ALBANY, 271 
that his mainsail was once blown into tatters 
in an instant, and a part of it carried on shore. 
When the sky is lowering, they usually take 
in sail going along this part of the river, 
' About four o’clock in the morning of the 
fourth of July we reached Albany, the place 
of our destination, one hundred and sixty 
miles distant from New York. 
Albany is a city, and contains about eleven 
hundred houses; the number however is in¬ 
creasing fast, particularly since the removal of 
the state government from New York. la 
the old part of the town the streets are very 
narrow, and the houses are frightful; they are 
all b,uilt in the old Dutch taste, with the gable 
end towards the street, and ornamented on 
a 
the top with large iron weather-cocks ; but in 
that part which has been lately erected, the 
streets are commodious, and many of the 
houses are handsome. Great pains have been 
taken to have the streets well paved and 
lighted. Here are four places for public 
worship, and an hospital. Albany is in suns- 
* 
xner time a very disagreeable place ; it stands 
in a low situation, just on the margin of the 
river, which runs very slowly here, and, to¬ 
wards the evening often exhales clouds of va¬ 
pours ; immediately behind the town, likewise* 
is a large sandbank, that prevents a free 
dilation of air, while at the same time it 
