LETTER IV.

Hamilton-Oneida Academy-Paris-Iron mine-The measures adopted for the support of religion in this State unhappy, and the laws imperfect—Rome-Battle between the English and Indians under Sir John Johnson and the American militia under Gen. Herkimer-Canal-Siege of Fort Stanwix.

Dear Sir,

WE returned to Paris before dinner; and spent the afternoon in visiting Hamilton Oneida Academy, and in an interesting conversation with several of the trustees concerning its present state, its prospects, and the means of increasing its usefulness and reputation. This Seminary is already of considerable importance; and contains fifty-two students, of both sexes, under the care of two instructors. The scheme of education, professedly pursued in it, includes the English, Latin, and Greek languages, and most of the liberal arts, and sciences. An academical building is erected for it, eighty-eight feet long, and forty-six feet wide, of three stories, on a noble healthy eminence, commanding a rich and extensive prospect. It is, however, but partially finished.*

The township of Paris lies immediately South of Whitestown. It contains four parishes, of which Clinton is the most considerable. This township is part of a tract, more than thirty miles square; the soil of which is probably not inferior to any other of the same extent in this State. It is of the same kind with that of Hartford, formerly mentioned, and of the best quality. All the vegetable productions of the climate flourish here. A farmer this year had two hundred bushels of peaches, which he sold for a dollar a bushel. Every other product thrives equally well, ex

This Seminary was in the year 1811 converted into a college with funds amounting to $100,000 and the assurance of $50,000 more. Half of their present funds was derived from contributions raised by the gentlemen of the neighbouring County; the other half was given by the State. It is named Hamilton College after the late Secretary of the American Treasury. The Rev. Dr. Backus of Bethlem was chosen President, and has entered on the duties of his office. There are the best reasons for believing, that it will prove a source of extensive benefit to the Western country of New-York.

cept flax; which grows, indeed, very rankly; but the coat, or rind, is imperfect. Within a short period, when the land shall have been cultivated a little longer, this inconvenience will probably cease.

The surface of this township is composed of handsome hills and vallies. The principal valley is watered by the Oriskany; a fine, sprightly mill-stream, flowing at the bottom of two beautiful slopes through a rich border of intervals, and furnishing a succession of mill-seats. The church, a building honourable to the inhabitants of so new a settlement, stands in a small but pretty village built in this valley. The surrounding country is a collection of handsome farms. The forests in this township are composed of beech, maple, bass, &c. When these trees are felled, they are often imperfectly replaced by a new growth; and give, therefore, too much reason to fear, that timber and fuel at no great distance of time will become scarce.

A vast multitude of the stones in this township, are to a great extent, composed of small marine shells; often in their original state, but generally petrified. A fourth, a half, and sometimes three fourths, of the whole mass are frequently made up of these shells; particularly, of escallops, and muscles. Such as I saw in a state of petrifaction were of a dirty brown colour: the rest were as white, as when found on the shore of the ocean. They were aggregated in all positions. These and other marine exuviæ are found in vast quantities throughout a great extent of this country, and on the highest grounds. Immense multitudes of oyster shells, a great number of them not petrified, are embodied in large masses of lime stone at Cherry Valley about sixty miles West of Albany.

The water throughout this country is almost universally impregnated with lime. One spring, only, was mentioned to me as yielding water which is fit for washing within the parish of Clinton.

Clay abounds here, and throughout all the neighbouring country. Half a mile East of the Church, we examined an iron mine, which is on the Southern bank of a small stream. Above the VOL. III.

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bed of ore lies a mass of slate, horizontally stratified, of a light brown colour, and about ten feet in thickness. The strata are not much thicker than the blade of a case-knife; and are so friable, as to be easily pulverized.

The ore is different from any, which I had before seen. It lies in strata, like those of the slate in their general appearance, but from one to three feet in thickness. The stone is of a handsome claret colour; and its mass is composed of grains, resembling clover seeds in their size, and form, but flatted in a small degree, and united by a cement, apparently of an oily nature. They cohere so loosely, as to be easily separable by the pressure and at trition of the fingers. In front of the mine lay a large quantity of them, separated, and washed clean; and neither the sight, nor the touch, could without some attention distinguish them from clover seed, when sufficiently wet to adhere together by the attraction of the water. Of these grains a pigment is made by pulverizing them, which is much more brilliant than the mass itself.

This ore is supposed to be very rich; but I was not able to obtain any correct account of its produce. It is said to abound in this region, both on the surface, and at every depth to which it has been explored.

