﻿KEW TORK. 



NBW YORK. 



oomprcheoHii tb« Adirondack Moantaias M w*ll u an darated and 

 eztenaiTp table- land lying to tba wait of tbam, and incliidea about ona- 

 tbird of the aurfaca of tha atata; a great portion of it ia bowerer unin- 

 baUtad. Tbe mountains oooopy tba aaaten part of tbe rrgion. Tbe 

 ■HMt el»Tat«<l mimmit of tba obain, eallad Mount Haroy, attaina an 

 aUration of 5467 fc«>. Mount Maolntjrre, wast-Dortb>weat of it, iH 

 618S faat higb. Mount MacMartin S0S8 feet, and (ereral other peaka 

 riae to batwaan 4000 and 6000 feat. The inow doea not diaappaar 

 Cram tba aommit of Mount Marcy till after the middle of July. Tbe 

 Tallaya emboaomad batwaen tbaaa higher rangaa ara from 8000 to 8800 

 feat abora tba aaa-laval, and ara of couru uninhabitable. Tbey ara 

 howeTer oorared with pine, apruoa, and birch treaa. Towards tha 

 aommit of tba monntaina then treaa baoome dwarfiab, and are inter- 

 woran with aa«h other by their nnmarona horisantal branohen. On 

 tha higlwat nimmita bowerer the treaa diaappear entirely, and are 

 taplaeed by moaaaa, lidiena, and amall alpine plants. Much of tha 

 aoeoery of thia mountain district is of a Tery grand character. The 

 olimate of this elcTatsd region is ao cold that ice is formed during the 

 night in the bci^inDinK of August. Towarda tha aouth the valleys are 

 aueh lower, and a few settlements have been made;, 



Weat of this mountain region liea a tabls-lond of an uneven surface ; 



• portiaa of it ia ooverad with awampa, and a still greater part inter- 

 wAaJ with lakes. Numeroru rivers originate on it, and descend by 



• meeiaaion of rapids and cataracts to the lower country. In the 

 naslam daolivity of this elevated region the settlements commence, 

 abont SO or 30 miles from the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. 

 Law r a uo e Hirer. In the more sheltered valley of Black Kiver tbey 

 extend to a greater distance, but they are confined to the banks of the 

 rivers, the remainder of tbe region being entirely covered with woods. 

 The olimate of theae daclivitiea is very severe, as they ara exposed to 

 the prevailing oold winda which blow from tbe north-west 



Lake Charoplain liea along the eastern base of tbe Adirondack 

 Mountains ; aud on tbe east of the lake, but at a much greater dis- 

 tance from it, are the Qreen Mountains of Vermont. The higher parts 

 of both ranges are from 25 to 30 milsa apart. The ralleya and flats 

 between the hills and on the borders of the lake are not distinguished 

 by fertility, but Rive good crops when cultivated with care. From the 

 ■outhem extremity of Lake Cham plain aglen extends between the hills 

 which cover the country to the Hudson River below Glens Falls. The 

 highest level of this Olen is only 140 feet above the tide-water in the 

 Hudson River, and 50 feet above the level of Lake Champlain. 

 Through this glen the Cbamplaiti Canal has been made, which unitea 

 tbe river to the lake. Aa the outlet of the lake, tbe river Chambly, 

 fUls into the St Lawrence River, a water communication is thus 

 opened between tbe St Lawrence and the Hudson. 



