Between New York and Albany. 22*7 



but this deficiency is made up by a vaft 

 quantity of oyfters, lobfters, crabs, feveral 

 kinds of fim, and numbers of water -fowl* 

 all which are there far more abundant 

 than on the northern fhores of the Ifland. 

 Therefore the Indians formerly chofe the 

 fouthern part to live in, becaufe they fub- 

 fifted on oyfters, and other productions 

 of the fea. When the tide is out, it is 

 very eafy to fill a whole cart with oyfters, 

 which have been driven on fhore by one 

 flood. The Ifland is ftrewed with oyfter- 

 fhells and other {hells, which the Indians 

 left there; thefe {hells ferve now for good 

 manure for the fields. The fouthern part 

 of the Ifland is turned into meadows, and 

 the northern part into fields. The winter 

 is more conftant on the northern part, and 

 the fnow in fpring lies longer there than on 

 the fouthern part. The people are/ very 

 fertile here, and commonly tall and ftrong. 

 June the loth. At noon we left New 

 Tork, and failed up the river Hudfon, in a 

 yacht bound for Albany. All this afternoon 

 we faw a whole fleet of little boats return- 

 ing from New Tork, whither they had 

 brought provifions and other goods for fale, 

 which on account of the extenfive com- 

 merce of this town, and the great number 

 of its inhabitants', go off very well. The 

 P 2 rivet 



