t59 



July 31. This morning after breakfast, I went 

 down the river on board a boat : This River 

 though deep & large having all the body of wa- 

 ter in it, which is discharged by all the small 

 lakes, is very much impedet by rifts or ledges of 

 rock, which go across it, sometimes for a consid- 

 erable distance ; the bottom is in deep & shallow 

 water covered with aquatic plants, some of them, 

 chiefly Potamogetons grow to an exceeding length 

 in deep water. — Eels & Water snakes both of a 

 most enormous size are the chief inhabitants of 

 it. — I thought to have observed some leaves of 

 Valisneria floating on the water. — The banks of 

 the river are very romantick : in showing the 

 woods & River in its primitive state, exactly as 

 much so as when it was not known to white people. 

 Here is no house or any sign of cultivation to be 

 seen, untill you come near Oswego. At Oswego 

 Rift, 1 quited the boat, being only a mile to that 

 place then by land : when I came ashore I ob- 

 served a species of Hydrocotyle, with peltated 

 leaves, without flowers, growing along the edge 

 of the water, my walk dit go along the shore 

 which was covered with Chesnut, Oak, Hem- 

 lock — Populuscandicans, heterophylla & tremu- 

 loides— Scrophularia nodosa in flower— Hyperi- 

 cum perforatum even has found his way to this 

 retired place, in company of some more obnox- 

 ious foreign weeds. — Soon after my arrival & hav- 

 ing refreshed myself at Oswego, & went to see 

 the lake, which indeed has a noble & grand appear- 

 ance, & without knowing it previous to be only a 

 lake, one would take it for the shore of the main 



