curiosity, and a love of adventure are the prompters; sympathy in his success likewise, is another source of interest to the book * * * The result of all this is, a widespread popularity as a writer, a very handsomely printed book, with a very handsome portrait of the author, and we congratulate him upon the attainment of this and future honors.”—_Union Magazine._

_The Spaniards, and their Country._

BY RICHARD FORD.

12mo, green cloth. $1 00.

“The best English book, beyond comparison, that ever has appeared for the illustration, not merely of the general topography and local curiosities, but of the national character and manners of Spain.”—_Quarterly Review._

“This is a very clever and amusing work.”—_Louisville Exam._

“The style is light, dashing, and agreeable.”—_N. Y. Mirror._

⁂ Washington Irving commends this as the best modern popular account of Spain.

_Scenes and Thoughts in Europe._

BY AN AMERICAN.

(Geo. H. Calvert, Esq., Baltimore.) 12mo. 50 cts.

“This book is a delightful instance of the transforming and recreative power of the mind upon every thing it touches. The most hackneyed ground of Europe, persons and objects that have been the theme for the last half dozen years of every literary remittance from abroad, appear to us clothed with new charms and manners, because examined with a finer penetration than they have been by any other English or American traveler.”—_Tribune._

History—Biography—Geography.

_The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus._

To which are added those of his Companions.

BY WASHINGTON IRVING.

New Edition, Revised and Corrected. Maps, Plates, and copious Index. 3 vols. 12mo, green cloth uniform with the new edition of Irving’s Works, $4; half calf, $6; half morocco, top edge gilt, $6 75; full calf, gilt, $7 50. The Octavo Edition, in 3 vols., on superfine paper, uniform with Prescott’s Ferdinand and Isabella, $6; half calf, $8 50; full calf, $10.

“One of the most fascinating and intensely interesting books in the whole compass of English Literature * * * It has all the interest conferred by the truth of history, and at the same time the varied excitement of a well written romance.”—_Western Continent._

“Perhaps the most truly valuable of the Author’s writings.”—_Home Journal._

“The History of Columbus is admirably executed; and though a true and faithful history, it is as interesting as a high wrought romance.”

_The Conquest of Florida._

BY THEODORE IRVING.

_Prof. of History and Belles Letters in the Free Academy._

New and Revised Edition, Corrected, with Notes, and Illustrations from various recent sources. 12mo. In September.

_The Monuments of Central and Western America_;

With Comparative Notices of those in Egypt, India, Assyria, &c.

BY REV. F. L. HAWKS, D. D., LL. D.

1 vol. 8vo.

This work is now in preparation, uniform with “Nineveh.” and the “Monuments of Egypt.” It will comprise a comprehensive, readable, and popular view of the whole subject of Ancient remains on the American continent—with ample Illustrations.

_Roman Liberty: A History_;

With a View of the Liberty of other Ancient Nations.

BY SAMUEL ELLIOTT, ESQ.

Illustrated with twelve engravings, executed at Rome. 2 vols., 8vo, uniform with Prescott’s Historical Works.

_History of the Hebrew Monarchy_,

From the Administration of Samuel to the Babylonish Captivity.

BY FRANCIS NEWMAN, D. D.,

_University of Oxford._

8vo, cloth, $2 50.

_Italy; Past and Present_:

Or General Views of its History, Religion, Politics, Literature and
Art.

BY L. MARIOTTI,

_Prof. of Italian Literature in London University_.

2 vols., 8vo, cloth, $3 50.

_The Letters and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell_,

with Elucidations.

BY THOS. CARLYLE.

The Fine Edition, in 2 vols., Octavo, with Portrait. Reduced to $2
50.

_Borrow’s Autobiography.—Life_:

BY GEORGE BORROW,

_Author of “The Gipsies of Spain,” “The Bible in Spain,” &c._

To be published simultaneously by John Murray, London, and G. P. Putnam, New-York. In one volume, 12mo. In _December_.

⁂ This will be a work of intense interest, including extraordinary adventures in various parts of the world.

