VERMONT. 



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western range beyond the fork is high and precipitous, but the rivers which cross its course 

 have opened convenient passages, and the communication from east to west is much less ob- 

 structed than in the southern division. The northeastern branch is nearly uniform m height, 

 and has no prominent elevations, but it diminishes on approaching the Canada line. 



The Green Mountains are from 10 to 15 miles wide, much intersected with valleys, abound- 

 ing in springs and streams, and exhibiting that perpetual verdure which has conferred upon 

 them their name. Their sides are completely covered with woods, and their rocky summits 

 are clad in a coat of green moss. The trees appear old, but small ; they are chiefly of the ever- 

 green kinds, pine, spruce, hemlock, and fir, intermixed with shrubs and bushes. Vegetation 

 decreases on approaching the top of the mountains ; the trees diminish in size, and frequently 

 terminate in a shrubbery of spruce and hemlock, two or three feet high, with branches so inter- 

 woven, as to prevent all passage through them. Trees of this height, with shrubs and vinej 

 producing berries, and a species of weed called winter grass, mixed with the moss of the 

 rocks, are all the vegetation which the summits of the mountains produce. The sides of the 

 mountains are generally rugged and irregular ; some of them have large apertures and caves. 

 The thick, green moss which coats their tops is so compact and firm, and lies in such extensive 

 beds, as to reach from rock to rock, and they will sometimes bear the weight of a man without 

 being broken through.- These immense spongy masses receive the moisture supplied by the 

 clouds and rain, and while a part of it runs down the sides of the mountain, much of it is ab- 

 sorbed, and penetrates the whole mass. In this manner several of these mountains are contin- 

 ually wet on their tops, and have large marshy spots, which are the constant resort of water 

 fowl during the warm season. The roads across them are frequently wet and miry, when the 

 valleys below are dry. The loftiest summits are Killington Peak, near Rutland, 3,675 feet ; 

 Camel's Rump, between Montpelier and Burlington, 4,200 feet ; and Mansfield Mountain, a 

 few miles further north, 4,280 feet above the level of the sea. Ascutney, a single mountain 

 near Windsor, is 3,320 feet in height. 



3. Rivers. Except the Connecticut, which washes the eastern border of the State, all the 

 rivers of Vermont are small, and have their origin among the Green Mountains ; 35 of these 

 run easterly, and fall into the Connecticut; 25 run westerly into Lake Champlain, and 2 or 3 in 

 the same quarter fall into the Hudson. In the N. E. are 4 or 5 which fall into Lake Mem- 

 phremagoa;, through which they finally reach the St. Lawrence. There is but one river in the 

 State navigable to any extent ; this is the Connecticut, and strictly speaking, this is within the 

 boundary of New Hampshire. The chief streams flowing into the Connecticut, are, begin- 

 ning at the north : 1. the Pasimsic, which rises from a pond in Westmore, a little to the 

 S. E. of Lake Memphremagog, and flows southerly 45 miles to the Connecticut at Barnet, 

 receiving in its course 10 small streams : 2. White River, formed from 2 small branches, and 

 falling into the Connecticut, after a course of 50 miles : 3. West River, which joins the Con- 

 necticut near the south boundary of the State. 



On the west of the mountains, there flow into Lake Champlain, 1. the Missisque, rising in 

 Belvidere, passing into Canada, returning to Vermont and falling into the lake at Missisque 

 Bay ; this river is navigable 7 miles for boats : 2. the Lamoile, rising in Glover, and running 

 into the lake at Colchester ; this river is 75 miles long, and is a smooth, pleasant stream, 

 watering a rich, fertile, and level country ; it has 14 tributaries 3. Winooski or Onion River, 

 rising 30 miles east of the Green Mountains, and running northwesterly about 80 miles to the 

 lake ; it is navigable for smali vessels 5 miles from its mouth ; above this it is obstructed by 

 falls : 4. Otter Creek, which rises in Bromley and runs north 90 miles to the lake at Ferris- 

 ourgh ; it is navigable to the falls at Vergennes, 5 miles. 



4. Lakes. Lake Champlain, which bounds this State on the west, is 128 miles long, varying 

 in breadth from 1 mile to 15 ; it is sufficiently deep for the largest ships, and contains a surface of 

 600 square miles. It embosoms above 60 islands, and discharges its waters northward through 

 the river Sorelle, into the St. Lawrence. From the 20th of April to the 20th of June, the waters 

 of the lake generally rise from 4 to 8 feet. Early in the winter the shores are frozen, but the 

 whole lake is not often covered with ice till the middle of January. Early in April the ice 

 disappears. Many marks on the rocks along the shore, indicate that the level of the waters 

 was much higher in former years than at present ; though no perceptible alteration has taken 

 place since the discovery of the country. This lake took its name from Samuel Champlain, a 

 Frenchman, who discovered it in 1508, and was afterwards drowned in its waters. Many con 

 siderable towns are situated on its shores, the principal of which are Burline;ton, St. Alban's. 



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