8 



^l)c i' aviucr'g illnntljlij lUsitov. 



the Arsenal with iis aci-oinpanjing luiildiiifjs, the 

 pro|)erty of the goveriiiiient of'tho Uniled States, 

 situated iipup tin; elev.ited plain: at this |)lace 

 several hiitidied persons arc kept in constant 

 employment. The fnst superintendent of these 

 nuhlic vvorlis, ajipoinled to that office hy Wash- 

 ington as early as l7iK5 or '94, yet survives in the 

 person ol' David A inc.-', Ksf|., now between the 

 age of (Eighty ami nincly years, whose enter|)rise 

 has done more perhaps than any other man of 

 the country in improving the quantity and ipiality 

 of papers hero manulhctured. There is not in 

 the wliole valley of the Connecticut — and this 

 valley no where exceeded in this or any other 

 country for its fertility and its beautil'ul scenery 

 — there is no more beantiful place than Spring- 

 field. The elinjale of iliis place seems to he far 

 removed south of the other villages of New Eng- 

 land: the foliage of its numerous trees and herb- 

 age of its gardens is .»ome weeks in advance of 

 that out of Boston nearer to the seaboard. Its 

 well-constructed and handsome buildings are 

 doubly adorned by the fine yards and lancy gar- 

 dens which surround them as you rise by the 

 gentle declivity receding from the river. At the 

 return of each Sabbath, tlie well-filled churches 

 of the different denominations discover a popu- 

 lation as stable in morals and religion as they 

 are in all the means of temporal prosperity. 



But a larger siream, having its sources some 

 thirty miles back in the interior of Worcester 

 county, by its waier-power, has most contrihuted 

 to the growth of this ancient town. Cbickopee 

 river furnishes the motive power for carrying 

 abundance of manufacturing machineiy. Cbick- 

 opee village is six miles distant from the railroad 

 depot at Springfield— this has several large cotton 

 factories, and a papei-mill belonging to the 

 Messrs. Ames sonic two hundred feet long: this 

 paper-mill is older than the other factories, and 

 has recently been bargained away for the sum of 

 $20,000 or 25,000. Two miles below Chickuiiee 

 and nearer to the Depot, is the manufacturing 

 village of Cabotville, which has been more re- 

 cei.lly built up in successive pstablishmenis erec- 

 ted by the propriflors of the oiiginal water pow- 

 er. Here is Ames' celebrated factory, at which 

 the various war implements are constructed from 

 the small pistol to the largest brass artillery 

 pieces. At this establishment t!:c most perfect 

 fire arms arc made: it is here the elegant silver- 

 plated and gold mounted swords and sabres vot- 

 ed by Congress and by different State Legisla- 

 tures as a reward for distinguished merit, have 

 been generally made. These two \illages, su- 

 burban to Springfielil, contain a |)opnlution of 

 COOO. 



Passing the river over u briilge of some fifiy 

 rods in extent to the west, we strike West Spring- 

 field, a town reaching on the west bank of the 

 river to the line id' Norlham|iton : thence to the 

 soulli-wesi, Wcslfield, a large \illage famed for 

 the mannlacture of wlii[)s. Up the valley of the 

 Westfield river is the course of the m;ignificent 

 railway which surmounts the moimlain?- of west- 

 ern I\Iass:ichnsett'. The sinuous com-se of this 

 stream as if fidls in numerous cascades Ihrough 

 lie gorges of its own excavation made in the 

 Berkshire monniains, reiiders a l'r< fjm nt crossing 

 necessary; and this is done in some dozen, fif- 

 teen, and may be twenty granite bridges as per- 

 manent and lasting as tlie monniains themselves, 

 in arches of a single span tlirongh uidch the 

 foaming waters are carried with o velocity that 

 cannot brook resistance. The great pass-way at 

 once opens the fore t to the beneficial uses of 

 man: on the moimtain sides, im[)ending over 

 head at either band, idmndance of trees either 

 for fuel or timber have already fallen under the 

 woodman's axe, piles of which are ranged in the 

 valley below, ready to be transported upon the 

 railway any distance — a greater ahundanc<! stands 

 in a position rearly for fiilure use. All this, in- 

 cluding the most valued tinibisr, is transported 

 whore it is most wanted to the distance of hun- 

 dreds of miles almost with the rapidity of the 

 winged eagle. Tlie heavier products of (arms 

 one hundred and fifty miles out of Rosmn areas 

 readily trausporli'd that tlislance as they were 

 wont to bo some half a dozen miles. In two 

 years from the lime this great railway went into 

 operation, the Berkshire potatoes were so much 

 the favorite ut Boston — preferred even to thos(! 

 from Nova Scotia — that families sent up their 



<» «i- -:.. ..--..I,. ,.,,,,,,1,. tlio i>w>9<j„» troui* 



The potato rot has liowever prevented old Berk- 

 shire from su()plying the last season what was 

 (lemandetl for her own consumplioii. 



