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[From the Church Intelligencer.]

We offer no apology to our readers in giving them the
full and detailed account of the recent important cere-
monies at Sewanee, which we take from the Nashville
Republican Banner, knowing that everything in relation
to our rising University must be of interest to them.

LAYING THE CORNER-STONE OF THE SOUTHERN
UNIVERSITY.

On the Rail--Going up the Mountain--Cumberland
Scenery--University Place--The Hotel--Laying the
Marble Corner-Stone--Interesting and Impressive
Ceremony--Oration of Hon. John S. Preston--The
Dinner--Lieutenant Maury, &c.

THE MOUNTAIN EXCURSION TO SEWANEE.

On the four o'clock, A. M. train from the Nashville
and Chattanooga Railway station, last Wednesday, a
large number of excursionists left this city for University
Place, on Cumberland Mountain, to witness the cere-
mony of the laying of the corner-stone of the University
of the South. Among the passengers on the train were
many of the most influential citizen-merchants of Nash-
ville, together with invited guests from other cities.
The day dawned gloriously, and the morning atmosphere
was bracing, pure and invigorating, while the trip up was
enlivened by cheerful conversation and lively anecdote
among the passengers, who seemed to be in most ex-
cellent spirits. Horn's splendid silver band, of this city,
having been engaged to furnish the music of the occa-
sion, was on the train, and delighted the passengers
with some of their best musical selections. At Tullahoma
station quite an addition was made to the party of ex-
cursionists, and at Decherd another large delegation
from Winchester came on the train, and with them quite
a number of Nashvillians who had gone up as far as this
point on the night previous. The train, as far up as

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Cowan station, was under the supervision of Conductor
J. T. Whaling, a polite, attentive, and gentleman attache
of the N. & C. Railroad, to whose kind attentions the
passengers were indebted for much of the pleasure and
comfort of the excursion.

GOING UP THE MOUNTAIN.

At Cowan the passengers changed cars, taking the
Sewanee train, at about 9 o'clock. The Sewanee Rail-
way Company had made every preparation for the
transportation of passengers, having procured a number
of cars from the N. & C. Railway station at Nashville,
and delegated their agent, Mr. Boyd, to take charge of
the passengers from Cowan to University Place. Soon
again the train was in motion, and then began the novel
ascent of the mountain by railroad. This was decidedly
the feature of the exursion, and excited not a little the
wonderment of the excursionists, as the train moved
steadily up the inclinded plane. We believe this is the
first instance of a railroad train of cars going up a moun-
tain side, and may well be considered one of the most
remarkable accomplishments of modern science. Our
locomotive, the "General Mosquera," a namesake of the
celebrated Central American Liberator, who is a large
stockholder in the Sewanee Company, puffed like a
grampus, and screamed as if in defiance of the onerous
duties it had to perform. The train passed directly
over the great door of the Cumberland Tunnel, winding
around the mountain side, and ascending all the time
higher and still higher above the tree tops of the valley
beneath. The scene at this point was beautiful beyond
description; the mountain gorges, the distant slopes,
the rugged cliffs, and the sweeping plain in the valley
below, with here and there a "clearing" and a rude
cottage, presented a picture not easily to be erased
from the memory. Near the summit of the mountain
an artificial opening between the trees displayed in the
distance the pretty little village of Winchester, with its
pointing spires clearly visible in the sunlight, at a dis-
tance of nearly twelve miles. The train soon reached
University Depot, from which point the visitors were

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