No. 112.] 721 



the deep gorges, and along the high and broken slopes of th 

 Keene mountains. 



North Elba has little assimilation to the other towns of the 

 county, either in its topographical arrangement or in the charac^ 

 ter of its soil. The gigantic amphitheatre of mountains, which 

 almost encircle the town, form in its outline an arc of nearly sixty 

 miles in extent, and embraces within this area, a territory of about 

 one hundred square miles. 



Upon the west, the plains.of North Elba, mingle with that vast 

 plateau, teeming with rivers and lakes and forests, which spread 

 to the shores of the St. Lawrence. The grandeur and imposing 

 beauty of these mountain bulwarks, which singularly blending 

 with a landscape of lakes and rivulets, vales and hills, combine 

 to form a scenery of surpassing loveliness and magnificence. From 

 one position, the eye gazes on the lofty group of the Adirondac 

 mountains. Mt. Marcy stands out in his perfect contour and vast 

 dimensions, Mt. Mclntire, Golden, McMartin, trace their outline 

 upon the horizon, and far towards the south-west, the group of 

 Mt. Seward limit the view; on the north, "the Whiteface" en- 

 velopes the plain, and on the east, tower the dark and rugged 

 cliffs of the Keene mountains. 



The western branch of the Au Sable river flows through the 

 town, and nearly the whole distance along a wide alluvial valley, 

 almost as broad, and apparently of fertility equal to the flats of 

 the Mohawk river. The soil of this '' intervale " is generally a 

 deep alluvial. Ascending from the valley to the table land, the 

 earth becomes a dark and rich loam, free from stones and rock- 

 The growth of liard wood upon this territory, is in no part of tlie 

 State surpassed in its size, quality and density. Its maple, 

 birch, cherry and beech, are as stately, and form as highly tim- 

 bered woodland as in the most favored sections of the country. 

 Sliirlitly elevated a1)ove the table-land, and receding from tlie 

 river, commence tlu.' plains, wliich expand far into the interior. 

 This tract embraces, in its general character, a warm, rich sandy 

 loam. This land is scarcely inferior to the other soils of the 

 town in vigor, wliile it exerts au early and more impulsive influ- 

 ence on vegetation, and is more easily and cheaply tilled. 



[As. Tr. '53 ] V V 