Tbe vale of tbe Middle Hudson begins near 43° 20' N. lat, where 

 tb> river, after issuing from the Adirondack Mountains, forms Qlens 

 Fslls, and begins its southern coursa It extends, with a width of 

 frinn 80 to ^ miles, between tbe Taghkaaic range on tbe east and 

 tha Catskill rango on the west to where tha river pierces through the 

 HigbUnds near Fisbkill. The slope on the east of the river is rapid 

 but regular. Tbe surface frequently rises into hills, but tbey do not 

 •ttain a great elevation, and their declivitiea generally lulmit cultiva- 

 tion. The soil possesses a conniderable degree of fertility, and to this 

 dfcumstanoe, united to the advantagea offered by a river navigable for 

 large veasels, mast be ascribed tbe fact that this portico of New 

 York is one of the most populous and beat cultivated. That portion 

 of tbe vale which lies wast of the river presents a greater variety in 

 ■nrfaoe and fertility. It is traversed by the Catskill range ; among 

 the lofUeat summits of which are tbe Round Top and other lofty 

 mountains already noticed. On tbe western, aa on tbe eastern side of 

 tbe Hudson, only a few alluvial tracts occur on the banks of the river, 

 and tbey are of very small extent The country generally rises from 

 the wast banks with a rather rapid aacent to 300 feet and more, and 

 Mmii amteDds in a broken and billy aarfaoa to tbe baaa of the moun- 

 Wa% thongh flat tracts occur in aoma plaoaa. Tha aoU is in man^ 

 vhaaa atoney, but it generally poasesaaa a ooDsidarable degree of ferti- 

 lity, though it Is somewhat inferior to that on tbe east side of the 

 river. At tbe most aoutb-westem extremity of this region, in the 

 valley of the Wallkill, is a level marshy tract of exuberant fertility, 

 oalled tbe Drownecl Lands. Its southern extremity lies within New 

 y, but the greater portion is in Orange county, New Tork. It is 

 I S5 to 40 miles in laagth and from 6 to 7 miles wide, and some 

 ■Ball lakea are scattered over it In spring it is subject to inundation. 



The vale of the I,nwer Hudson extends from the Highlands at 

 Newburg and Fishkill to tbe mouth of the river, a distance of 

 aboot 00 milps. Tbe Highlands rise to a considerable elevation, 

 Beacon Hill sttaining 1471 feet, and New Beacon, or Orand Sachen, 

 lOU fast above tbe sea4evsL Tbe HigbUnds, or Mattewan Mountaina, 

 treat of th« rivar, thoogh high, do not attain ao great an elevation. 

 Both ridgas tsmiinata on tha banka of tha river fai high and praoipit- 

 eoa rocks, which extend on each side for about 20 miles. Tbe 

 prevailing chaneter of tbe aorfhca and aoil of thia region is rooky, 

 especially on tbe west of the river. The higher lands recede to a 

 distance from the river, and slope to the banks with a rather gentle 

 declivity ; bat ftrom Taippaa to a distanos of about 8 miles from tbe 

 eity of New Tork, tbe Paliaadoaa, aa they are oalled, extend along 

 tbe iiT«r : tbey oonaM of eoonooiia nuiii of tooki, from 30 to (00 



feet In height In some placea tbey rise almoat perpendicuUu'ly tram 

 the ahore, forming for many milea a aolid wall of rock, diveraifled 

 only by an oooasional flshing-bnt on tha beach at their base, and aona- 

 timea by an interval of a few acres of arable laad, affording an opening 

 for a lotiding-plaoe, and a ateep road leading to their top. The whole 

 tract south of tha Highlands has a very rooky aoil, and only a small 

 portion of it is ooltivmble. The country eaat of tbe river also riaaa 

 with a bold and broken shore, but it is lower and leaa precipitous, and 

 the country farther back is varied by ascents and desaenta. It contains 

 a much larger portion of cultivated land, but the aoil ia rooky and of 

 inferior quality. 



Long Island is 113 miles long &om west to east, and on an aveiaso 

 about 12 miles wide, though in some places it is 20 miles aoroaa. At 

 tbe eaatcm extremity a shallow inlet, called Peoonio Bay and Oardner'a 

 Bay, s^Mratea it into two peninanlas, of which tbe southern extends 

 fuibeat east, and terminatea with Montauk Point A ridge of low 

 hills extends along the northern shores of the island, and from their 

 base to tha aouthem shores there is an alluvial margin from 1 to 5 

 or 6 miles wide. Along the soutbem shores, and from 1 to 2 miles 

 from it, extend long, narrow, low, and aandy islsnds. Tbe inter- 

 mediate space between theae islands and the shores is occupied by 

 shallow sounds. The soil is everywhere sandy and light but within 

 the hilly tract, especially at the western extremity, and from 20 to 30 

 milea eastward, it is of considerable fertility. Tbe lai^gest portion of 

 the eastern districts is still covere<l with pine. The level tract along 

 the southern shores is generally sterile, and in some parta not worth 

 cultivation. The area of Long Island is about 1440 square miles. 

