﻿NEW YORK. 



NEW TORK. 



«M 



uitbrecite a few indiM thick wLicb are of do pncUcal value. New 

 York i« dependent mainly upon Pemuylrania for iU coal. Chalybeate 

 anAtgt occur at Saratoga ; sulphur apringa at Avon, Chitteoango, and 

 Bodiaaler; and brine apringa in aeveral part* of the north-west. Oil 

 ■pringa oocur in Cattaraugus and Alleghany countiea ; nitrogen springs 

 at New Lebanon and Hooaie ; nud th .' village of Fredonia and the 

 Ugbthouae of Barcelona, on the border of Lake Erie, are lighted by 

 'natural gat' from apringa of carburetted hydrogen; similar springs 

 occur in several other places. 



Climatt. — The mean annual temperature of the city of New York 

 is between 52* and 53°, which is only 2 or 3 degrees higher than that 

 of London, though it is more than 1 degrees nearer to the equator. 

 But this city haa a milder climato than any other part of the state, 

 except Long Island. The mean average temperature of the whole 

 ■tAte ia 46° 49' Fahr. The vale of the Hudson River is much colder 

 than any part of Great Britnin. In December the cold increases 

 gradually, and the winter lasts to the end of March. In January and 

 February the thermometer sometimes sinks to 2° Fahr. Snow lies on 

 the ground several feet deep, and the river is passed on the ice. The 

 Hiring months are raw, chilly, and damp. In summer the tbermo" 

 meter range*, in general, between 60° and 80° ; it sometimes rises to 

 85°, and for a few days to 90°, but rarely higher. Night frosts bc^ 

 to occur in October, and towards the end of November snow falls ; 

 but the temperature is subject to great and sudden variations, amount- 

 ing to 20° and even 30° Fahr. in the same day. In the vicinity of the 

 mouth of the Mohawk liiver the cold is much more severe, which is 

 ascribed to the prevalence of the north-western winds, which blow 

 with considerable force through the valley of the Mohawk. The Lake 

 Country enjoys a milder climate, its temperature being generally at 

 least 3 degrees higher than that of the valley of the Mohawk; 

 but it is subject to dense fogs, and is cousidered the most unhealthy 

 portion of the state. The northern region has very severe winters, so 

 that during six months the country is covered with snow and the 

 riven are frozen. In the high valleys of the Adirondack Mountains it 

 freeses even in August. The average annual quantity of rain for the 

 whole state is about 49 inches. 



Productions. — The cultivated cerealia are maize, wheat, rye, barley, 

 oata, and buckwheat. About one-third of all the buckwheat, two- 

 thirds of the boriey, one-fourth of the rye, one-sixth of the oate, and 

 one-eighth of the wheat grown in the United States are raised in New 

 York. Artificial graiaea are largely cultivated in some parts. Potatoes 

 and turnips are generally cultivated. Immense quantities of melons 

 are raised. Peas and beans succeed very welL Apples, peaches, and 

 cherries ore plentiful, but pears and plums are not so abundant. 

 Currants and strawberries ore cultivated near New York. In some 

 porta flax and hemp are grown, but their culture is decreasing. Only 

 • small quantity of tobacco is grown. 



Forests of vast extent still occupy the uncultivated regions of the 

 north and west. They consist chiefly of pines, of which the most 

 numerous are pitch pine, white pine, hemlock, spruce, black spruce, 

 white spruce, balsam fir, and tamarack, together with tlie red and 

 white Ofdar, yew, and arbor vitiB ; white, black, scarlet, and numerous 

 other oaks, yielding valuable timber ; beeches, Ac. Over the interior 

 of the state the most abundant trees are the valuable sugar maple, 

 fix>m which sugar is made in immense quantities, cone sugar beiug 

 now seldom used by the fanners of the interior ; chestnut, hickory, 

 ash, elm, walnut, Ac Medicinal plants abound. 



