Travels Through North America 



parts of it is extremely good, particularly of Long 

 Island: and it has the advantages of a fine harbour, 

 and fine rivers. The bay has a communication with 

 Newark bay, the Sound, Amboy river, and several 

 others: it receives also Hudson's or North river, one 

 of the largest in North America, it being navigable 

 for sloops as far as Albany, above 150 miles: whence, 

 by the Mohawk, and other rivers, running through 

 the country of the Six Nations, there is a communi- 

 cation, (excepting a few short carrying places,) with 

 lake Ontario; and another with the river St. Lau- 

 rence, through the lakes George, Champlain, and 

 the river Sorel; so that this river seems to merit the 

 greatest attention. These waters afford various 

 kinds of fish, black-fish, sea-bass, sheeps-heads, 

 rock-fish, lobsters, and several others, all excellent 

 in their kind. The province in its cultivated state 

 affords grain of all sorts, cattle, hogs, and great 

 variety of English fruits, particularly the Newtown 

 pippin. It is divided into ten counties, and has 

 some few towns, but none of any size, except Albany 

 and Schenectady, the former of which is a very con- 

 siderable place. The number of inhabitants amounts 

 to nearly 100,000; 15 or 20,000 of which are sup- 

 posed to be capable of bearing arms, and of serving 

 in the militia; but I believe this number is exagger- 

 ated, as a considerable part of the 100,000 are 

 negroes, which are imported more frequently into 

 this province than into Pennsylvania. The people 



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