62 
Holland, and England, will readily perceive, that the water-works 
of this country afford much room for improvement. The canal 
is thirty-five feet wide on the surface, twenty-eight feet at the 
bottom, and four feet deep, so that none but flat vessels and rafts 
can sail on it. The packet-boat which took us to Schenectady, 
was seventy feet long, fourteen feet wide, and drew two feet 
water. It was covered, and contained a spacious cabin, with a 
kitchen, and was very neatly arranged. On account of the great 
number of locks, the progress of our journey was but slow: our 
packet-boat went only at the rate of three miles an hour, being 
detained at each lock, on an average, four minutes. The locks 
are fourteen feet wide above the surface, and have a fall from 
seven to twelve feet. The packet-boat was drawn by three horses, 
which walked upon a narrow tow-path leading along the canal, 
and beneath the numerous bridges which are thrown over it. These 
bridges, of which there are about three hundred between Albany 
and Utica, are all built of wood, and in a very awkward style; 
most of them belong to the farmers, and are intended to serve as 
a means of communication between their fields. The distance 
from Albany to Schenectady, by land, is only fifteen miles, and 
persons are enabled to travel it in a very short time in the stage¬ 
coach; but as we were anxious to see the canal, and get leisure to 
complete our journals, we preferred going by water, twenty-eight 
miles. 
At Troy, five miles and a half from Albany, is the govern¬ 
ment arsenal, which appears to be a large establishment. As 
far as this place, the canal runs nearly parallel with the Hudson. 
Troy, which is very pleasantly situated on the left bank of the 
river, at the foot of several tolerably high mountains, one of which 
is called Mount Ida, appears, if we may be permitted to judge 
from the large store-houses and the good appearance of the dwel¬ 
lings, to be a wealthy place. Here is a branch canal which has 
two locks, and establishes a communication with Troy. Shortly 
after, we arrived at a place where there are no less than nine locks, 
with an ascent of seventy-eight feet. In front, and to the right 
of this, is another canal, which unites with the Hudson and the 
canal from Lake Champlain. At this place we left the Hudson 
and directed our course along the Mohawk river. During our 
ride we observed a covered wooden bridge, which extends over 
the latter river, a short distance from its mouth, and is about six 
hundred feet in length, supported by fifteen wooden piers. Here 
we saw the famous Cohoes Falls of the Mohawk river, seventy- 
eight feet in height and about four hundred feet wide. In the 
spring, when these falls extend over the entire bed of the Mohawk, 
they are said to be extremely magnificent; during the present dry 
weather, they presented a very handsome appearance, though 
