Between New Tork and Albany. 231 



together, nothing but high round moun- 

 tains and valleys, both covered with woods; 

 the valleys are in reality nothing but low 

 rocks, and ftand perpendicular towards the 

 river in many places. The breadth of 

 the river is fometimes two or three mufket 

 fhot, but commonly not above one ; every 

 now and then we faw feveral kinds of fifli 

 leaping out of the water. The wind va- 

 nifhed away about ten o'clock in the morn- 

 ing, and forced us to get forwards with our 

 oars, the tide being almoft fpent. In one 

 place on the weftern more we faw a wooden 

 houfe painted red, and we were told, that 

 there was a faw-mill further up ; but be- 

 fides this we did not perceive one farm or 

 any cultivated grounds all this forenoon. 



THE water in the river has here no more 

 a brackiih tafte ; yet I was told that the 

 tide, efpecially when the wind is South, 

 fometimes carries the fait water up higher 

 with it. The colour of the water was 

 likewife altered, for it appeared darker here 

 than before. To account for the firft 

 origin of rivers is very difficult, if not 

 wholly impoffible; fome rivers may have 

 come from a great refervoir of water, which 

 being confiderably encreafed by heavy falls 

 of rain or other circumftances, palfed its 

 old bounds and flowed to the lower coun- 

 P 4 tries, 



