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NEW YORK 



which are situated lakes Erie and Ontario, and the 

 long, narrow valley which contains the Hudson river 

 ami lake Champlain. The two last are connected 

 wiili each oilier by a valley occupied by the Mohawk 

 river and the Oneida lake. The mountains, or ele- 

 vated ground, is thus also separated into three prin- 

 cipal divisions. The first of these occupies the 

 space south of the Mohawk river and the Ontario 

 valley, and between the Hudson river and lake 

 1 .lie ; the second is the mountain district north of 

 the Moliawk, and between lake Champlain and the 

 east end of lake Ontario ; ami the third comprises 

 that part of the mountain range east of the Hudson 

 which is within the boundaries of this state. The 

 western part of the first division, or that which lies 

 between Seneca lake and lake Erie, forms a high 

 table-land, about 2000 feet in mean elevation, and 

 the highest part of it is occupied by the counties of 

 Steuben, Alleghany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua. 

 From this elevation flow the Alleghany, the Susque- 

 hannah, and the Genesee rivers, respectively termi- 

 nating in the gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic ocean, and 

 the gulf of St Lawrence. Chautauqua lake, the 

 most western of the larger lakes in this state, is 

 1291 feet above the level of the ocean, and 723 feet 

 higher than lake Erie. It empties into the Alle- 

 ghany. The eastern part of the first division, or the 

 space between Seneca lake and the Hudson, south of 

 the Mohawk, is occupied by several parallel ridges 

 of mountains, which may be considered as continua- 

 tions of the Alleghany ridge, passing out from Penn- 

 sylvania. These ridges are in a north and south 

 direction, and their indentations give rise to several 

 fertile valleys, particularly those of the Susquehannah, 

 the Delaware, and their branches. The highest is 

 the Catskill mountains, which bound the valley of 

 the Hudson on the west. The Round Top, which 

 is considered the highest summit of these mountains, 

 is, according to captain Partridge, 3804 feet above 

 the level of the tide water of the Hudson. There is 

 also a narrow table-land on this subdivision, which 

 merits attention from its explaining the course of 

 rivers and lakes within it. It is situated a little 

 south of the line of the Erie canal, and continues 

 almost uninterruptedly from the Catskill mountains 

 to the head of Seneca lake. On this are found 

 Otsego and Schuyler's lakes, going to the south, and 

 giving rise to the sources of the Susquehannah. 

 Both of these are at an elevation of about 1200 feet. 

 Skaneateles, Owasco, and Cazenovia lakes discharge 

 their rivers to the north, but their elevation is several 

 hundred feet less than that of the former. Cayuga 

 and Seneca lakes are not highly elevated, the one 

 being only 387 feet, and the latter only 447, above 

 the level of tide-water. They thus occupy two Jong, 

 narrow ravines, in' a north and south direction, and 

 are separated by a ridge 800 feet above Cayuga 

 lake. 



The second division of the mountain district is 

 traversed by at least five or six parallel ridges 

 passing in a north-eastern direction, and which may 

 be considered as continuations of the Appalachian 

 chain. Portions of them are called Kayaderossas, 

 Sacandaga, Mayfield mountains. The highest ele- 

 vation that has been ascertained with accuracy is 

 2686 feet, being that of a peak belonging to the 

 ridge that passes through Herkimer and Hamilton 

 counties and the northern part of Essex, near the 

 sources of the Hudson. The third division, or that 

 part which lies on the east side of the Hudson, 

 crosses the Hudson in the vicinity of West Point, and 

 forms the highlands of that river. It also constitutes 

 the dividing ridge between the Hudson and the Con- 

 necticut. 



The depressions or basins in the state of New 



York, are equally deserving of notice. Those of 

 lakes Erie and Ontario are parts of the great St 

 Lawrence basin which embraces the whole of the 

 five western lakes. Lake Erie has an elevation of 

 565 feet above the level of the ocean, lake Ontario of 

 231 feet. The river Niagara discharges the waters 

 of the former into the latter, and on it is found that 

 great natural curiosity which alone deserves a visit 

 across the Atlantic. The river narrows at twenty 

 miles below lake Erie, and the rapids then commence. 

 A mile beyond, we come to the falls 151 feet on 

 the Canada side, and 164 on the American. It is 

 needless to attempt a description of their grandeur 

 and magnificence. They must be seen by day and 

 by moon-light, in every position, and under various 

 conditions of the atmosphere, in order to realize even 

 a portion of their splendour. (See Cataract.) The 

 river at this place is nearly half a mile wide, and 

 on the very brink of the precipice is situated Goat 

 island, which contains about eighty acres of land, 

 and, extending up the stream, divides the water. 

 The whole length of the Niagara is thirty-five miles, 

 and the descent from lake Erie to lake Ontario is 

 336 feet. If we proceed along the basin of the On- 

 tario, we shall pass through a series of fertile coun- 

 tries, constituting the. slope, watered by numerous 

 rivers, which all finally empty into the lake. The 

 Genesee is the outlet of the Canesus, Hemlock, and 

 Honeoye lakes. The Oswego and its tributaries, the 

 Clyde and Seneca, carry the waters of Canandaigua, 

 Crooked, Seneca, Cayuga, Owasco, Skaneateles, 

 Onondaga, and Oneida lakes, into lake Ontario. 

 The eastern termination of this basin is occupied by 

 the Mohawk, its valley winding its way at the Little 

 falls through stupendous rocks ; while, towards the 

 north-east, the slope towards the St Lawrence, indi- 

 cated by the course of the Grass, Racket, Oswe- 

 gatchie, and St Regis rivers, shows it to be a con- 

 tinuation of that towards the lakes. The Hudson 

 and Champlain valley or basin is nearly in a direct 

 line north and south. It is remarkable for its depth 

 below the general surface of the level of the adjoin- 

 ing country, being elevated, at its highest part, 

 only 147 feet above the level of tide-water in the 

 Hudson, and fifty-four feet above the surface of the 

 lake. The northern part contains lake George and 

 lake Champlain, the former emptying into the latter 

 by a descent of nearly 200 feet. The southern part 

 includes the valley of the Hudson, and communicates 

 with the valley of the Mohawk, its tributary, which 

 enters it in a south-easterly direction. The Hudson 

 rises 'in the northern part of the state, its extreme 

 branches having their sources in Hamilton and Essex 

 counties. The Mohawk rises far in the north-west, 

 and a little west of Oneida lake. The numerous falls 

 and rapids on these beautiful rivers are remarkable. 

 The Trenton falls, on the West Canada creek, a 

 branch of the Mohawk, and the Little falls and 

 Cohoes, on the Mohawk itself, Glenn's falls, the 

 Great falls of the Sacandaga (also a branch), Baker's 

 falls, on the Hudson are only a portion of the 

 numerous depressions which not only furnish many 

 of the most beautiful of natural objects, but also are 

 made to minister in various ways to the prosperity 

 and improvement of the community. From Glenn's 

 falls to the junction of the Hudson with the Mohawk, 

 there is a fall of 117 feet. No fact in the topography 

 of the state of New York is more remarkable than 

 the peculiar position of the Hudson and its branches. 

 If we trace the course of any Atlantic river south of 

 it, we shall find the navigation closed by the moun- 

 tain chain on the west. Not so with tiie Hudson. 

 It penetrates the highlands, and, after passing up 

 some 160 miles, is met by a tributary whose sources 

 reach nearly to the lakes. Here the happy con- 