_Johnston’s Universal Atlas._

This splendid and important work—by far the most comprehensive, correct and useful Atlas now extant, was published recently in Edinburgh at the price of eight guineas, and the price in this country has been about $50. G. P. Putnam has made arrangements for an edition for the United States, rendered far more valuable by the addition of a COPIOUS and USEFUL INDEX of about 40,000 names; but the maps being transferred in facsimile on stone, the American publisher is enabled to supply it at the low price of $20—elegantly and substantially bound in half morocco, gilt edges. The maps are clearly and beautifully executed, and are practically fully equal to the original edition. The work contains 41 large and splendid maps.

“Having examined many of the Maps of the National Atlas, I have no hesitation in saying, that they are as accurate in their geographical details as they are beautiful in their execution.”—_Sir David Brewster._

“So far as I have yet examined the National Atlas, it is, in beauty of execution and accuracy of detail, unrivalled in this, and, I believe, in any other country.”—_Prof. Traill._

“Those who are not familiar with the places referred to in the History of the French Revolution will frequently find a reference to Maps of great service: and the Military student of Napoleon’s campaigns in Germany and France will see the theatre of war admirably delineated in Mr. Johnston’s Maps of those countries.”—_Alison’s History of Europe._

“I have devoted a considerable time to a rigorous examination of the National Atlas, just published, and, in impartial justice, I must admit, that in accuracy of construction, and elegance of execution, it is superior to any other with which I am acquainted.”—_William Galbraith_, F.R.S. S.A., F.R.A.S.

“These beautiful, accurate, and admirably engraved Maps and Illustrations, are deserving of every praise and encouragement.”—_Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal._

“The National Atlas is truly a splendid publication, and fully deserves not only the distinctive name it bears, but also national patronage.”—_Literary Gazette._

Washington Irvings’s Works.

AUTHOR’S REVISED EDITION.

Elegantly printed in 15 vols. (including new works) and neatly bound in dark cloth.

vol.
I. _Knickerbocker’s New-York_ 1 vol. $1 25.
II. _The Sketch Book_ 1 vol. 1 25.
III. }
IV. } _Columbus and His Companions_ 3 vols. 4 00.
V. }
VI. _Bracebridge Hall_ 1 vol. 1 25.
VII. _Tales of a Traveller_ 1 vol. 1 25.
VIII. _Astoria_, (pp. 510 with map) 1 vol. 1 50.
IX. _The Crayon Miscellany_ 1 vol. 1 25.
X. _Capt. Bonneville’s Adventures_, map 1 vol. 1 25.
*XI. _Oliver Goldsmith, a Biography_ 1 vol. 1 25.
*XII. _Mohammed and his Successors_ 1 vol.
*XIII. _The Conquest of Granada_ 1 vol. 1 25.
XIV. _The Alhambra_ 1 vol. 1 25.
XV. [A new volume.] 1 vol. 1 25.

* Those marked thus are not yet ready, June, 1849.

⁂ Either volume, or complete sets may also be had substantially bound in half calf, 75 cts. extra; half morocco $1 extra; full calf, $1 25 extra.

NOTICES OF THE NEW EDITION OF IRVING.

“The typography of this series is all that could be desired. Nothing superior to it has issued from the American press. Irving will be among American classics what Goldsmith is among those of the Fatherland. His works have not been crowded from our shelves by the hosts of new claimants for public favor, who have appeared since the Sketch Book was in every body’s hands. We have often wondered in common with other readers, why there was no good American edition of his writings; but his place in our literary affections remains as high as ever. The desideratum of which we speak, is now to be supplied by Mr. Putnam; and we are now to have an elegant uniform edition of the works of our foremost writer in the _belles-lettres_ department of literature.”—_Boston Evening Transcript._

“The announcement that a new edition of the works of this admired author was in progress, has led us to revert with pleasure to the delight we enjoyed in our first acquaintance with him through his charming books. He was the first of American writers in the department of elegant literature who obtained a wide name and fame in the old world. Great Britain, France, Northern and Southern Europe, are alike familiar with his delightful and most healthful writings, and doubtless his own good standing abroad has done more than any other single cause to introduce the names and works of others of our countrymen. There is a charm about his writings to which old and young, the educated and the simple, bear cheerful witness. * * * Several new works have not yet seen the light. Among these is announced a Life of Mohammed, and a Life of Washington. As to the latter subject for a volume, we can only say, that if another Life of Washington needs be written—which we doubt—we should prefer, of all men, to have Washington Irving undertake it. The other promised biography, the Life of Mohammed, is a grand, an unexhausted, and a most inviting theme. It has never yet been well treated, nor is it probable that there is a man on this Continent better qualified to treat it with discrimination and power, and with faithfulness to the truth, than Washington Irving. If our country can be covered with a large issue of his writings, it will make some amends for the flood of trumpery which the Press has poured over it.”—_Christian Register._

“The most tasteful and elegant books which have ever issued from the American Press.”—_Trib._

Belles Letters—New Works.
1849-50.

