Thus we wandered on in this world within a world, till we had visited twelve very beautiful rooms, and as many creeping places, and had now arrived at the end,—­a distance from our entrance of between twenty-four and twenty-five hundred feet; or, what is about its equal, half a mile from the mouth.  We here found ourselves exceedingly fatigued; but our torches forbade us to tarry, and we once more turned our lingering steps towards the common world.  When we arrived again at Washington Hall, one of our company three times discharged a pistol, whose report was truly deafening; and as the sound reverberated and echoed through one room after another till it died away in distance, it seemed like the moanings of spirits.  We continued our wandering steps till we arrived once more at daylight, having been nearly three hours in the cavern.  We were much fatigued, covered with dirt, and in a cold sweat; yet we regretted to leave it.  From the farther end of the cave I gathered some handsome stalactites, which I put into my portmanteau, and preserved as mementos of that day’s visit.

To compare the Natural Bridge and Cave together as objects of curiosity, is exceedingly difficult.  Many consider the Bridge as the greatest curiosity; but I think the Cavern is.  In looking at the Bridge we are filled with awe; at the Cavern with delight.  At the Bridge we have several views that are awful; at the Cave hundreds that are pleasing.  At the Bridge you stand and gaze in astonishment; at the Cave awfulness is lost in beauty, and grandeur is dressed in a thousand captivating forms.  At the Bridge you feel yourself to be looking into another world; at the Cave you find yourself already arrived there.  The one presents to us a God who is very “wonderful in working;” the other exhibits the same power, but with it is blended loveliness in a thousand forms.  In each is vastness.  Greatness constitutes the whole of one; but the other is elegant, as well as great.  Of each we must retain lively impressions; and to witness such displays of the Creator’s power, must ever be considered as happy events in our lives.  While viewing scenes like these, we must ever exalt the energy of creating power, and sink under the thoughts of our own insignificance.  The works of nature are admirably well calculated to impress us deeply with a sense of the mighty power of God, who can separate two mountains by a channel of awfulness, or fill the bowels of a huge mountain with beauties, that man, with all the aid of art, can only admire, but never imitate.

The Christian Slave.

We venture to extract another of Mr. Todd’s Simple Sketches, so charmingly are they described.