224 



NEW YORK. 



adjacent to these peaks, are covered with forests of lofty spruce and balsam fir, as straight as 

 the white pine, and of a beautiful and unfading verdure ; the earth is clothed with a carpet of 

 thick and soft velvet moss, of a delicate light green, ornamented with gay flowers and tufts of 

 white coral-like silvery moss, and mountain sorrel. 



From these summits, the traveler at dawn of day, beholds a scene of unrivaled splendor. 

 The sun rises in dazzling brightness over the distant Tagkannuc mountains, but the immense 

 valley of the Hudson is still clad in the shades of night. As the sun advances, objects in the 

 valley are gradually and dimly disclosed. Here and there appear white fogs, resting on the 

 waters ; soon these are laised and expanded into clouds by the warmth of the sun, and tinged 

 wilh gold and purple sail away far below, brushing the mountains with their dewy wings. The 

 eye now wanders over a vast expanse, like a world in miniature. The Hudson, many miles 

 distant, appears at the base of the mountain, diminished in appearance to a rivulet. From ihe 

 Highlands to Albany, every town and village on its banks can be discerned ; ships, with all their 

 canvass spread, appear dwindled to boats. The rising sun gleaming over the rivers and on the 

 lakes of mountain and valley, renders them like crimson floods of fire. The mountains of Lake 

 George, the Green ^Nlountains of Vermont, and the lofty ranges of Massachusetts and Con- 

 necticut are in view, and their blue, cloud-like summits seem mingled with the di'^lant sky. 

 The valley of the Hudson appears an immense plain checkered with groves and corn-fields. 

 Sometimes the valley is filled with clouds, resembling a boundless ocean, while the insulated 

 summits are in the sunshine and clear sky. When put in motion by the wind, the clouds of 

 the valley roll like the waves of a tempestuous sea, and storms are often seen sweeping far 

 below, shrouding a part of the landscape in midnight darkness. You hear the thunder roll, and 

 see the lightning play beneath your feet, while the mountain heights around you are in a calm 

 and cloudless sky. 



The Pine Orchard is a spot upon these mountains about seven miles from the Hudson, 



where a road winds upward to the height 

 of 2,274 feet. At this spot, upon a small 

 plain, scattered over with forest trees, 

 stands a hotel, called the Catskill Moun- 

 tain Hoitse, which is the general resort of 

 visiters in the summer. The pi'ospect 

 from this place embraces some of the 

 grandest views which the mountains ex- 

 hibit. 



3. Valleys. The long, narrow valley 

 which contains Lake Champlain and the 

 Hudson, is extremely irregular, being in 

 some places 40 miles in breadth, and in 

 others, contracted to the immediate neigh- 

 borhood of the stream. Along the shores 

 of the river, the land is generally high, with 

 few level tracts. The valley of the Mo- 

 hawk is seldom more than a mile and a half 

 in breadth, and generally not more than a 

 mile. It is bordered by two long ranges 

 of hills, presenting little variety of aspect. 

 In the first part of its course, it flows 

 through extensive flats. 



4. Rivers. The Hudson rises in the 

 mountainous region on the west side of 

 Lake Champlain in several small branches ; 

 and pursues a southerly course in general, 



Cdtsiiiii Mountain House. to the sea at New York. Its whole length 



is 324 miles ; from its mouth to Hudson, 

 130 miles, it is navigable for the largest ships ; and to Troy, 166 miles, for sloops. For 25 

 miles above New York it is a mile wide. Wliere it breaks through the highlands, hs navigation 

 sufl^ers no impediment except the narrowing of the channel, and here its waters are deeper. 

 The precipitou-^ nnd broken cHils \\-]{\vh project towards the river render the scenery extremely 



