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The banks of Hudfon's river, especially on the western fide, are chiefly rocky cliffs. The paffage through the Highlands, which is fixteen miles, affords a wild, romantic fcene. In this narrow pafs, on each fide of which the mountains tower to a great height, the wind, if there be any, is collected and compreffed, and blows continually as through a bellows. Veffels, in paffing through it, are often obliged to lower their fails. The bed of this river, which is deep and fmooth to an aftonishing distance, through a hilly, rocky country, and even through ridges of fome of the highest mountains in the United States, muft undoubtedly have been produced by fome mighty convulfion in nature. The tide flows a few iniles above Albany, which is 160 miles from New-York. It is navigable for floops of 80 tons to Albany, and for fhips to Hudfon. About 60 miles above New-York the water becomes freth. The river is ftored with a variety of fifh, which renders a fummer paffage to Albany delightful and amufing to those who are fond of angling.

The advantages of this river for carrying on the fur-trade with Canada, by means of the lakes, have already been mentioned. Its convenience for internal commerce are fingularly great. The produce of the remoteft farms is eafily and speedily conveyed to a certain and profitable market, and at the loweft expence. In this refpect, New-York has greatly the advantage of Philadelphia. A great proportion of the produce of Pennfylvania is carried to market in waggons, over a great extent of country, fome of which is rough: hence it is that Philadelphia is crouded with waggons, carts, horfes and their drivers, to do the fame business that is done in New-York, where all the produce of the country is brought to market by water, with much lefs fhew and parade. But Pennfylvania has other advantages, which will be mentioned in their proper place, to compenfate for this natural defect. The increafing population of the fertile lands upon the northern branches of the Hudfon, muft annually increase the amazing wealth that is conveyed by its waters to New-York.

The river St. Lawrence divides this ftate from Canada. It rifes in Lake Ontario, runs north-eastward-embofoms Montreal, which stands upon an island-paffes by Quebec, and empties, by a broad mouth, into the bay of St. Lawrence. Among a variety of fifh in this river are falmon. They are found as far up as the falls of Niagara, which they cannot pafs.

Onondago river rifes in the lake of the fame name, runs weftwardly into Lake Ontario at Ofwego. It is boatable from its mouth to the head of the lake; (except a fall which occafions a portage of twenty yards) thence batteaux go up Wood creek, almoft to Fort Stanwix; whence there is a portage of a mile to Mohawks river. Toward the head waters of this river falmon are caught in great quantities.

Mohawks river rifes to the northward of Fort Stanwix, and runs fouthwardly to the fort, then eastward 110 miles, into the Hudson. The produce that is conveyed down this river is landed at Skenectady, and is thence carried by land fixteen miles, over a barren, fhrub plain, to Albany. Except a portage of about a mile, occafioned by the little falls, fixty miles above Skenectady, the river is paffable for boats, from Skenectady, nearly or quite to its fource. The Cohoez, in this river, are a great curiofity, They are about two miles from its entrance into the 9 Hudfon

Hudfon. The river is about 100 yards wide-the rock over which it pours as over a mill-dam, extends almost in a line from one fide of the river to the other, and is about thirty feet perpendicular height. Including the defcent above, the fall is as much as fixty or feventy feet. The rocks below, in fome places, are worn many feet deep by the conftant friction of the water. The view of this tremendous cataract is diminished by the height of the banks on each fide of the river. About a mile below the falls, the river branches, and forms a large ifland; but the two mouths may be feen at the fame time from the oppofite bank of the Hudfon. The branches are fordable at low water, but are dangerous.

Delaware river rifes in Lake Utftayantho, and takes its courfe fouthweft, until it croffes into Pennsylvania in latitude 42°. Thence fouthwardly, dividing New-York from Pennfylvania, until it ftrikes the northweft corner of New-Jerfey, in latitude 41° 24′; and then paffes off to fea, through Delaware bay, having New-jerfey on the east side, and Pennfylvania and Delaware on the west.