From a lew miles north of the south line of 

 the State at S[)ringfield the railway has its course, 

 the main mountain valley taking a souili-east di- 

 rection, from its highest point nearly north-west, 

 perhaps about two-tliirds the distance acro.ss the 

 width of the State. Over the highest |)oiut 

 it strikes a branch of the Housatonic river, 

 down ubicli valley it embraces Daltoii first, and 

 Pittslicid afterwards, a charming village andi 

 magnificent agricidtural town in tiie Berkshire 

 moinilains, of which the comity of that name has 

 many, especially upon the Housatonic valley, 

 having its direction north and south through the 

 entire length of the county. Leaving Pittsficid, 

 we pass the Shaker village of Richmond and the 

 Stale line in a direction south of wesi, and alter 

 entering the county of Columbia the course oi 

 the railway to the Four Corners is towards the 

 city of Huilson into the valley of the North river, 

 tip which on the east bank it (lasses to Green- 

 bush, opposite the city of Albany. A railway 

 seven miles from Greenbnsh to ihe city of Troy 

 on the east side of the Hudson, now nearly com- 

 pleted, will make that flourishing city probably 

 as much a central point of arrival and departure 

 as Albany itsellj being nearer and more conve- 

 nient for both passengers and merchandize from 

 the west going eastward, and vice versa. Up to 

 this time tlieTroj;ins have exercised an influence 

 fatal to a grant by the New York Legislature for 

 a bridge over the Hudson opposite the city of 

 Albany: the bridge lowest ilowii upon the river 

 is at the upper end of the city of Troy just be- 

 low the confluence of the BTolunvk, and this 

 leading and connecting the Schenectady turnpike 

 and railroad with Troy on the east side of the 

 liver. The winter forming and breaking up ice 

 in the river, presents ohstrticlions and uncertain- 

 ly as to safe crossing at Albany. Arriving in the 

 night from the eastward the railroad passengers 

 are often submitted not only to inconvenience, 

 but to personal suffering and danger — it being 

 impossible to keep an 0:ien channel with the boat, 

 and uncertain whether the ice will or will not 

 hear. On one occasion ihe present winter, the 

 boat stuck last in the middle of the river, where 

 the passengers were uncomtbrtably detained over 

 night. Going to Alljany on the 2()th December 

 we passed the river in the boat — returning from 

 there on the oOtli, the passengers crossed the 

 river on loot — the baggage was brought over liy 

 horses in wheeled carriages: the ice giving way 

 at some points, the carriages loaded with mer- 

 chandize and baggage stuck fast in some instan- 

 ces with the seeming iirobability, if the one 

 should escape drowning, that the brute animals 

 and the goods would be precipilate<l under the 

 ice. While the river was clogged and obstructed 

 with ice at Albany, it was ;dl the time clear for 

 ferriage at Troy, the current at the latter place 

 being more lively and rapid. 



From Ihe westerly lines of Connecticut, Mas- 

 sachnsetls and Vermont to the Hudson river is n 

 range of eonnlics in New York embracing a rich 

 farming region. Of llirse, Dutchess, lower down 

 and against Coimocticut, is said to he as a whole 

 the most valuable and productive tract and fiirm 

 land in the United Stales, .ludge Bockce, for 

 several tei'-ms a represeiilalive in Congress for 

 Dutchess, and on the occasion of tmr late visit at 

 Albany in the alisence of Lt. Governor Dickinson 

 (who had just been appointed senator in Con- 

 gress) president of the New York senate silling 

 as a high court of errors, is a plain linmer ot 

 Dutchess residing not far from ihe point where 

 the three Slates meet. This genileman informs 

 us that the tiunis of DiiIcIk'ss arc valued flom 

 sixty to one hundred dollars the acre, being more 

 than double the price of the bill tonus in the 

 belter parts of .Massachnsetls and New Hamp- 

 shire; (hat the production of these fanning lands 

 is annually upon the increase; that plaster has 

 been (liund In operate favorably throughout the 

 county; that with the increase of prodiiclioii has 

 come the grea'ly increased estimate in the value 

 of lands; and thai with the growing means and 

 increased iiitelligenco has come the improved 

 moral condiiion of ihp mass of the people. 



