of the Notch, is seen the beautiful waterfall, called by Dr. Dwight, the Silver Cascade-issuing from the mountain on the left, and passing over a series of rocks almost perpendicularly 800 feet, A short distance below, from the left, falls another clear and beautiful stream, called the Flume; and at the distance of about a mile below this, on a small interval, is situated the comfortable dwelling, lately inhabited by the unfortunate family destroved.

The road from Crawford's down to the Notch House was a perfect ruin-the bridges being all torn up, deep gulleys and new streams formed along the path, and masses of rocks of great size thrown together, apparently by the waters-which, in some places along the road, must have risen to the height of 20 or 25 feet. On entering the Notch, a scene was presented which it is impossible accurately to describe. Enormous masses of granite, over which the road in the pass was formed, were torn from their foundations. some of which were removed many rods down and others formed barriers across the path. over which a tremendous cataract seems to have flower.. eutting deep basins out of the substantial floor beneath, until the raging and confined torrent bursting its prison, swept every thing before 11. From the sides of the Notch, the loose crags had! fallen, and many a stately tree, which for wr ed above the gulf, came down with the soi, upo. which it grew. The two beautiful stream: often noticed by travellers. appart swollen to the size of rivers a powe down the rocky steep with overtime-About 80

n

eller

The house inhabited by Capt. Willey and his family, stood on the westerly side of the road, and a few rods distant from the high bluff which rises with fearful rapidity to the height of 2000 feet. Adjoining was a barn and woodhouse-in front, was a beautiful little meadow covered with crops -and the Saco passed along at the foot of the easterly precipice. Nearly in range of the house, a slide from the extreme point of the westerly hill came down in a deep and horrible mass to within about five rods of the dwelling, where its course appears to have been checked by a large block of granite, which, falling on a flat surface, backed the rolling mass for a moment, until it separated into two streams-one of which rushed down by the north end of the house, crushing the barn, and spreading itself over the meadow-the other passing down on the south side, and swallowing up the unfortunate beings, who probably attempted to fly to a shelter, which, it is said, had been erected a few rods distant. This shelter, whatever it might have been, was completely overwhelmed; rocks weighing 10 to 50 tons being scattered about the place, and indeed in every direction-rendering escape utterly impossible. The house remained untouched, though large stones and trunks of trees made fearful approaches to its walls, and the moving mass, which separated behind the building, again united in its front! The house alone could have been their refuge from the horrible uproar around-the only spot untouched by the crumbling and consuming power of the storm.

A traveller, of the name of Barker, from Effingham, who had been to the north, passed down the notch road on Wednesday. Arriving at the house at dark, he found the doors all open, the coverings of the beds thrown off, and the wearing apparel of the family lying about the floor. Their

fate he knew not, but could hardly doubt; and as soon as morning enabled him to proceed, he went to the senior Mr. Crawford's, six miles below the Notch House, and inquired for the absent family. No one had seen them. Immediate search was made, and during the day the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Willey, and a Mr. Allen, were discovered at some distance from the house, partly buried in the earth, and covered with limbs and trunks of trees.

The family consisted of nine persons, the names and ages of whom were given us by a relative of Mrs. W. as follow:

Mr. Willey was a man of respectable connections, and of excellent character. A brother, and it is believed his father, represented the town of Conway in the state legislature; and another (Rev. B. G. Willey) was a clergyman. The deceased was in comfortable circumstances of life -had a neat farm in the town of Bartlett, which he rented, and where he was once obliged to remove his dwelling in consequence of a sudden flood of the Saco. By the persuasion of some of his friends, he was induced to purchase the little estate at the Notch, and about a year previous to his death, removed thither, where he continued to minister to the wants of the traveller until the day of his untimely end.

Allen and Nickerson were laborers, in the employ of Mr. Willey, the former of whom left four orphan children, pennyless to the charities of the world. Both were from the town of Bartlett.

Great numbers visited the scene of destruction during the days following the discovery of the three bodies, searching for the remainder; and three others were afterwards found.

In attempting this account, the writer feels his utter inability to describe the variety and extent of the destruction. To form a correct idea of the out-pouring torrents, the reader must have been in the midst; he must have been at the foot of the mountains-watched the movements of the clouds, and listened to the hollow winds, as their echoes, reverberating among the hills, rolled away like distant thunders; he must have travelled over the immense masses which rolled down like the eruptions of a volcano,-the rocks, the trees, the streams, removed from their former beds, and the deep channels cut among the rocks for new rivers bursting out of the sides of the mountains; he must have visited the little cottage, standing alone in the path of the deluge, which, as if unwilling to destroy, parted in its rear, and leaving it untouched, closed again before it! Having done so, he may conceive a scene, that we are unable to describe, though its impressions will not soon be forgotten.

A great amount of property was destroyed in all the towns situated at the foot of the mountains, and indeed in many other sections of the country. But the unparalleled severity of the storm here, and the melancholy catastrophe attending it, will long be noted in the history of our State.

A PLAN FOR PROVIDING MATERIALS FOR

HISTORY.

[Communicated for Publication.]

One of the greatest difficulties to a historian is to carry himself back to the times whose events he describes, and make himself, in imagination at least, a cotemporary with the feelings, the prejudices, the manners and customs, and the whole circumstances of the society which then existed. Unless he does this, he cannot accurately portray those strong points in the changes of human affairs, which make up the beginnings of great revolutions in thought, customs, improvements, and progress in societies, communities and nations. This is properly the province of the general historian, who deduces the philosophy of history from facts, and exhibits their relative importance in the changes of the world. But to such a historian, minute facts are absolutely necessary to accuracy in his inferences and conclusions. Such facts, however, it must be confessed, are but partially to be obtained by any one who attempts the history of the past ages of our country. How often little incidents, originating even in a comparatively obscure village or country town, and not considered, at the time, of great relative importance, have been the beginning of some mighty change, affecting the politics, the religion, or the improvements of a state, a nation, or the world. But for want of some one to give a faithful description of them at the time, the truth goes down to posterity enveloped in obscurity and error. The records of towns, societies, and individuals, are often very imperfectly kept; and when kept, are exposed to destruction by the carelessness of officers, through whose hands they successively pass; and the unforeseen and unavoidable accidents of life. And, indeed, when such records are accurately