40 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



than thirty feet from the head of Batton Kill, 

 which runs in a contrary direction, and falls into 

 Hudson's river. 



Onion river, was fonnerly called the French 

 river, and by the Indians, Winooski. It rises 

 in Caboi-, about fourteen miles to the west of 

 Connecticut river, and thirty miles to the east 

 of the heights of the green mountains. A small 

 southerly branch rises in Wasliington and Co- 

 rinth, not more than ten miles from Connecti- 

 cut river. From this southerly branch, Onion 

 river runs northwesterly, about sc\'enty fi\'e 

 miles, and empties itself into Lake Champlain, 

 between Burlington and Colchester.. This riv- 

 er receives fourteen smaller streams,, and is navi- 

 gable for small vessels, five miles from its 

 mouth. It has several falls, between which it 

 is navigable for boats. At one of these falls in 

 Waterbury, the channel of the riA^er becomes, 

 very narrow, and passes between a high ledge 

 of rocks on each side. A huge unshapely rock, 

 in some ancient time, hath fallen from one of 

 these ledges, in such a manner, that the whole 

 river now runs under it. The rock forms a 

 kind of natural bridge, but one that can ne^'er 

 be of any use ; as neither tlie shape of the rock, 

 or the situation of the adjacent banks, Avill ever 

 admit of a road either to, or over the rock. . A- 

 bout six miles from its mouth, between Bur- 

 lington and Colchester, the channel of this riv- 

 er is formed by a solid rock. The channel 

 through the rock, by estimation, is fifteen rods 

 in length, fifty feet wide, and seventy feet deep. 

 Every appearance seems to denote that this 

 channel was formed by the water, which in this 