All the domestic animals of Europe are reared ; but less attention 

 appean to be given to them than formerly. A great deal of wool is 

 sent to market, and the dairy products are very valuable. Wild 

 animals ore still numerous. The panther is now rare, except in the 

 Adirondack Mountains, which alao contain the moose-deer. Deer are 

 •till frequent in the western and northern regiona. Other wild 

 ■nimak are, black and gray wolvea, black bears, gray and red foxes, 

 woolverinas, wild cats, racoons, aknnka, opossums, weasels, pine 

 martins, minks, beavera, otters, squirrels, musk-rata, marmots, rabbits, 

 and ban*. The wild turkey has become rare, even in the western 

 districts, but prairie hena, partridges, grouse, with swans, wild geese, 

 otnvasa-back and other ducks, and pigeons are abundant. The turkey 

 Ixmard, golden and bald eagle, various hawks, and other birds of prey 

 an nomeruus. The sea and the lakea abound in fish. Turtle are 

 takaa on the coast. 



Mtmrnfrntturm, Otmturet, J.-e.—'Sem York at the Census of 1 850 was 

 tk* Arrt stale in r^ganl to both its manufacturing and agricultural 

 population, having 81 2,697 persons rr^tumed as employed in commerce, 

 trade, mannfactares, mechanic arts, and mining, while Pennsylvania 

 the next in rank had only 266,927 peiaona so employed. The persons 

 employed in agriculture were still more numerous ; being 813,980, or 

 48,618 more than Ohio, the next in numerical rank as to agriculture. 

 The nuat nomeroua and important manufscturing establislimeute ore 

 cotton and woollen factories ; iroo-woriu ; steam-engine and madiine- 

 shope; mannCsetoriesof fir»«rms; distilleries and breweries; tanneries; 

 sugar refinerit-s; glase-boussa and potteries; soap- and tallow- works ; 

 carriage- and waggaa-fiuitoriaa ; saw- and grist-mills ; and manufactories 

 of all the usual ortieUa of domestic consumption and luxury. 



The commerce of New York far excee<ls that of any other state in 

 the Union. In the ysar ending June 30. 1852, the exports amounted 

 to 87^84,^0 doUata, of which 74,042^81 doUan wer* of domeaUo 



produce. The imports during the same period amounted to 1 32,329,806 

 dollars, or neariy 100,000,000 dollars above those of any other state. 

 Of these, imports valued at 101,746,789 dollars, were carried in Ameri- 

 can, and 30,&$2,5I7 dullartin foreign vessels. The number of entrance* 

 of ships in the state in 1860 was 7969, of wliieh 8166, of the aggregate 

 burden of 1,145,885 tons, entered at Atlantic porta (almost wholly at 

 that of New York), and 4804 vaaaels of 1,131,885 tons entered at 

 Lake porta. The clearances during the same period numbered 7308, 

 namely, at Atlantic porta 2612 veaaek of 983,289 tons burden, and at 

 Lake porta 4691 vessels of 1,165,807 tons burden. The shipping 

 belonging to the state exceeds 1,000,000 tons. The iuknd and coast- 

 ing trade is far greater than even the foreign commerce. As a ship- 

 building state New York exceeds every oUier except Maine. The 

 number of veRscls built in the state in 1851-2 was 179, of the aggregate 

 burden of 72,072 tons; of these 26 were ships, 56 schooners, and 

 45 steam-vessels. 



IHvuiont, Towns, rf-c. — New York is divided into 69 counties, 45 

 in Northern and 14 in Southern New York. Albany is the political 

 capital. Including the capital and New York, the great commercial 

 centre of the Union, there are 12 incorporated oitiea in the state; of 

 these AiBSVY, New York, Brookltk, and Buffalo form the subject 

 of separate articles; the others, with some of the more important 

 towns, or villages, as they are here termed, we notice below : the 

 population is that of 1 SoO : — 



Hudttm, on the left bank of Hudson River, and at the head of ship 

 navigation, 80 miles S. from Albany, population 6286, is one of the 

 oldest cities in the state, but its progress lias been of late comparatively 

 slow. It is regularly laid out, well built, contains a lai^e and hand- 

 some court-house aud other county buildings, several churches, a 

 lunatic asylum, &c. ; carries on a lai^e whale-fishing and river-trade ; 

 and has considerable manufactures. 