Fenimore Cooper’s Early Works.
THE AUTHOR’S REVISED EDITION.

_The Spy: A Tale of the Neutral Ground._

New Edition. Revised, &c., with Introduction and Notes, handsomely printed, uniform with the Sketch-Book, &c. 12mo, cloth, $1 25.

_The Pilot: A Tale of the Sea._

12mo. $1 25. In September. To be followed by other vols. at intervals.

MR. COOPER’S NEW WORK.

_The Ways of the Hour._

12mo, uniform with “The Spy.” _In press._

“The public will cordially welcome a new and complete edition of this author’s admirable tales, revised, corrected, and illustrated with notes by himself. This is No. 1 of the new series, and is got up in the style of Irving’s works, which we have over and over again commended. As for the tale itself, there is no need to speak of it. It has a place on every shelf, and at once made the fame of its author. It is an absolute pleasure to the lover of books to find the ultra cheap system going out of vogue.”—_N. Y. Albion._

“We are happy to see Mr. Putnam bringing out these American classics, the works of Cooper and Irving, to refresh the present generation as they amused the last. We belong, as their two fine authors do, to both, if men of a buoyant temper and an unflagging spirit ever pass from one generation to another. We remember, as of yesterday, with what eagerness we drank in the tale of ‘The Spy,’ when it first saw light; and how we admired the genius of its author, from the beauty of its production. We can enjoy it still; and so will every American who has taste enough to appreciate an American narrative, told so well by an American writer.”—_Washington Union._

“‘The Spy’ is the most truly national fiction ever produced in America. * * * It is esteemed abroad even more than at home, for it has been translated into almost every European language, and the prejudiced critics of the North British Review have almost consented to give it rank with ‘The Antiquary’ and ‘Old Morality.’”—_Richmond Times._

Miss Sedgwick.

_Clarence; or Twenty Years Since._

The Author’s Revised Edition; complete in one vol. Uniform with Irving’s Works. _In August._

_Redwood._

The Author’s Revised Edition; complete in one vol. _In September._

_A New England Tale_;

Complete in one vol. _In October._

EXTRAORDINARY AND ROMANTIC ADVENTURES.

“Kaloolah will be THE book.”

_Kaloolah; or, Journeyings to the Djébel Kumri._

An Autobiography of Jona. Romer.

EDITED BY W. S. MAYO, M. D.

Illustrations by Darley, beautifully engraved and printed in tint,
12mo, cloth, $1 50.

“The most singular and captivating narrative since Robinson Crusoe.”—_Home Journal._

“‘Kaloolah’ will be ‘The Book.’ If it does not excite a sensation in the reading public we will be perfectly contented to distrust our judgment in such matters in future.”—_Merchant’s Journal._

“By far the most attractive and entertaining book we have read since the days we were fascinated by the chef d’œuvre of Defoe or the graceful inventions of the Arabian Nights. It is truly an American novel—not wholly American in scenery, but American in character and American in sentiment.”—_U.S. Magazine and Democratic Review._

“We have never read a work of fiction with more interest, and we may add, profit—combining, as it does, with the most exciting and romantic adventures, a great deal of information of various kinds. The heroine, Kaloolah, is about as charming and delicate a specimen of feminine nature, as we recollect in any work of imagination or fancy. We will answer for it that all readers will be perfectly delighted with her.”—_Journal of Education._

“We have met with no modern work of fiction that has so entranced us. The former part of Kaloolah carries the reader captive by the same irresistible charm that is found in the pages of Robinson Crusoe, than which imperishable work, however, it presents a wider and more varied field of adventure; while the latter part expands into scenes of splendor, magnificence, and enchantment, unsurpassed by those of the Arabian Nights’ Entertainment.”—_Com. Advertiser._

_Letters from the Alleghany Mountains._

BY CHARLES LANMAN,

_Librarian of the War Department: Author of “A Summer in the
Wilderness,” &c._

12mo, 75cts.

