THIS State is fituated between 40° 40′ and 45° north latitude, and

5° weft and 1° 30′ eaft longitude from Philadelphia. Its length is about three hundred and fifty miles, and its breadth about three hundred. It is bounded fouth-eastwardly by the Atlantic ocean; eaft by the States of Connecticut, Maffachusetts, and Vermont; north by the 45th degree of latitude, which divides it from Canada; northweftwardly by the river Iroquois, or St. Lawrence, and the lakes Ontario and Erie; fouth-weft and fouth by Pennfylvania and NewJerfey.

FACE OF THE COUNTRY, SEA COAST, &c.

This State, to speak generally, is interfected by ridges of moun tains running in a north-east and south-west direction. Beyond the Allegany mountains, however, the country is a dead level, of a fine rich foil, covered in its natural state with maple, beech, birch, cherry, black walnut, locuft, hickory and fome mulberry trees. On the banks of lake Erie are a few chefnut and oak ridges. Hemlock swamps are interspersed thinly through the country. All the creeks that empty into lake Erie have falls which afford many excellent mill-feats.

The lands between the Seneca and Cayuga lakes are reprefented as uncommonly excellent, being moft agreeably diverfified with gentle rifings, and timbered with lofty trees, with little underwood. The legislature of this State have granted one million and a half of acres of land as a gratuity to the officers and foldiers of the line of this State. This tract is bounded weft by the east shore of the Seneca lake, and the Maffachusetts lands in the new county of Ontario ; north by part of lake Ontario near fort Ofwego; fouth by a ridge of the Allegany mountains and the Pennsylvania line; and east by the TufVOL. II.

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caroro

caroro Creek, which falls nearly into the middle of the Oneida lake, and that part of Montgomery which has been fettling by the NewEng and people very rapidly fince the peace.

This pleafant country is divided into twenty-five townships of fixty thousand acres each, which are again fubdivided into one hundred convenient farms, of fix hundred acres, making in the whole two thousand five hundred farms.

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 a very fine pafture: the vallies, when cultivated, produce wheat, hemp, flax, peas, grafs, oats and Indian corn. The rivers in this State are numerous.

Hudfon's river is one of the largest and fineft in the United States it rifes in the mountainous country between the lakes Ontario and Champlain. In its courfe fouth-easterly it approaches within fix or eight miles of lake George; then, after a fhort courfe east, turns foutherly and receives the Socondaga from the fouth-west, which heads in the neighbourhood of Mohawk river. The course of the river thence to New-York, where it empties into York bay, is uniformly fouth, twelve degrees, or fifteen degrees weft. Its whole length is about two hundred and fifty miles; from Albany to lake George is fixty-five miles. This diftance, the river is navigable only for batteaux, and has two portages, occafioned by falls, of half a mile each.

The banks of Hudfon's river, especially on the western fide, as far as the highlands extend, are chiefly rocky cliffs. The paffage through the highlands, which is fixteen miles, affords a wild romantic scene: in this narrow pass, on each fide of which the mountains tower to a great height, the wind, if there be any, is collected and compressed, 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 smooth to an astonishing 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 miles above Albany, which is one hundred and fixty miles from NewYork; it is navig ble for floops of eighty tons to Albany, and for fhips to Hudfon: fhip navigation to Albany is interrupted by a number of islands, fix or eight miles below the city, called the Overnaugh. It is in contemplation to confine the river to one channel, by which

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which means the channel will be deepened, and the difficulty of approaching Albany with veffels of a larger size be removed. About fixty miles above New-York the water becomes fresh. The river is ftored with a variety of fifh, which renders a fummer paffage to Albany delightful and amufing to thofe who are fond of angling.

The advantages of this river for carrying on the fur trade with Canada, by means of the lakes, have been already mentioned its conveniencies for internal commerce are fingularly great: the produce of the remoteft farms is eafily and fpeedily conveyed to a certain and profitable market, and at the loweft expenfe; in this refpect, New-York has greatly the advantage of Philadelphia. A great pro portion of the produce of Pennsylvania is carried to market in waggons, over a great extent of country, fome of which is rough; hence it is that Philadelphia is crowded with waggons, carts, horfes and their drivers, to do the fame bufinefs that is done in New-York, where all the produce of the country is brought to market by water, with much less fhew and parade. But Philadelphia has other advantages, which will be mentioned in their proper place, to compensate for this natural defect. The increasing population of the fertile lands upon the northern branches of the Hudson muft annually increase the amazing wealth that is conveyed by its waters to New-York: added to this, the ground has been marked out, the level ascertained, a company incorporated, by the name of "The Prefident, Directors, and Company of the Northern Inland Lock Navigation, in the State of New-York," and funds fubfcribed for the purpose of cutting a canal from the nearest approximating point of Hudfon's river to South bay, which empties into the fouth end of lake Champlain: the distance is eighteen miles. The difference of level and the face of the country are fuch, as to justify a belief that the opening of this canal will not be lefs practicable than useful.