 There are a few servioeable harbours along the shores of tbe island, 

 but they are not much used by shi|i|i nj;. 



Statoi Island is separated &om Long Island by the strait called the 

 Narrows, which forms the entrance into New York Bay. Staton 

 Island is about 14 milea long and from 3 to 8 miles wide, with an 

 area of 77 square miles. 



Long Island Sound, or tbe strait which dividee Long Island from 

 the continent, is about 100 miles long, with a varying widtli, inoreaaing 

 from about 8 miles at each end to about 20 miles in tbe middle. At 

 its western extremity it contracts to between half a mile and 3 miles 

 for a distance of 8 miles, until it joins East River. In this narrow 

 western portion of the strait the channel is rocky and much inter- 

 rupted l^ small islands and projecting points. Where most obstructed 

 by projecting rooks it is known as Hell-Qatc, a corruption of Uorll 

 Gntt, the Dutch for whirlpool ; but in 1852 large portions of the 

 rocks were removed by blasting, and the strait is now navigable by 

 the largest vessels. Long Island Sound reoeivea all the large rivers 

 from Connecticut The coasting vessels and steamers plying between 

 New York and tbe New KngUnd ports generally take the Sonnd 

 route. 



Tbe chief harbour of the state is that of New York, the chief oom- 

 merciol depAt of the state, and tbe finest harbour on the Atlantic 

 sea-board : it is noticed more fully under New York City- 



Uydrography and Communication:— On tbe elevatei table-land 

 which extends along thn northern boundary of Pennaylvania all the 

 large rivers rise which full into tha Atlantic west of tbe mouth of tbe 

 Hudson and east of the innermost recess of Chesapeake Bay. This 

 region oontaini the aources of the Delaware, the Susquehanna 

 [Pbnkrti.vania], and the Allrobakt. On the same table-laiul 

 between the upper branches of the Alleghany and Susquehanna, and 

 within tbe limits of Pennsylvania, rises the Qen*t$et, which runs in a 

 general northern direction abont 145 milea, of whioh about 125 miles 

 belong to New York. In its middle course, which lies in the Lake 

 Country, it traverses a deep and wide valley of great fertility, and 

 forms at Rochester, 5 miles from its mouth, a cataract 95 feet high. 

 But above this impediment the river is navigable about 20 miles for 

 boats. The Qenessee Valley Canal follows the course of the river, aa 

 doea also a railway. 



Not for from the eastern banks of the Geneasee River oommeneee 

 that remarkable aeries of lakes, whioh extends nearly 100 milea 

 farther eastward, and is from 20 to 30 miles distant from Lake 

 Ontario. Lines drawn from tbe most northern extremity of these 

 Ukes in the direction of their length to Lake Ontario, cut the shores 

 of that lake at right angles. The most considerable of these lakes 

 from west to east are Lake Canandaigua, which is 14 milea long, and 

 abont 1 mile wide ; Crooked Lake, 22 miles long, and about one mile 

 and a half vridn ; Seneca Lake, 40 milea long, from 2 to 4 miles wide, 

 and of great depth; Cayuga Lake, 40 miles long, and from 1 to 

 i{ miles wide ; Skaneateles Lake, 15 milea long, and about 1 mile 

 wide ; and Oneida Lake, tbe most eastern, 23 miles long, and front 

 4 to 6 miles wide. Onondaga Lake, which lies between Skaneateles 

 and Oneida lakes, is 8 miles long, and 2 to 4 miles wide, and remark* 

 able for the copions and strong salt springs, which occur at a distano* 

 of a mile from its oaatem banks. AH these lakea, except the most 

 western, that of Canandaigua, disoborge their waters by one river, tbe 

 Seneea. This river issues f^om Uie northern extremity of Lake 

 Seneca, which receives the waters of Crooked Lske by a narrow 

 channel, and winds with numerous bends through the Lake Cotmtry, 

 ninning in a general north-eastern direction. Each lake discharges 

 its Waters by a separate channel into its bed. In approaching the 

 western extremity of Oneida Lake it is met by the ohannel isaoing 