⁂ These letters are descriptive of one of the most interesting regions in the old states of the Union, which has never before been described by any traveller, and they will be found to contain a great amount of valuable information, as well as many characteristic anecdotes and legends of the western parts of North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.

_The Turkish Evening Entertainments_:

The Wonders of Memorials and the Rarities of Anecdotes. By Ahmed Ben Hemden, the Kiyaya. Translated from the Turkish.

BY JOHN P. BROWN, ESQ.,

_Dragoman of the Legation of the United States, at Constantinople_.

12mo. _In September._

“It is by far the most interesting book that has been published at Constantinople for a long time. * * * The historical and amusing interest of the two hundred and seven curiosities, which I might call anecdotes, is so obvious,” &c.—_Von Hammer, the celebrated Orientalist, to the Translator._

“This book is one of the most interesting and amusing which has appeared.”—_Jour. Asiatique._

Choice Illustrated Books.

_The Illustrated Knickerbocker; The History of New-York_,

From the Beginning of the World to the end of the Dutch Dynasty: containing, among many surprising and curious matters, the Unutterable Ponderings of Walter the Doubter; the Disastrous Projects of William the Testy, and the Chivalric Achievements of Peter the Headstrong—the Three Dutch Governors of New-Amsterdam: Being the only authentic History of the Times that ever hath been or ever will be published.

BY DIEDRICH KNICKERBOCKER.

Illustrated with 15 superior engravings on wood, by the most eminent artists, from Designs by Darley, viz:

_Oloffe Van Kortland measuring the land with Tenbroeck’s
breeches._
_Vision of Oloffe the Dreamer, of the future city of
New-Amsterdam._
_The Peach War._
_Portrait of Wouter Van Twiller, from authentic sources._
_Gen. Van Puffenburg, practicing war on the Sunflowers._
_Portrait of Diedrich Knickerbocker, from an original painting
lately discovered by the Expedition to Holland._
_The Dutch Exploring Expedition cast away at Hurlgate._
_Dutch Lover._
_Kiddermeisten in his Coffin._
_Battle at Fort Christina._
_Knickerbocker raging at the crying children._
_Knickerbocker making his bow to the public._

And a larger illustration on stone, from a drawing by Heath, of London; a humorous representation of Peter Stuyvesant’s Army.

Elegantly printed in Royal Octavo. Price in cloth, $3 50; extra dark cloth, gilt edges, $4; dark calf, antique style, $5; morocco extra, $6. _In September._

_The Illustrated Sketch-Book._

_The Sketch-Book._

BY WASHINGTON IRVING.

Illustrated with a series of highly-finished Engravings on Wood, from Designs by Darley and others, Engraved in the best style by Childs, Herrick, &c. One volume, square octavo, cloth extra, $3 50; cloth gilt $4; morocco extra, $6.

“We confess that we know of none in this country so competent, to the task of illustrating this work as the young artist selected for the purpose, Felix Darley, some of whose designs we have had the pleasure of seeing. They are full of the quiet, Crayonish humor peculiar to the author, and drawn with the same elegant finish and freedom from blemish which distinguish all his works. Until we saw these designs we were incredulous as to the ability of any of our native artists to properly illustrate the humorous passages of Irving’s writings.”—_Evening Mirror._

_The Illustrated Tales of a Traveller._

_Tales of a Traveller._

BY WASHINGTON IRVING.

Illustrated with 15 designs by Darley, engraved on wood in the first style by Childs, Herrick, Leslie, Bobbet, Edmonds, &c. One volume, Royal 8vo, same style and prices as the Knickerbocker.

⁂ It is intended that the engravings in this volume and in the Knickerbocker shall exceed in excellence any thing of the kind yet produced in this country. It will be ready in October.

_The Illustrated Goldsmith._

_Oliver Goldsmith, a Biography._

BY WASHINGTON IRVING.

With about 40 Illustrations selected by the publisher from Forster’s Life of Goldsmith, beautifully engraved on wood by W. Roberts. 8vo. _In August._

_Family Pictures from the Bible._

EDITED BY MRS. E. F. ELLETT.

Comprising original articles by Rev. Dr. Bethune, Rev. H. Field, Rev. Mr. Burchard, and other Eminent Divines.

Illustrated with designs by Darley, elegantly printed, 12mo. _In Sept._