YORK. 



tfif waters cf feveral other rivers and creeks. The St. 

 Lawrence wafhes more than loo miles of the north-weftern 

 boundary, and it receives a number of rivers and creeks. 

 Half of lake Champlain alfo belongs to this ftate, and it is 

 fupplied by feveral ftreams. Eaft river alfo belongs to this 

 Jlate* 



The climate 3.nAfeafons muft in fuch an extent of country 

 be very various, fo that it is difficult to accommodate any 

 general obfervation to the whole ftate. In the eaftem ter- 

 ritory, or wholly S. of the Highlands, where the prevaihng 

 winds are foutherly through the warm feafons, the weather is 

 very variable ; and the changes of temperature, governed 

 by the winds, frequent and fudden. In the northern part 

 of the ftate, the weather is lefs variable ; but the winters 

 are long and fevere, with a clear and fettled (ky. This 

 region, extending from the fouthem extremity of lake 

 George, and weftward to near lake Ontario and the St. 

 Lawrence, may be diftinguiftied as the region of the 

 •'northern climate." That of the " weftern climate" 

 comprifes the great weftern territory of this ftate, extend- 

 ing from the Catfberg or Catflcill mountains to the great 

 lake. Here fouth-wefterly winds prevail in a confiderable 

 proportion throughout the year. A gentle current of air, 

 that may be traced from the gulf of Mexico, and reaching 

 to a diftance of more than looo miles, prevails almoft con- 

 ftantly from the S.W. ; and northerly and ealterly winds 

 are almoft wholly unknown. In this diftrift, the average 

 temperatures are about three degrees higher than in fimi- 

 lar latitudes in the eaftern climate. Such is the general 

 charafter of the weftern climate of the United States, and 

 the diftinftion is faid to terminate, or nearly fo, with the 

 region about lake Ontario. The weftern climate of this 

 ftate is therefore warmer than the eaftern by about 3° of 

 Fahrenheit ; and this is attributed to the greater prevalence 

 of warmer currents of air from the S.W. In the region 

 about Albany, the rigours of winter commence about the 

 20th of December, and end with February, or about the 

 loth of March, when the ice ufually breaks up in the 

 Hudfon. From the middle of March to the end of April, 

 the weather is very variable ; the changes of temperature 

 great and fudden, though it be generally rainy, with long- 

 continued ilorms of eallerly winds. May is alio a variable 

 month ; June afl^umes a fummer charafter ; in July, fouth- 

 erly winds are diminiftied, and drought prevails ; Auguft is 

 more ftiowery, and more uniformly temperate, than any 

 month of the year, and aff^ording health and plenty. The 

 former part of September refembles Auguft, and termi- 

 nating with mild and pleafant weather. Oftober is an 

 agreeable month ; early frofts occur about the 26th of 

 September, though corn ripens till the middle of Oftober ; 

 and from the 15th to the 25th of this month the fohage of 

 the foreft-trees is deftroyed, and early falls of fnow com- 

 mence about this time. December is ufually cold and 

 Ihowery, and ftorms from the N. and E. are frequent, and 

 of long continuance. It is obferved, that a general modi- 

 fication of temperature, favourable to agricultural interefts, 

 has occurred within the laft 10 or 15 years. 



This ftate aff^ords facihties for inland navigaiion fuperior 

 to any other, combining both the objefts and the means of 

 intercourfe. The conneftions of the rivers Hudlon, Mo- 

 hawk, Ofwego, Delaware, Ohio, Sufquehanna, Alleghany, 

 Mifliffippi, and ot. Lawrence, by creeks and ftreams, and 

 canals with the lakes Oneida, Erie, George, Champlain, 

 Ontario, &c. are peculiarly favourable to internal naviga- 

 tion and commerce. The canal at Rome, which coanefts 

 the waters of the Mohawk and lake Ontario, and which 

 was completed in 1797, deferves particular mention ; and it 



fliould be noticed to the honour of tliis ftate, that the 

 weftern inland lock navigation company is formed for the 

 direft purpofe of improving the navigation of the weftern 

 waters ; and that the projeft of a great weftern canal for 

 connefting lake Erie and the Hudfon by a boat navigation 

 is a very important objeft. 



