328 TRAVELS IN THE UNITED STATES : 
might be seen from it for many miles,, mean¬ 
dering through a fertile country, and beyond 
the flats on each side of the river, appeared 
several ranges of blue hills rising up one be- 
hind another in a most fanciful manner, the 
whole together forming a most beautiful land¬ 
scape. Here, however, in the true American 
taste, the greatest pains were taking to dimi¬ 
nish, and, indeed, to shut out all the beauties 
of the prospect* every tree in the neighbour¬ 
hood of the house was felled to the ground; 
instead of a neat lawn, for which the ground 
seemed to be singularly well disposed, a wheat 
held was laid down in front of it; and at the 
bottom of the slope, at the distance of two 
hundred yards from the house, a town was 
building by the major, which, when completed, 
would effectually screen from the dwelling 
house every sight of the river and mountains. 
The Americans, as I before observed, seem 
to be totally dead to the beauties of nature, 
and only to admire a spot of ground as it ap¬ 
pears to be more or less calculated to enrich the 
occupier by its produce. 
The Genesee River takes its name from a 
lofty hill in the Indian territory, near to which 
it passes, called by the Indians Genesee, a word 
signifying in their language, a grand extensive 
prospect. 
