We were roused very early this morning for the purpose of continuing our route. Having the opportunity of a returning barouche and four which brought up a party from Saratoga Springs yesterday, we were able to fix our own hour and consequently decided upon an early one in order to get out of the dust. Our vehicle was rather too small for the company as we were six, Mrs. Thresher proving in this case a slight inconvenience. We made good nine miles to breakfast at Glenn’s Falls and took a spare half hour to see the Falls. They are disfigured by factories and civilization, but are in themselves curious, particularly 49the variety of fissures in the slate rocks which formed caverns pointed out to us by the boys in the vicinity. There is a legend connected with them which Cooper has worked into his novel of the Pioneers but which I do not distinctly recollect.

Returned to breakfast and then off again. Our horses having so light a carriage found no difficulty in transporting us and the only inconvenience we had to put up with was the dust from these heaps of sand. At half past eleven we reached the Springs and established ourselves at Congress Hall. Here we received a letter from Boston.1 The first we have seen since leaving Niagara Falls, and therefore quite a source of gratification to us in the cheering intelligence it conveyed that all were well. We found here not many persons whom we knew but the facility of making acquaintances was greater than we had found it elsewhere. General Van Rensselaer and his daughter Mrs. Wilkins were here and old acquaintances, Mrs. Dudley of Albany, a Mr. and Mrs. Lewis from Louisiana and several others too numerous to mention. But the hotel in general could not be said to be very full.

After dinner we went out to walk and I looked in at the two other houses and found at the United States, Mr. and Mrs. Rollins of Boston with Miss Rollins and Mr. and Mrs. Sigourney. We had met them for a day at Niagara and they had come home in advance of us by avoiding Quebec. My Wife here heard of her friend, Miss Anne Carter’s engagement to be married to Mr. Seaver. We rambled about the ground and took a turn in the pleasure railway which is erected near the House to cheat people into exercise and out of money. This done and having drank a glass of the water from the Spring, which I like very well we returned to the House, to tea.

After tea, the society collected in the great room and there being a concert we felt ourselves in some measure bound to attend it. There were but about thirty persons present to here Mr. Trust perform upon the Harp, or rather execute for there is no great music beyond what is necessary for an accompaniment in a Harp, and Mr. Dempster sing several songs much out of tune. We were unable to remain through the performance, and indeed were not anxious to do so.

We had engaged to go over to a dance at the United States Hotel. The rooms are very large and handsome, but the number present was exceedingly small and of those few of our acquaintance. However we got through the evening as pleasantly as any of them, and returned home before midnight to bed.