Sufquehannah river has its fource in lake Otfego, from which it takes a fouth-weft courfe. It croffes the line, which divides New-York and Pennsylvania, three times, the last time near Tyoga point, where it receives Tyoga river. Batteaux pafs to its fource-thence to Mohawks river is but twenty miles.

Tyoga river rifes in the Allegany mountains, in about latitude 42°, runs caftwardly, and empties in the Sufquehannah at Tyoga point, in latitude 41° 57. It is boatable about fifty miles.

Seneca river rifes in the Seneca country, and runs eastwardly, and in its paffage receives the waters of the Seneca and Cayoga lakes, (which lie north and fouth, ten or twelve miles apart; each is between thirty and forty miles in length, and about a mile in breadth) and empties into the Onondago river, a little above the falls. It is boatable from the lakes downwards.

Cheneffe river rifes near the fource of the Tyoga, and runs northwardly by the Cheneffe castle and flats, and empties into Lake Ontario eighty miles eaft of Niagara fort.

The north-eat branch of the Allegany river, heads in the Allegany mountains, near the fource of the Tyoga, and runs directly weft until it is joined by a larger branch from the fouthward, which rifes near the weft branch of the Sufquehannah. Their junction is on the line between Pennsylvania and New-York. From this junction, the river purfues a north-weft coaft, leaving a fegment of the river of about fifty miles in length, in the ftate of New-York, thence it proceeds in a circuitous fouth-west direction, until it croffes into Pennfylvania. From thence to its entrance into the Miffiffippi, it has already been defcribed; (Page 45.)

There are few fish in the rivers, but in the brooks are plenty of trout; and in the lakes, yellow perch, fun-fish, falmon trout, cat-fish, and a variety of others.

From this account of the rivers, it is eafy to conceive of the excellent advantages for conveying produce to market from every part of the state.

The fettlements already made in this ftate, are chiefly upon two nar. ow oblongs, extending from the city of New-York, eaft and north,

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The one caft, is Loug-Ifland, which is 140 miles long, and narrow, and furrounded by the fea. The one extending north is about forty miles in breadth, and bifected by the Hudfon. And fuch is the interfection of the whole state, by the branches of the Hudfon, the Delaware, the Sufquehannah, and other rivers which have been mentioned, that there are few places, throughout its whole extent, that are more than fifteen or twenty miles from fome boatable or navigable stream.

Bays and lakes.] York bay, which is nine miles long, and four broad, fpreads to the fouthward before the city of New-York. It is formed by the confluence of the Eaft and Hudfon's rivers, and embofoms feveral small islands, of which Governor's ifland is the principal. It communicates with the ocean through the Narrows, between Staten and Long-Iflands, which are fcarcely two miles wide. The paffage up to New-York, from Sandy-Hook, the point of land that extends fartheft into the fea, is safe, and not above twenty miles in length. The common navigation is between the east and weft banks, in about twenty-two feet water. is a light-houfe at Sandy-Hook, on Jerfey fhore.

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South-Bay, is the fouthern branch or head of Lake Champlain. It commences at the falls of a creek, which is navigable feveral miles into the country, and forms moft excellent meadows. From the falls to Ticonderoga, is thirty miles. The bay is generally half a mile wide near the head, but in feveral places below, a mile. Its banks are fteep hills or cliffs of rocks, generally inacceffible. At Ticonderoga, this bay unites with Lake George, which comes from the fouth-weft, towards the Hudfon, and is about thirty-five miles long, and one mile broad. After their union, they are contracted to a small breadth, between Ticonderoga, on the weft, and Mount Independance, on the caft. They then open into Lake Champlain before defcribed.

Oneida Lake lies about twenty miles weft of Fort Stanwix, and extends weftward about 25 miles.