Oraego, on both sides of the Oswego River, at its outfall in Lake 

 Ontario, 160 miles W.N.W. from Albany : population, 12,205. The 

 river is not navigable, but its mouth, around which the city is built, 

 forms one of the best harbours on the south side of the lake, and its 

 capabilities have been much increased by the carrying out of piera. 

 Oswego is the chief American de|>6t for the Canadian trade passing by 

 way of the Welland Canal, and it is connected by branch liuea with 

 the Central railway aud the Erie CauaL The import and export 

 trades are both very large and rapidly increasing. The chief articles 

 received from Canada are lumber, wheat and flour, potatoes, and other 

 provisions. The exports iuclude all the leading articles of domestic 

 and foreign produce. The two sides of the city are connected by a 

 bridge 700 feet long. The city ia regularly laid out vrith streets 100 

 feet wide, and contains a court-house, several churches (some of con- 

 siderable architectural pretensions), schook, a lai^ railway terminus ; 

 sevei'ol hotels, commission houses, and warehouses of krge size ; and 

 numerous extensive manufactories. The city u defended by a strong 

 fort 



Rochater, on both sides of the Genessee River, 7 miles above its 

 outfall in Lake Ontario, and 252 miles, by railway, W. from Allwuy, 

 populntion 86,403 (20,191 in 1840). The city contains a large and 

 handsome court-house, a post-offloe and public-hall or ' arcade,' built 

 of marble, 30 churclies, Itoclie.ster university, a Baptist theological 

 college, an athenicum, numerous schools, an orphan asylum, and other 

 benevolent institutions, nnd several spacious hotels and business 

 establishments. The rapid rico of Rochester k mainly due to the 

 immense supply of walcr-|)Owir here afibrdod by the falls of the 

 Qensassn, which within the city limits has a descent of 268 feet by 

 three successive por]>cndicular falls, and 105 feet by two rapids. Tbk 

 vsst power has bceu rendered available to the fullest extent for 

 manufacturing purposes. The chief establishments are the flour-mills, 

 at which three million bushels of flour are ground annually ; there are 

 also extensive iron-fouudrics, machine-shops, cotton- and woollen- 

 factories, aud large manufactories of cabinet-ware, Jtc. Rochester has 

 ample canal and railway accommodation, and the river is navigable to 

 Lake Ontario. 



Schcntctady, on the right bank of the Mohawk, and on the line of 

 the Erie (^al, 17 miles X.W, from Albany, population 8921, is one 

 of the oldest citiea in the state ; contains a city-hall, court-house, 

 lyceum, several churches, a college, and other public buildings; and 

 has some manufactures, eapeoiolly of flour, paper, cotton goods, iron, 

 and brooms. 



SyraeuM, on the Onondaga Creek, a short distance above its entrance 

 into Onondaga Lake, 148 miles by railway W.N.W. from Albany: 

 popuktion, 22,271 (6500 in 1840). The city contains Home large and 

 handsome churches and pubUc buildings ; its hotels, Syracuse having 

 become a great centre of railway traflic, are celebrated for their siss 

 and style. The chief manufactures are of salt, of which enormous 

 quantities are prepared from springs in the immediate vicinity ; flour; 

 iron-costings, and machinery. The Erie and Oswego canals, and 

 several lines of railway pass through or terminate in the city. 



Troy, on the left bank of the Hudson, 6 miles N.E. by N. from 

 Albany, population 28,785, k one of the chief business places of the 

 state. 'The city k finely situated, well built, and has a moru than 

 usually pleasing appearance. Its chief public buildings are the court- 

 house, a spacious marble cdiQco of the Doric order, several churches 

 and educational institutions, a museum of natural history, jtc. The 



