It is scarcely possible for any admirer of nature to be more enthusiastically fond of her romantic scenery than myself; but her wildest features are seldom within the common range of man's habitation. The rugged paths of alpine regions will not be daily trodden by the foot of affluence, nor will the thundering cataracts of Niagara seduce the votaries of pleasure frequently to visit their wonders; it is only by a pleasing illusion that we can avail ourselves of those means which Nature herself furnishes, even in tame scenery, to imitate her bolder effects; and to this illusion, if well conducted, the eye of genuine taste will not refuse its assent. "La Nature fuit les lieux frequentes, c'est au sommet des montagnes, au fond des forets, dans les isles desertes, qu'elle etale ses charmes les plus touchants, ceux qui l'aiment et ne peuvent l'aller chercher si loin, sont reduits a lui faire violence, et a la forcer en quelque sorte a venir habiter parmi eux, et tout cela ne peut se faire sans un peu d'illusion."-J. J. ROUSSEAU. [Nature flies from frequented places; it is on the summit of mountains, in the depths of forests, and in desert islands, that she displays her most affecting charms; those who love her, and who cannot go so far in search of her, are reduced to the necessity of constraining her, and forcing her to take up her habitation among them; but this cannot be done without a certain degree of illusion.]
