240 June 1749. 



yachts. At eight o'clock in the morning 

 we arrived at Albany. 



All the yachts which ply between Al- 

 bany and New Tork, belong to Albany. 

 They go up and down the river Hudfon, as 

 long as it is open and free from ice. They 

 bring from Albany boards or planks, and 

 all forts of timber, flour, peafe, and furs* 

 which they get from the Indians, or which 

 are fmuggled from the French. They 

 come home almoft empty, and only bring a 

 few merchandizes with them, among which 

 rum is the chief. This laft is abfolutely 

 neceflary to the inhabitants of Albany ; 

 they cheat the Indians in the fur trade with 

 it /for when the Indians are drunk, they 

 will leave it to the Albanians to fix the price 

 of the furs. The yachts are pretty large, 

 and have a good cabbin, in which the paf- 

 fengers can be very commodioufly lodged. 

 They are commonly built of red Ce- 

 dar, or of white Oak. Frequently, the 

 bottom confifts of white oak, and the 

 fides of red cedar, becaufe the latter with- 

 {lands putrefaction much longer than the 

 former. The red cedar is likewife apt to 

 fplit, when it hits againft any thing, and 

 the river Hudfon is in many parts lull of 

 fands and rocks, againft which the keel 

 of the yacht fometimes hits ; therefore 



they 