Salt Lake is fmall, and empties into Seneca river, foon after its junction with the Onondago river. This lake is ftrongly impregnated with faline particles, which circumftance gave rife to its name. The Indians make

their falt from it.

Lake Otfego, at the head of Sufquehannah river, is about nine miles long, and narrow.

Caniaderago Lake is nearly as large as Lake Otfego, and fix miles wet of it. A ftream, by the name of Oaks Creek, iffues from it, and falls into the Sufquehannah river, about five miles below Otfego. The best cheese in the state of New-York is made upon this creek.

Chatoque Lake is the fource of Conawongo river, which empties into the Allegany. The lower end of it, whence the river proceeds, is in latitude 42° 10′; from thence to its head, is about twenty-five miles. From the north-west part of this lake to Lake Erie, is nine miles, and was once a communication ufed by the French.

On the north fide of the mountains, in Orange county, is a very valuable tract called the Drowned Lands, containing about, 40 or 50,000 acres. The waters, which defcend from the furrounding hills, being but flowly difcharged by the river iffuing from it, cover thefe vaft meadows every winter, and render them extremely fertile; but they expofe the inhabi

tants

tants in the vicinity to intermittents. The Wallkill river, which paffes through this extenfive amphibious tract, and empties into Hudfon's river, is, in the fpring, ftored with very large eels in great plenty. The bottom of this river is a broken rock; and it is fuppofed, that for £.2000, the channel might be deepened fo as to let off all the waters from the meadows, and thereby redeem from the floods a large tract of rich land, for grafs, hemp, and Indian corn.

Face of the country, foil and productions.] The ftate, to fpeak generally, is interfected by ridges of mountains running in a north-east and fouth weft direction. Beyond the Allegany mountains, however, the country is a dead level, of a fine, rich foil, covered in its natural state, with maple, beach, birch, cherry, black walnut, locuft, hickory, and fome mulberry trees. On the banks of Lake Erie, are a few chefnut and oak ridges. Hemlock fwamps are interfperfed thinly through the country. All the creeks that empty into Lake Erie, have falls, which afford many excellent mill-feats.

Eaft of the Allegany mountains, the country is broken into hills with rich intervening vallies. The hills are clothed thick with timber, and when cleared afford fine pafture-the vallies, when cultivated, produce wheat, hemp, flax, peas, grafs, oats, Indian corn.

Befides the trees already mentioned, there are, in various parts of the state, the feveral kinds of oak, such as white, red, yellow, black and chefnut oak; white, yellow, fpruce and pitch pines; cedar, balfam, or fir-tree, butternut, afpin, commonly called poplar, white wood, which in Pennfylvania is called poplar, and in Europe the tulip tree, fugar and rock maple, the linden tree, which, with the whitewood, grows on the low rich ground, the buttonwood or fycamore, fhrub cranberry, the fruit of which hangs in clusters like grapes as large as cherries; this fhrub, too, grows on low ground. Befides thefe is the fumach, which bears clusters of red berries; the Indians chew the leaves inftead of tobacco; the berries are ufed in dyes. Of the commodities produced from culture, wheat is the ftaple, of which immenfe quantities are raised, and exported. Indian corn and peas are likewife raised for exportation; and rye, oats, barley, &c. for home confumption.

In fome parts of the state large dairies are kept, which furnish for the market butter and cheese. The beft lands in this state, which lie along the Mohawks river, and weft of the Allegany mountains, are yet in a ftate of nature, or are just beginning to be fettled.

Civil Divifions, Population, Character, &c.] This ftate, agreeably to an act of their legiflature, paffed in March 1788, is divided into fixteen counties; which, by another act paffed at the fame time, were divided into townships, as in the following table.

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* Thefe two counties were not conftituted in 1786, when the above enumeration was made, and were included in fome of the other counties.

+ Thefe counties are claimed by New-York, but are within the limits, and

under the jurifdictions of Vermont.

Not mentioned in the act.

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