There are three Presbyterian Congregations in this township; and two Clergymen. These gentlemen, though held in high estimation, and deservedly, loved, by their parishioners, consider themselves as holding their connection with their Congregations by a very precarious tenure. The laws of this State concerning the support of Clergymen are so loosely, and so unwisely formed, as to leave them in a great measure dependent on the fluctuating feelings of parishioners, rendered much more fluctuating by the laws themselves. A voluntary contribution, except in a large, town, is as uncertain as the wind; and a chameleon only can expect to derive a permanent support from this source.

By several very respectable gentlemen, with whom I coversed largely on this subject, I was informed, that the opposition to supporting Clergymen by law had lately very much increased among the New-England people of this region. My informants believ

ed, that not more than one tenth of the principal inhabitants, and not more than a twentieth of the people at large, are in favour of this system. This is a lamentable degeneracy.

In 1790, Paris was a part of Whitestown: in 1796 the number of its inhabitants was 3,459: in 1800, 4,721; and in 1810, 5,418. At Whitesborough I lodged with Mr. B- ; and in his family, and those of several gentlemen of this village, received all the civilities, which flow from polite hospitality. On the Sabbath I attended public worship with Mr. Dodd, the very worthy and excellent minister of this people. He died not long after our journey; and has left behind him a name which is as the odour of sweet incense.

Monday September 30th, we set out for Rome. Mr. S

a student of law in this town from Yale College, accompanied us. Our road lay along the Mohawk; which, however, was hidden by the forest on its borders. The distance is twelve miles.

Rome is a township, bordering upon Whitestown on the NorthWest. Its surface is generally undulating; its soil similar to that of Whitestown; but the settlements fewer, and more recent.

On the road the spot was pointed out to me, where General Herkimer seated himself under a tree, after having received a mortal wound, with an invincible resolution to maintain the conflict.

When General Burgoyne commenced his expedition against the United States, he directed Lieutenant-Colonel Baron St. Leger, with a body of troops, consisting of British, American Refugees, Germans, Canadians, and Savages, from 1,500 to 1,800 in number, to proceed from Montreal by Lake Ontario, to attack Fort Stanwix, and after taking that fortress to march down the Mohawk to Albany. St. Leger arrived at Fort Stanwix in the beginning of August, 1777. On the news of his approach, General Herkimer, a respectable descendant from one of the German Colonists, mentioned above, commanding the militia of Tryon County, assembled a body of 800 men, and marched to the relief of the garrison. He arrived within six or seven miles of the fort on the 6th of August. From his scouts he had learned, that a

body of troops under Sir John Johnson, had been despatched by St. Leger to intercept him. He determined, therefore, to halt, and choose his own ground for the contest; but his troops, who were raw militia, without any discipline, insisted peremptorily on being led immediately to the attack. The General, after remonstrating with his usual good sense, and telling them roundly, that, ardent as they were, they would run at the first appearance of the enemy; and after finding all his efforts vain, resolved to lead them on, although he clearly foresaw the disastrous issue. Accordingly he coolly moved on to what he considered as almost certain destruction. At the very first fire of the enemy a large proportion of these violent men fled instantly ;* leaving their gallant chief, with the remainder of his troops, to sustain the attack. These men fought like lions; and came to close quarters

*It ought to be transmitted to future generations, as a fact in which not improbably they may find an interest, that men of the same description, men who have made a figure in mobs, who have been ready on all occasions to resist government and disturb the peace of their neighbours, have very generally acted, in similar circumstances, like those mentioned in the text. They have been clamorous to be led to battle, until the enemy was in sight, and have then usually run away. These are what in our newspapers were customarily called '76-men; men who, at that time, and at all others, have disturbed the peace of society, done all the mischief, and prevented or destroyed all the good which was in their power: men who were then, are now, and at all other times have been, nuisances to society. Posterity ought to know that men of this description can have no reliance placed on them in the time of danger; that their warfare is carried on by words, and not by muskets; and that they will certainly deceive the confidence which is reposed in them. Their whole character is perfectly described in the poetical account of the crane, given in Tommy Trip's history of birds :

By the violence of these mob-men, as they are emphatically called, by our plain people, General Herkimer lost his life: a more costly sacrifice to his country than the loss of thousands of these miserable wretches.

The real men of '76 were such as fought at Breed's hill and at Stillwater; the sober steady yeomanry of the country; whom nothing could daunt, and nothing but a superiour force overpower. On such men it is to be hoped future generations will learn to place their reliance in seasons of danger.