The ftate of New York has few bays, excluCvely of thofe 

 ot Long ifland, which are very numerous. It has many 

 ifJands, among which Naffau, or Long ifland, claims the 

 brlt place, as it aff'ords more than 100 miles of fea-coaft 

 many excellent harbours, and many advantages for com! 

 merce. Its bays are both numerous and large, and it has 

 immediately dependent upon it many fubordinate iflands. 

 Ihe iflands in the bay of New York, as well as that upon 

 which New York itfelf is fituated, and Staten ifland, and 

 thofe belonging to the Hudfon, Mohawk, Niagara, and St 

 Lawrence nvers, to lake Ontario, Champlain, George, &c 

 might be enumerated if our hmits would allow. In this 

 conneftion we might alfo mention a variety of bridges that 

 ferve to facilitate communication and intercourfe between 

 the various parts of this ftate. 



The/5// and agriculture of New York deferve our parti- 

 cular attention. The foil is of various charafters in different 

 parts of the ftate. In fome diftrifts it is deep and warm, 

 and well adapted to grain or grafs ; in other parts it is of a 

 loofer texture, and is found in various proportions by the 

 admixture of vegetable remains ; forming a thick vegetable 

 mould, with a fmall proportion of earth, and called by the 

 farmers in that country " black muck." This is foon ex- 

 haufted, and as it refts on a fubftratum, called " hard-pan" 

 by the farmers, that is cold and ftony, it is incapable of 

 being reftored or reclaimed by any manure or art of huf- 

 bandry. The weft end of Long illand is rich, fertile, and 

 highly cultivated ; but the eaftern part has a large proportion 

 of fandy barren plains. Below the Highlands, the foil is 

 principally dry and warm, having a gravelly or fandy fub- 

 ftratum, or granitic rock. North of the Highlands to the 

 Mohawk, the foil is dry and warm, being either a gravelly or 

 fandy loam in general ; and both thofe which we have men- 

 tioned are ftated to be a medium foil. But on the eaftern 

 border of the ftate, the rocks are principally fchiftic, and a 

 fchiftic gravel forms moft of the foil, which is warm and pro- 

 duftive, though not deep. The alluvial flats of Columbia 

 and fome part of Renftelaer counties are very extenfive and 

 rich ; and the valleys, prefenting a warm gravelly foil, are 

 alfo extenfive, and furnifti much good medium foil. Weft of 

 Albany are extenfive fandy plains, interfperfed with marfhes, 

 and rather cold and wet till we approach the Helderberg 

 hills. This plain is generally underlaid by clay ; but the 

 Helderberg hills are calcareous, and prefent a better foil, 

 though broken and much diverfified. 



The agricultural produfts of this divifion of the whole 

 territory of the ftate confifts of all the various produflions 

 of this country. The weft part of Long ifland, and the 

 counties of Weft Chefter and Duchefs, are well cultivated. 

 The latter is one of the beft farming counties in the ftate. 

 The introduftion of gypfum as a manure has marked a new 

 era in the agriculture and rural economy of this region. 

 The weft fide of the Hudfon is confiderably behind the 

 eaftern. The fouthern part of Wafhington county has a 

 warm gravelly medium foil, and abundant crops. Saratoga 

 has much good but more wafte land. Its general charafter 

 is more fandy ; and, hke that of Albany, refts on clay. 

 Around lake Champlain there is a large extent of clayey 

 foil, extending to the hills that fkirt the Peru mountains. 

 With the exception of the alluvial flats, which are extenfive 

 and rich, the foil of the country of the Mohawk may be 



generally 