North of Dutchess iiiion the river is the coiin- 

 ly of Columbia, incliKling lln- fine cily of Hud- 

 son. The sciuUiern lii'r of towns in tliis counly 

 Mi.iiiHoa tlid m.-iniii« of ihfi Livingstons: hero 



the l.inds are occu))ied subject to rents to the 

 manorial p.roprietors. In some instances the 

 holders occu])y on long leases — in many cases 

 the prospect of the termination of the lease lea>;-s 

 no iiKluceinent fur improvement, and lue land 

 and buildings under the dilapidations of lime 

 become less and less vahiabh'. Among the lease- 

 holders the rents had lately come to be consid- 

 ered so much a matter of oppression as to unite 

 whole neighborhoods in resistance to he execu- 

 tion of the lav.s of the land. The energy of the 

 government in arresting the leading offenders has 

 lately changed the current, so that with a due 

 anielioratiou of the laus of landlord and tenant, 

 rpiiet will probably be restored. Perpetual ina- 

 iKM'age, as in ihe case of these New York lainls, 

 is not in consonance wiih the prosperity of a free 

 people. It is so much against the common pros- 

 perity and the vajue of properly, that the rich 

 owners of the lands will prefer ihe alienalion of 

 title on a fair compensaliou as a step advancing 

 most their own interest. — Kinilerhook, some fif- 

 teen miles below Albany, is a north town on the 

 river of Columbia county. This town is the na- 

 tive place of Martin Van Buren, late President of 

 the C'nited States; and to it he returns as his 

 permanent residence of private life after having 

 enjoyed the confidence of his countrymen iu the 

 highest otiice in the gift of the Republic. Lin- 

 denwold, the place he has choacii for his resi- 

 dence, is a country seat two or three miles distant 

 from the principal village of the lownship of 

 Kinderhook, and about four miles disianl Iroin 

 the landing ujiun the river ai the west, and the 

 same dislance from Ihe depot of the western 

 railroad on the east. The place was the country 

 seat of ibe late Pclej- Van Ness, a wealthy mer- 

 chant of Columbia county, the father of the late 

 Judge Wm. P. Van Ness of New Y'ork, and of 

 the late Governor of Vermont and presenl col- 

 lector of the port of New York. jMr. Van Buren 

 was the law ;;tndent in the office of the lalejudije 

 as the companion of ihe atlerwards Vermont 

 Governor, and has the merit of gaining the higli- 

 esl point in bis profession by his almost unaided , 

 efTorts, wilhout the bcnrfit of a collegiate educa- 

 tion. In easy circumstances he made the pur- 

 chase of the lipst house ever erected in his coun- 

 ty, with the fine lauds surrounding it, at much 

 less than the original cost. The price of this 

 purchase was .$ 15,000: it consisted of some two 

 hundred acres ol' land. The mansion bouse and 

 its appendant bui'dings were surrounded by am- 

 ple garden and pleasure grounds: among the 

 iniprovements was an orcliard producing fiuit 

 which enabled Mr. Van Buren to ship to England 

 some hundreil barrels of such apples as ;ire 

 sought in Europe as the fruit most desirable to 

 English epicures. The latp President bad made 

 great improveinents upon this beautiful place 

 since it has become his properly, increasing lis 

 cost to about the sum of .*:)(),000. He has not 

 been unmindful of that which should most claim 

 the altenlion of the [Patriot and philanlhropist 

 ri;tiring from Ihe cares of public life — ihe im- 

 provement of the agricnilure of the couulry. He 

 has reclaimed hitherlo useless swamp lands, and 

 prides liiuis( If in making that portion of his land 

 Iiroduce which had yielded nothing valuable be- 

 fore. In the work of improvement the retired 

 genileinaii doubiless finds the euiployment most 

 pleasant In an active mind that can brook any 

 thing belter than inaclion. 



North of Kindeihook is the south line of 

 Rensselaer county on the east side of the Hud- 

 son, anil westerly on the opposite side is the 

 county of .VIbany including iln,' aiicicul Dutch 

 cily. .\ K'U'ge porlicni of lliese conutics is cov- 

 ered by the Rensselaer claim, the whole of w hicli 

 was the properly of the lale Patroon, Stephen 

 Van Riwisselaer, for many years a member of 

 Congress, and a gentlemiin of iriost amiahle and 

 benevtdent charMCtcr. .\ little out of Albany on 

 ihe way lo'l'roy is ihe hcanlifnl mansion and lalo 

 scat of the Patroon, siirronndid with ancient trees 

 like Ihe palace of some English nohleman. Ono 

 son, with tlje inheritance upon the .Mbany siile, 

 is the owner of this magnificent seat. Upon the 

 other sidi' another son isllie lord of the Renssel- 

 aer manor; and this gcnllem.in has recently 

 erected a house and its appemlages at the cost 

 of idioiit a hundred thousand dollars. Indeed it 

 may be said that the wealth of the fiimily comes 

 in from a thousand sources. 



Wc have written thiisfurasbut thecomineiicc- 



