_Oct. 29th, 30th, and 31st_.--Wonderfully fine, with the full harvest
moon, dazzling and silvery. I have haunted the river every night lately,
where I could get a look at the bridge by moonlight. It is indeed a
structure of perfection and beauty unsurpassable, and I never tire of
it. The river at present is very low; I noticed to-day it had much more
of a blue-clear look than usual. I hear the slight ripples, the air
is fresh and cool, and the view, up or down, wonderfully clear, in the
moonlight. I am out pretty late: it is so fascinating, dreamy. The cool
night-air, all the influences, the silence, with those far-off eternal
stars, do me good. I have been quite ill of late. And so, well-near the
centre of our national demesne, these night views of the Mississippi.