106 Topographical Sketch of the State of New- York. 

 pression is a long, deep and narrow vale, extending through the- 

 country, in a direct line from the ocean near New- York, to the 

 valley of the St. Lawrence river, a distance of 380 miles. That 

 part north of the Highlands at West-Point, is formed by an open- 

 ing between two of the Allegany ranges ; and is bounded on the 

 pne side by the Catskill ridges and the mouutaius on the north 

 •ide of the Mohawk, and on the other by the range which we have 

 described as forming the separating ridge between the Hudson 

 and the Connecticut. There are only three lateral passes from 

 this valley. The most important of these is the lower valley of 

 the Mohawk, which may be considered as an arm of the Hudson 

 and Champlain valley, extending back as far as the Little Falls ; 

 and thus forming a pass from the Hudson, through the Appala- 

 chian mountains, into the great St. Lawrence basin. The high- 

 est part of this pass, as we have before observed, is only 425 feet 

 above tide water. The next pass is the valley through which the 

 Delaware and Hudson canal has been constructed. It extends 

 from the Hudson, near the village of Kingston, to the Delaware 

 river ; and is elevated in the highest part, 500 feet above the level 

 of the Hudson. The other pass is also between the same rivers, 

 and is through a spacious valley bounded by the Catskill ridge on 

 the one side and the mountains forming the Highlands on the other. 

 The elevation of the summit is 430 feet above the Hudson and 20? 

 above the Delaware. 



The most remarkable and peculiar feature of the Hudson and 

 Champlain valley, is its great and uniform depth below the gener- 

 al level of the surface of the adjoining country. The highest part 

 of the bottom of this valley, throughout its whole extent, is on the 

 intervening space between the Hudson and Lake Champlain, and 

 is elevated only 147 feet above the level of tide in the river, and 

 54 feet above the surface of tho lake. From this surprising fact, 

 we learn that an obstruction in the channel of the Hudson at the 

 entrance of the Highlands, near Newburgh, of only 150 feet in 

 height, would turn the current of the river to the north, and cause 

 its waters to descend to the gulf of St. Lawrence, through the out- 

 let of Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence river. The appear- 

 ance of the mountain pass at the Highlands, is highly favorable to 

 the supposition, that the Hudson has in reality forced its way 

 through this impeding barrier, and thus gained a more direct pass- 

 It has been justly remarked by an able geographer, that there 