Saranac river pafles through Plattsburg into lake Champlain : it has been explored nearly thirty miles, and there found equal in fize to the mouth. In this river is the greatest abundance of fish, such aş falmon, bafs, pike, pickerel, trout, &c.

Sable river, not far from the Saranac, is fcarcely fixty yards wide. On this stream are remarkable falls: the whole defcent of the water is about two hundred feet in several pitches, the greatest of which is forty feet perpendicular: at the foot of it the water is unfathomable. A large pine has been feen, in a frefhet, to pitch over endwife, and

remain feveral minutes under water. The ftream is confined by high rocks on either fide, a space of forty feet, and the banks at the falls are, at least, as many feet high. In a frefhet the flood wood frequently lodges, and in a few minutes the water rifes to full banks, and then bursts away its obstructions with a moft tremendous crashing. The Big and Little' Chazy rivers are in the township of Champlain, which borders on the Canada line; both are navigable some miles, the former fix or feven, affording good mill feats-several mills are already erected. The British have a poft, and maintain a small garrifon, at Point-au-fer in this township.

The river Boquet paffes through the town of Wilsborough, in Clinton county, and is navigable for boats about two miles, and is there interrupted by falls, on which are mills. At this place are the remains of an entrenchment thrown up by General Burgoyne. Here he gave his famous war feast to his "numerous hoft of SAVAGES,' and here, probably, he first conceived that celebrated proclamation which he afterwards brought forth.

Black river rifes in the high country, near the fources of Canada Creek, which falls into Mohawk river, and takes its course northweft, and then north-eaft, till it discharges itself into Cataraqua, or Iroquois river, not far from Swegauchee: it is faid to be navigable for batteaux up to the lower falls, fixty miles, which is distant from the flourishing fettlement of Whitestown twenty-five miles. The whole length of this river is reckoned at one hundred and twelve miles.

Onondago river rifes in the Oneida lake, runs weftwardly into lake Ontario at Ofwego: it is navigable for boats from its mouth to the head of the lake, feventy-four miles, except a fall which occafions a portage of twenty yards, thence batteaux go up Wood creek almost to Fort Stanwix, forty miles, whence there is a portage of amile to Mohawk river. Toward the head waters of this river falmon are. caught in great quantities.

Mohawk river rifes to the northward of Fort Stanwix, about eight miles from Black river, and runs fouthwardly twenty miles to the fort; then eastward, one hundred and ten 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 shrub plain, to Albany. Except a portage of about a mile, occafioned by the little falls, fifty-fix miles above Skenectady, the river is paffable for boats from Skenectady nearly or quite to its fource. The perpendicular descent of these falls is estimated at forty-two feet in the course of one

mile;

mile; and it is fuppofed, they might be locked fo as to be rendered paffable for boats carrying five tons, for about fifteen thoufand pounds currency. The Cohoez in this river are a great curiofity; they are three miles from its entrance into the Hudfon. The river is about one hundred yards wide, the rock over which it pours as over a mill 'dam, extends almoft 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 constant friction of the water. The view of this tremendous cataract is diminifhed 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 island; but the two mouths may be seen at the fame time from the oppofite bank of the Hudfon: the branches are fordable at low water, but are dangerous. A company by the name of "The Prefident, Directors, and Company of the Western Inland Lock Navigation, in the State of New-York," were incorporated by the legislature of New-York, in March, 1792, for the purpose of opening a lock navigation from the now navigable part of Hudfon's river, to be extended to lake Ontario, and to the Seneca lake. This rout has been furveyed and found practicable, the expenfe eftimated, and the funds fubfcribed, and the work is to be executed with all poffible dispatch. The opening of this navigation will be a vaft acquifition to the commerce of this State: A fhore of at least one thousand miles in length will, in confequence of it, be washed by boatable waters, exclufive of all the great lakes, and many millions of acres of excellent tillage land, rapidly fettling, will be accommodated with water communication for conveying their produce to market.

Delaware river rifes in Lake Utftayantho, latitude 42° 25′, and takes its courfe fouth-weft, until it croffes into Pennfylvania in -latitude 42°; thence fouthwardly, dividing New-York from Pennfylvania, until it ftrikes the north-weft corner of New-Jersey, in latitude 41° 24′; and then paffes off to fea, through Delaware bay, having New-Jerfey on the eaft fide, and Pennfylvania and Delaware on the west.

Susquehannah, E. Branch, river has its source in lake Otfego, latitude 42° 55', from which it takes a fouth-weft course: it croffes the line which divides New-York and Pennsylvania three times, the laft time near Tyoga Point, where it receives Tyoga river. Batteaux pass to its fource; thence to Mohawk river is but twenty miles, capable of good roads,

Tyoga